Turned Off of Aromatics

rhogg · Jun 20, 2011

Any pipe smokers out there sample as many tobaccos as they could in their early days and quickly get turned off of aromatic tobaccos?
I have only been smoking a pipe for a couple of months; however, I have purchased and sampled many tobaccos. The more I try the less I like aromatics. They seemed delicious to me at first. I could hardly believe how great tobacco could taste, and promptly dropped cigarettes without looking back. The funny thing is I can barely stand any of those same aromatics at this point.
This started happening to me when I began purchasing tinned tobaccos, and balk English blends. The aromatics do not taste the same to me at all. I have been trying to go back to them, but am finding they sour my mouth, and don't seem to please the palate.
Is this normal?

docrx · Jun 20, 2011

pstlpkr · Jun 20, 2011

Rhogg
You mention a sour taste... you may be smoking aros too frequently in your pipe without a good cleaning... Maybe.
However; most pipe smokers will migrate one way or another over time; as they tend to do with bents and straights.

Tastes change.
If you are smoking your pipe as a direct one to one substitution for cigarettes; that too could be at issue.
But, most pipe smokers, (IMHO) will gravitate to one or the other Aros vs. English/Balkan vs. VaPers for a period of time and change up for a change of pace from time to time.
Having said that I agree with Docrx... No... Not really.

rhogg · Jun 20, 2011

I'm trying to figure out if I am doing something differently. Started off using matches, but recently moved to a pipe lighter. I don't seem to be smoking any hotter or quicker.
In the beginning ghosting did not seem to bother me, but I did notice it a little. Never seemed to detract from the tobacco I was smoking although I may get a hint of an English blend I had smoked.
I have been cleaning my stems with Wild Turkey. My pipes are definitely not neglected. I clean them and wipe them down after every smoke, and never smoke the same pipe twice in the same day. My pipes get about 2 days rest before I smoke them again.

cortezattic · Jun 20, 2011

I started out with drug store "blend" aromatics, which is to say, cased Burley (with a "plastic-like" aftertaste).

Then I abruptly dropped them when I discovered English style blends and other high end natural blends.

Over the years I've discovered that there are three kinds of aromatics:

- the above mentioned drug store stuff -- designed to deliver nicotine and regale the wife's nose, not your palate

- natural tobacco blends with either a topping or a non-tobacco amendment such as deertongue

- Cavendish blends -- cased, but much less artificial tasting, and aimed at the tastebuds rather than the wife's nose.

Only recently have I begun to explore and enjoy the latter two types, and I confess to being an aromatics newbie.

Try a couple ounces of Lane's 1-Q or equivalent the next time you get an urge to return to an aromatic.
Check out All About Tobacco, by Milton Sherman for the low-down on various tobaccos.

BTW, nearly all pipe smoking problems can be traced to inappropriate tobacco packing techniques. (Just a bit of "received wisdom"...)

sjpipesmoker · Jun 20, 2011

I've been smoking pipes for about 6 years now, first I started out with aromatics and couldn't figure out how one could smoke a campfire. Then in the past year I started to try English blends and loved them, now I smoke about 75% English and 25% aromatics. I will always like aromatics as a nice change if pace from the heavier English blends. As others have said, maybe you're smoking too fast. Try sipping on them and only smoke the first Half of the bowl, for me that's where all the goodness is?

stacen · Jun 20, 2011

Interesting thread topic, cheers! I second the sentiments about giving your pipes a good clean on the inside, (see the threads in this forum for tips), and investigating your packing. Might have a big impact on quality of smoke and enjoyment of your aros.

bigvan · Jun 20, 2011

If you're tiring of aromatics after only a few months, congratulations! It took me over 15 years to realize that there's more to pipe tobacco than candy coating.
Smoke the highest quality tobacco you can find (NOT from a drugstore) with as little adulteration as possible and you shall not regret it.

marmal4de · Jun 20, 2011

I very rarely smoke aromatics, but it happens twice a year or so, and I enjoy them then.

smokehouse · Jun 20, 2011

Maybe your tastes are changing. You smoking them out of Briar pipes? I never did like the way Aros tasted in Briar. I prefered Meers when I smoked Aros. My tastes have changed recently and have no desire to smoke aromatics at this time.

octavius · Jun 20, 2011

First off, to smokehouse, GO BLUE! Secondly, I also had an evolution away from aromatics to non-aromatics. Although, I still enjoy almost all of the McClelland premium aromatics and a few Peterson aromatics, but over time I smoke them less and less.

kcvet67 · Jun 20, 2011

I would say that it's completely normal, just somewhat accelerated. It's not uncommon to get less satisfaction from heavily cased aromatics as you develop a taste for non-aromatic blends but it most commonly takes several years to get to that point. There is really only one issue here and that is to smoke what you enjoy. If you're not getting the satisfaction you want from the aros you've been smoking, don't force the issue. Explore the types that you do find satisfying and allow your palate to develop along the lines that are right for you.
If you miss the variety of flavors available in aros take a look at some of the Oriental blends. McClelland's Grand Oriental, Personal Reserve and Green Label orientals provide a wealth of flavor. And as cortezattic pointed out, there are a lot of high quality aromatics that rely on more natural flavoring.
Most important of all, don't allow anyone else (including me) to dictate what you should or should not smoke. Relax and enjoy, that's the whole point of smoking a pipe. There are literally thousands of different blends out there. You'll probably never smoke ALL of them, but who's to say that you shouldn't try?

clanobucklin · Jun 21, 2011

Don't be surprised if you go back to Aromatics or back and forth from English to Aromatics. I used to smoke strictly English blends for years - although - my introduction to pipe smoking was smoking a little house blend called coffee. Nowadays - I enjoy both. The only blends - I am not favoring these days - are heavy Perique blends or blends that have a high percentage of Perique in them. Case in point First Responders - way too much Perique in it for my taste.

smokindawg · Jun 21, 2011

I pretty much mirrored you when I started a pipe. Only my love of aromatics lasted only a couple weeks. I then moved to other blends and haven't really looked back. Although I have a few quality aromatics in the cellar and touch on them ever so occasionally.
As I said, quality aromatics, what I mean is that there are cheap aromatics that are heavily cased with flavoring while quality aromatics are a combination of blending and a topping.

lordofthepiperings · Jun 21, 2011

It's all a matter of opinion and personal palate. I started with aros and tried an English/Latakia blend and it tore my stomach up. So I've decided to put English/Latakia blends on the back burner and enjoy my aromatics. Peterson and McClelland make some really good aros. The casings, for the most part, are just the right mixture to carry into the smoke but not overwhelm it. I'd definitely make sure the pipes get a good alcohol or salt cleaning, because I've heard a lot of times of pipes "going sour" because the inside of the bowl hadn't been given an alcohol or salt cleaning recently enough. My advice would be to give all your pipes a good alcohol cleaning, if you haven't lately, and then pick up an aromatic from Peterson or McClelland that intrigues you and give a blend or two a try. If you don't like them and they still taste sour then it's probably time for you to lean more towards the English/Latakia blends and maybe the Virginia/Perique blends as well.

jimbo · Jun 21, 2011

I think cortez hit it right with his '3 types of aromatics'. I do smoke aromatics on occasion, but I also get what I call the "aromatic aftertaste" (cortez describes it as "plastic"). I attribute this to the humicants as well as the casings put on these tobacs.
"Mojo" from 4noggins is a burley/Va/cavendish blend with deer tongue. The latter component gives it a vanilla aroma/taste WITHOUT the aftertaste that I associate with aromatics. I think it's great stuff altho' it does "ghost" a pipe if smoked in it a lot.

morlader · Jun 21, 2011

I must admit that I was never much into aromatics.I tried some Clan years ago and it put me right off and I have mostly stuck to Latakia blends with a pouch of Condor here and there.However since I have joined you guys I have tried the odd Aro and have got to like them particularly Peterson aromatics and now I smoke 30% Aromatics and 70% Latakia so really I have you guys on the forum to thank for getting me into aros.If I were you rhogg I would pick a premier blend of aro such as one of Peterson's then if you still don't get on with it,leave it for a bit and come back later. : puffy

: Tom

rhogg · Jun 21, 2011

Thanks for all of the great advice. I think I will follow the general consensus of just smoke what you like most, and don't buy heavily cased aromatics.
I may have come to the conclusion that a particular lighter was causing a problem as well. I am going to use matches for a while longer and occasionally use my pipe lighter to figure out if I can detect an issue or a taste that is being transferred to the tobaccos.
I would like to point out that I can detect latakia ghosts from time to time which I do not mind at all, and I ruling that out as being a source of some change in my perceived taste.
I am going to light up and aromatic blend later that I was having issue with the other day to see if the same thing occurs. If it does not occur I am going to immediately light up the same blend with my Vertigo pipe lighter to see if I get a negative result.

kcvet67 · Jun 21, 2011

I'd definitely make sure the pipes get a good alcohol or salt cleaning, because I've heard a lot of times of pipes "going sour" because the inside of the bowl hadn't been given an alcohol or salt cleaning recently enough. My advice would be to give all your pipes a good alcohol cleaning,

I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude, but I consider this to be VERY bad advice. In 45 years of smoking pipes (my current selection is around 300 pipes) I've only found it necessary to resort to drastic cleaning measures on a handful of estate pipes that had been abused by previous owners. A good quality briar pipe that is properly cleaned and maintained develops its own unique character over the years that is a fairly delicate balance of factors, a balance that can be tipped the wrong way by overly aggressive cleaning techniques.
A good pipe doesn't "go sour" on its own for no reason. It does so either through poor care or through improper usage.

unclearthur · Jun 21, 2011

After years as an aromatic smoker I hit on the wonders of "English" blends. Smoked those exclusively for a long time. More recently I have gotten into some of the fine higher quality aromatics and they are a part of my rotation. I think it all comes down to a matter of personal taste and what mood the smoker is in at the moment. About all I would add is , forget about the super cheap no name stuff in plastic bags that you see hanging in Wally World and like places . Most have the fine smoking qualities if chopped newspaper flavored with napalm.

Turned Off of Aromatics

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