I have received a number of private messages lately concerning my tobacco reviews. First of all, let me thank you guys (you know who you are) for the kind words and encouragement. Yet, a commonly asked theme appears to be that people are noting "I'd not know how to review a tobacco myself" or paraphrasing of the same.
First, let me tell you: reviewing a tobacco is not as hard as it appears to be. With a little bit of concentration and help from the internets (i.e., http://luxurytobaccoreviews.com/reviews-without-tears.php this great source by G.L. Pease) you can learn what to pay attention to while smoking and which parts are the interesting and important ones.
I've prepared for myself a little review sheet that also contains a list of points that I want to make sure to cover while reviewing a blend. Below is a screenshot of what this looks like on the example of "Just for Him - Ruins of Isengard".
Whenever I smoke a new blend I have not encountered before, or revisit an old blend that I haven't had in a long time (or aged for a number of years), I keep an empty review form close by and take notes of things that strike me along the way. I usually keep those in a personal "Pipe Tobacco Notes" folder on my computer for future reference. Sometimes I write up these notes in a full formal review and post it online, but the overall aim is to keep a personal library. As I smoked more and more different blends, I started to being able to discern commonalities and dissimilarities in taste, appearance, ingredients and preparation. It's actually funny how not-indepth some of my early reviews are. ("Don't like. Tastes like a car tire. Don't ever buy again!" - was my first 'review' of Nightcap, he he!)
There are many facets to doing reviews - and if they are only for yourself that's perfectly fine! - that you might not be aware of:
First, awareness. Consciously smoking and enjoying a blend takes you away from mere consumption to true connoisseur-ship. You start smoking for the discovery and enjoyment of taste, rather than getting a daily fix. I personally see this as the true heart of pipe smoking - the zen if you like to say so.
Second, learning. While really concentrating your mind on what you are smoking you will learn the different aspects of taste and smell of a tobacco blend and its ingredients. When you revisit blends you will notice more and deeper flavors if they are present, and ultimately this leads to a much greater overall enjoyment of the hobby. Pipe smoking eventually becomes Tobacco savoring ;-)
Third, decision making. Down the road you will immediately be able to make up a mental image of what a blend might taste like when you stand in your favorite B&M, just by reading the ingredients list. Awesome looking tin but you know you don't like flue-cured red Virginias from the Carolina belt in combination with Turkish Yenidje? Hah! Saved 12$! Found a McClelland tin with Syrian Latakia from the gorgeous 2002 crop hidden in the back of a B&M while traveling? Hell yeah! Cha-Ching!
So, overall I want to sincerely encourage everyone to try their hand on a tobacco review!
First, let me tell you: reviewing a tobacco is not as hard as it appears to be. With a little bit of concentration and help from the internets (i.e., http://luxurytobaccoreviews.com/reviews-without-tears.php this great source by G.L. Pease) you can learn what to pay attention to while smoking and which parts are the interesting and important ones.
I've prepared for myself a little review sheet that also contains a list of points that I want to make sure to cover while reviewing a blend. Below is a screenshot of what this looks like on the example of "Just for Him - Ruins of Isengard".
Whenever I smoke a new blend I have not encountered before, or revisit an old blend that I haven't had in a long time (or aged for a number of years), I keep an empty review form close by and take notes of things that strike me along the way. I usually keep those in a personal "Pipe Tobacco Notes" folder on my computer for future reference. Sometimes I write up these notes in a full formal review and post it online, but the overall aim is to keep a personal library. As I smoked more and more different blends, I started to being able to discern commonalities and dissimilarities in taste, appearance, ingredients and preparation. It's actually funny how not-indepth some of my early reviews are. ("Don't like. Tastes like a car tire. Don't ever buy again!" - was my first 'review' of Nightcap, he he!)
There are many facets to doing reviews - and if they are only for yourself that's perfectly fine! - that you might not be aware of:
First, awareness. Consciously smoking and enjoying a blend takes you away from mere consumption to true connoisseur-ship. You start smoking for the discovery and enjoyment of taste, rather than getting a daily fix. I personally see this as the true heart of pipe smoking - the zen if you like to say so.
Second, learning. While really concentrating your mind on what you are smoking you will learn the different aspects of taste and smell of a tobacco blend and its ingredients. When you revisit blends you will notice more and deeper flavors if they are present, and ultimately this leads to a much greater overall enjoyment of the hobby. Pipe smoking eventually becomes Tobacco savoring ;-)
Third, decision making. Down the road you will immediately be able to make up a mental image of what a blend might taste like when you stand in your favorite B&M, just by reading the ingredients list. Awesome looking tin but you know you don't like flue-cured red Virginias from the Carolina belt in combination with Turkish Yenidje? Hah! Saved 12$! Found a McClelland tin with Syrian Latakia from the gorgeous 2002 crop hidden in the back of a B&M while traveling? Hell yeah! Cha-Ching!
So, overall I want to sincerely encourage everyone to try their hand on a tobacco review!
