Tasting The Smoke!!

As far as I recall. I was always very subtle and then one day it just sort of clicked. It's more patience and waiting for the flavors to present themselves. All you need is good habits a good pipe and good tobacco.

teufelhund is correct. I have been smoking for a couple of years now and some blends take time to get through to all the subtle flavors.

Its a long road for some, but has been a real joy to finally get results.

Be patient.

You'll taste it when you start to smoke englishes :wink:

That's rue latbomber!

The taste experience can be elusive for some. Of course, the trick is to get the smoke moving around the various receptors in the mouth and nose.
I've been pipe smoking for 30 years and I've just scratched the surface of tobacco tasting. I'd have to agree with latbomber, because it wasn't until I smoked my first English blend that I realized there were flavors in tobacco other than vanilla and cherry. It was a revelation of sorts. It's also expensive! I went from spending twenty-five bucks a year on tobacco to thirty dollars a month. I'd spend more if I could afford to explore everything I wanted to explore!

It's kind of like when you are single and trying to find a girl. The harder you look, the harder they are to find. Be patient and it will come to you. If you are really concerned about flavor, like L at bomber said, try a full English blend.

Times ten on the English blends. I was basically an aromatic smoker. I would try other blends here and there but never really impressed. Then I smoked a heavy lat that smelled like brisket and tasted like flowers. That led me to try many other English blends and eventually came the Vapers. Now I am all over the map but on the rare occasion that I do smoke an aromatic I enjoy it much more than I did when that was all I smoked. Wish the Frog's and a forum like this would have been around when I started.

Don't get too overly concerned about all the so called nuances of taste that some 'tobacco aficionado's' claim to have in tobacco reviews. Personally, I think that some of the reviews (I'm not referring to this site) are total BS and simply people trying to impress others with their flowery descriptions, but be that as it may.
I started out with aro's back in the 70's as I thought that was what tobacco was supposed to be, as in; smell nice and leave a pleasant aroma. I'm not sure what you have been smoking, but if it's aro's you definitely need to try something out of that realm. After 50+ years of smoking cigarettes I've got the taste buds of 40 grit sandpaper and I could not for the life of me taste, much less get any satisfaction from aro's. When I finally took the plunge into non- aro's it was an awakening to say the least.
English blends are admittedly not my thing as I abhor the taste of Latakia, but by all means give them a try. I'm one of those who can't smoke a pipe while working/moving about as I have to either sit down, smoke a bowl and relax with it, or not not bother with it, but that's just me. Try different blends (NO aro's), smoke slowly and 'roll' the smoke in your mouth and under your tongue. That distinctive taste of various blends will come with time, but only if you take the time to sit back and relax with a bowl. The more you try, and are conscious of trying to achieve what you are after, the more it will allude you. But, again don't be overly concerned about trying to pick up elusive tastes/nuances in a tobacco as you've read in tobacco reviews. Relax... it will come, and when it does you'll know it. :wink:

It's certainly true of the English blends because they are so assertive (Latakia forward,) but each tobacco has it's own distinctive flavor and, as noted above, as you gain in experience, you will, in time, experience what each tobacco has to offer, subtle though it may be. One hint, if you're smoking cigars or cigarettes, this will certainly interfere with the process.

I probably sound like a broken record professing my love for Dunhill's EMP but it's a risk I'm willing to take. It's a good intro to Enhlish mixtures IMHO and it's not a lat bomb. Some don't even detect its presence. There's a sweet nuttiness to it that in my pipes, hits a climactic sensory crescendo at about mid bowl. I smoke everyday and it's always my first bowl. There are days when I'll smoke it all day but usually I'm graduating from it to 965 then Nightcap. Virginias can bring it in the flavor dept but it requires a smokers attention and dicipline to get the most from what it's offering. I can relate to your desire for that epic pipe smoking taste blast and will only caution you that even if you do move toward the English blends, stay focused on slowly sipping and keeping things cool and dry. An over worked pipe and a smoker puffing too hard will get tongue bit and all you'll get is a burnt acrid taste from the tobacco.

Sit ur butt down and fire up a low slow bowl of GL Pease Gaslight. Now that's a bowl of flavor.

I'm not much one to recommend a tobacco. After all, some like fried liver... others don't.

With that said, and seeing that your first experience with Latakia did not seem to be to your liking, and it's certainly not mine either, I would suggest something on the order of Orlik Golden Sliced for a start. A good mild somewhat sweet taste, and not overpowering. I would consider that a good introduction into non-aro's. Obviously there are many others, but for it's price (considering that it's a flake tinned tobacco) you can't go wrong. Smoked two bowls of it today and a pure delight as always. Just a suggestion... :wink:

Taste is just too subjective, in my opinion, for any one individual to be able to know what another will experience. We can only try different blends and find those that work for us.
For instance, Escudo is lauded by many as a glorious smoke but to my palate it is bland... Boring. To each his own. 8)

Some really great tips here -- I have reallllly been enjoying english/balkan blends as they definitely have more taste than most of the aro's I have tried.

I get good flavor out of the aromatics I smoke.
I absolutely abhor Latakia. It's far too bitter for me.
I'd suggest chewing on the smoke. Let it swirl around in your mouth for a bit and move your tongue around before exhaling. This lets more taste buds get involved and will really bring the flavors out regardless of the the blend style.

As others have said, give it time. A lot of sensory input gets lost in the shuffle initially, until you train whichever sense you're working on to filter out the noise and focus on what you're looking for - witness people arguing over paint colors (blue-green vs. greenish blue), or conducting blind taste tests for wine snobs, or comparing favorite bands...
I'm a beer snob, myself - I know what I like, and I don't drink what I don't like. I didn't start out that way - I hated it all, as it just tasted bitter and nasty. Now I can look at a beer menu, translate the IBU numbers and the AVB percentages, and determine whether I'm in the mood for something that I would have written off years ago as bitter and nasty (like an IPA), or whether I'm more inclined toward a nice dark porter.
Same thing with tobacco - I used to be an avid anti-smoker, but took up pipe smoking a little over a year ago. I got lucky and started with 1Q, but the next couple of blends I tried didn't do much for me. Turns out that my particular tastes run toward the Latakia-heavy blends, and the Va/Pers such as Escudo (not bland to me) or Luxury Bullseye Flake.
Your tastes will likely change over time, so don't sweat it if something doesn't appeal to you - plenty of other stuff to try, and time enough to come back to it later when you've educated your palate a little more broadly. And if you still don't like something after another try (or two), still no big deal. :D