What Does Exactly "Taste of the Tobacco" Mean???

jason64 · Feb 20, 2019

Hi folks,
As you may figured from my relatively dumb question, I am kind of new to pipe smoking. I have tried different aromatic blends like CH, BCA, Melange, CB white, Q1 etc. I dont get any taste in my mouth, the only thing I get is when I puff out and the small of that goes to my nose. Is this normal? I am not sure thats what everybody means by tasting different blends and tobaccos.
Thanks

olkofri · Feb 20, 2019

You're snorking (retro-haling) either accidentally or on purpose. That's one way to get better flavours, according to some.
It takes time for your tongue to start getting the flavours from tobacco. Be patient.
It took me several weeks to finally get a nutty flavour from 1-Q.

workman · Feb 21, 2019

I get some flavors on the tongue, some on the retrohale and aromas through the nose.

When I smoke, I don't think about or try to pick out differences between these sensations. They meld into an overall flavor/aroma experience.

bullet08 · Feb 21, 2019

your tongue sbould taste some sweetness if there's va in the mixture. perique should be peppery, but different from bite and burn. aromatics i smoked usually had sweet taste i could pick up on tongue.

workman · Feb 21, 2019

Btw, if you taste nothing, your tobacco may be too moist. Try drying some for a couple of hours before smoking.

olkofri · Feb 21, 2019

^^

This.
Just don't let it go bone dry if it's an aromatic, or you'll find yourself tasting... nothing.

workman · Feb 21, 2019

Olkofri, did you cut your hair or something? You seem different.

cosmicfolklore · Feb 21, 2019

Tasting smoke is different from tasting a drink, like coffee or tea, IMO. It's a different sensation. Using your olfactory through snorking involves your sense of smell, which is tied to taste. Example, without smelling it, it is hard to discern orange juice from pineapple juice. But, eventually, folks tie in words like citrusy, lemony, or acidic to give a vocabulary to the sensations that the smoke has on the tongue. But, when you get into most aromatics, the topping has more affect on the olfactory senses. Thus the term "aromatic" suggesting smell instead of "flavored" suggesting taste. But, your brain will link the smell to taste, as it does with detecting the differences between oranges and pineapples.
But, it takes practice and the development of a slow smoking technique. When it burns hot, the heat overrides your tastes with burn. Take your time. Learning to taste is an enjoyable part of the process. YMMV

olkofri · Feb 21, 2019

Olkofri, did you cut your hair or something? You seem different.

:rofl:
But, actually, yeah, I was at the barber's last Tuesday. :P

frozenchurchwarden · Feb 21, 2019

Acclimatizing your tastebuds to entirely new categories of strong flavours takes about two weeks.

You’ll hear about this from people spending time in some Asian cultures where everything is heavily spiced. Or a more recent experience I’ve had was learning to “taste” Whiskey. A Very similar process to Tobacco in that it’s a really harsh base flavour.

If you smoke 1Q or Molto Dolce for a few minutes every day you’ll go from tasting absolutely “nothing” to getting the flavour of Marshmallows by the end of the second week.

Do note, Tobacco Smoke has the capability to damage your mouth, most people new to the hobby do fry their tongue a couple of times, so the time table for acclimatization should probably be three or four weeks with regular three day breaks (72 hours is generally the required rest time for human flesh to fully heal from minor wounds, which incluides bulding muscle if you’re exercising).

(Also note, do not mix Tobacco and Alcohol since the Alcohol mobilizes the nasty harmful bits in smoke).

krizzose · Feb 22, 2019

You might want to try actually tasting the tobacco, i.e. like dip, while you’re smoking. Take whatever blend you’re smoking, and pack a thud about the size of a whole walnut, then fire up your bowl. This works best with blends such as Irish Flake, tambolaka, or 1792 Flake. Or if you’re smoking a VaPer, try dipping straight perique. The key to this technique, as always, is smoking slow.

mrmachado · Feb 23, 2019

As a beginner who has been smoking for 5 months, I will share my experience and will also agree with what some more experienced members of this forum told me:
As a beginner, I inhaled a lot. That prevented me from getting too much taste, or any, at all. But it was still enjoyable.
But then I took it easier on inhaling and the taste became much more evident.
The most important part of what I say here, though, is that your taste buds take some time to actually feel and differentiate the tobacco taste. I can feel the taste now after 5 months, but can't always differentiate one tobacco from another so well - see John Cotton's and Black Frigate.
So, you will probably start to feel the taste more in a more pronounced way in some time, especially if you stop inhaling. Then, the flavors will begin to differentiate more. It becomes a more and more enjoyable experience with time.

recluse · Mar 2, 2019

98% of any taste I experience when pipe smoking is entirely via my sense of smell.

yaddy306 · Mar 3, 2019

^^ this ^^
Anyone who doubts this, hold your nose while smoking (or smoke during a bad head cold) and tell me the flavor isn't seriously diminished. Easy experiment.

craiginthecorn · Mar 3, 2019

I had the same problem when I started smoking a pipe -- flavor primarily on the retrohale. You're probably smoking too hot and too fast. Any tobacco that's smoked too hot loses a lot of flavor.
When I tried English-style tobacco for the first time was when I first started tasting the tobacco. They tend to burn easier yet cooler than most aromatic tobaccos and the smoky Latakia and other Oriental leafs are more flavorful in the smoke than most other common types of tobacco. Thinking of blends that are generally available, here are a few ideas. Boswell's Northwoods is good, but available only directly from Boswell's. Kramer's Cary Grant is available as a bulk from smokingpipes. Stokkebye English Oriental Supreme is a very nice bulk English that is not topped, if you want to explore that type.
Stick with it. Once you really learn how to smoke a pipe, those aromatic tobaccos will start to become more flavorful.

Chasing Embers · Mar 3, 2019

Were it not for retrohaling, I would taste nothing.

milehighpiper · Mar 3, 2019

I find that if I want to pick certain flavors/scents in a blend I may have to bounce back between retrohaling, slow sip and sometimes a deep puff. For instance, Samuel Gawith's Firedance is pretty much tasteless to me if I puff it fast. When I slow down, sip and slowly push the smoke out of my mouth I get the berry casing and the sweetness of the Virginias. When I retrohale I get several different flavors from hay to vanilla. Some say to retrohale, others will advise you to slow down, nobody says speed up but it is ultimately up to you.
Part of it is finding your cadence and finding your style of smoking for each blend. You won't find me retrohaling Old Joe Krantz more than once a bowl!

jason64 · Mar 3, 2019

speaking of smoking fast and slow, sometimes I do small puffs, sometimes I do a very slow draw that yields very little to no smoke at all. when I try to smoke slow like this, invariably my pipe goes a way after 5 or 6 puffs

Chasing Embers · Mar 3, 2019

sometimes I do small puffs, sometimes I do a very slow draw that yields very little to no smoke at all. when I try to smoke slow like this, invariably my pipe goes a way after 5 or 6 puffs

Try this.
https://youtu.be/Jw8R7mxECvY

aro222 · Mar 3, 2019

I smoke a lot of aromatics and i have found over the years that the slower i smoke the more flavour i can pull out of the tobacco which ultimately is why i enjoy aromatics so much. I have got my technique down to a certain pattern which works for me. I find that if i can keep the tobacco to the point where its burning but just enough where its almost going out, the smoke is cool and the flavours come through really nicely. Of course retrohaling is a big factor as well. keep working on your technique, and you will find that slowly the different tastes of the blend will begin to surface and thats when you will be able to truly enjoy your smoke. Remember smoking a pipe isn't like a quick cigarette, it is meant to slow you down and experience what the blenders had in mind when they blended that tobacco. Relax and enjoy every bowl.

What Does Exactly "Taste of the Tobacco" Mean???

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