About To Give Up On Non Aromatics

[UncleRasta]

I received similar advice from my local tobacconist. I, therefore, ended up with Lane 1Q for the first month or so. It wasn't unpleasant, but neither did it excite me. In search of variety, I asked for an ounce of what that store calls "Proper English" which he seemed almost reluctant to sell me. This, I enjoyed. I have since bought 2 ounces of his Burley Blend. That was also palatable, but unexciting at first few bowls. I've found that as I am smoking better, I'm enjoying the tobacco more. All three are in my rotation and I'm now looking forward to trying Virginias, Orientals, Perique, etc.

 

[alaskanpiper]

Virginiasm

This is what I experience every time I light up some McClelland 40th anniversary.

 

[UncleRasta]

This is what I experience every time I light up some McClelland 40th anniversary.

Hilarious, just edited that. Wouldn't have if I'd seen your comment first. Now I'm even keener to try those (spell carefully here) virgINIas.

 

[logs]

I asked for an ounce of what that store calls "Proper English" which he seemed almost reluctant to sell me.

Reminds me of the way Tinderbox used to be when selling Philosopher, a run of the mill English. The salesguy would hesistate like you were asking to buy a mouthful of death.

 

[olkofri]

i feel like theres a bit of pressure with the community to step up to non aros. ok maybe not pressure but the thought that "true" smokers focus more on non aros.

Balooney!

You know my ditty?
You can have your English blends,
you can smoke them by the pound,
but the only blends for the piper true
are aros all around!

Guess you now know what genre I smoke the most. Maybe you, like me, have a sweet tooth. ? Maybe you're not made for English or VAs. So what? Plenty of quality aros out there. And if you must have the 'manly' latakia, there's Sillem's Black, one of the smoothest blends I've ever tasted and it smells great too.

Stick with aros. Every now and then you can try out something different and maybe you'll taste it. Don't worry about it.

 

[americaman]

I have never understood when someone wants to taste tobacco and then complains that it tastes like cigarettes, which is made of tobacco. But, I don't understand much of anything. puf

I used to smoke cigarettes on and off in college. Stopped smoking altogether for several years but missed the smell and flavor of tobacco. It’s interesting that I don’t like most burleys, because I loved the heavy cigarettes, but to each his own.

 

[Merton]

Smoke the blends you like and do not fret over what the cognoscenti think is best. Also, however, keep trying blends which lie outside your comfort zone. You might find that in doing so you find a nonaromatic which really suits you and will serve as special occasion blend or as a break from your usual blend. For example, i don't love Virginia flakes but I occasionally try one. I have discovered that Orlik golden is enjoyable so now it is in my cellar and enjoyed from time to time. Same goes for the English and Balkan blends which i used to love but have now become bored by. SPC plum pudding reserve is so good that smoking it was like reawkening an experience from 40 years ago first tasting Balkan Sobranie. I don't smoke it often but it is a treat when I do.
Some times you will swing and miss. While i now smoke mostly aromatics myself, i try to include something different in each tobacco order. Recently I tried war horse green which i found overwhelming and not my cup of tea. Pease's Virginia cream I found sort of meh. Escudo is just not for me. Rattrays Exotic orange appears to be the rage for lots of nonaromatic smokers and, as an aromatic smoker, i found it nauseating. I certainly think it is great that others love these and other blends and, at least for a little bit of time still, there are lots of tobacco fish in the sea.

 

[judcole]

Smoke what ya like, like what ya smoke, etc, etc.
In some ways the OP, talking about "pressure", reminds me of another thread where a noob (like at it for a year) was talking about "rules" for pipe smokers.
I replied that what happens in a place like this is that you find a lot of people talking about what works for them.
Smokers who have been at it 10, 20, hell, 50 years. And a lot of people find the same thing works for them, so a lot do what might be referred to as "best practices". They aren't rules; they have worked for a lot of people over time.
Same thing with "pressure". Many, many, many pipe smokers - including Yours Truly - start with aros, and, over time, move on to latakia blends and then Virginias.They may or may not give up on what they smoked earlier.
And, sonuvagun, they talk about this in forums. And some new guy will think, since everyone is talking about it, and many have had a similar journey, that he should, too, so he can be a "real pipe smoker". (This is a lot like talking about what pipe shape, tobacco, etc, is "manly", but that's a different issue.)
So smoke your aros. Enjoy. Put the other stuff aside for a while, in some well sealed ball jars. (Or unopened tins.) Try it at another time. Don't worry about it. Don't get all defensive and claim that "real pipe smokers only smoke (whatever)". Relax. Have fun.
Off to smoke a bowl of Lane Ready Rubbed in a Country Gent.

 

[perdurabo]

Smoke what makes you happy. If your looking for a new aromatic? Try C&D John Marr. Good stuff!

 

[rdoss16]

have a few oz of john marr on hand. really enjoy that blend!
And thanks for all the comments everyone! i appreciate the discussion and im always learning.
currently smoking a bowl of lanelimited black raspberry and soaking up the sun!

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I hang out occasionally at The Briary with the other briary rats, and we are always ribbing and backslapping each other about aromatics, just in fun. But, we have this one guy who comes in looking like he just fought off the entire Alabama State Trooper force, with ripped leather biker wear, sometimes a bandage on his face, and always a scowl. He looks like he opens his beer bottle with his face. But, he will request his Blackberry Brandy pipe tobacco that smells like a girly smurf tinkerbell type perfume. Then he sets down with us and puffs up a smurfette panties room note. I have noticed that all aromatic joking stops when he comes in. Actually, all joking stops, and everyone becomes instantly interested in watching whatever sportsball team happens to be on television... till he leaves. puf

 

[jpmcwjr]

I received similar advice from my local tobacconist. I, therefore, ended up with Lane 1Q for the first month or so. It wasn't unpleasant, but neither did it excite me. In search of variety, I asked for an ounce of what that store calls "Proper English" which he seemed almost reluctant to sell me. This, I enjoyed. I have since bought 2 ounces of his Burley Blend. That was also palatable, but unexciting at first few bowls. I've found that as I am smoking better, I'm enjoying the tobacco more. All three are in my rotation and I'm now looking forward to trying Virginias, Orientals, Perique, etc.

Hellams, IIRC. Their "Proper English" is Stokkebye's and quite nice. I prefer Smyrna, Margate, Balkan Supreme by just a touch. Not a fan of mostly burley blends.

 

[bnichols23]

My very first venture into a pipe shop was one ran by an 80 year old man that had three jars on the counter. One was Captain Black, one was an English, and the third he said is for more "experienced" smokers. He told me that I shouldn't use it as I was still learning... it was a cherry aromatic. So, not wanting to be a pussy novice, I threw my money on the counter and demanded the one for more experienced smokers. He said, but it's bitey. You really have to know your pipe... I cut him off, the old bastard... "you're not going to deprive me of an experienced smoker's tobacco. Now, I want 2oz. Pack it up old man."
I sat in my car, loaded my pipe, and proceeded to scald the hell out of my mouth.

Now, don't mistake our talk of... tasting, experienced this or that, or even when we say "real pipe smokers..." as to mean that you should aspire to be like us. It doesn't mean that you are any less, or lacking in any way... other than we prefer a more connoisseur variety of tobacco tastes.
Some drink finer wines and some drink strawberry flavored wine from boxes. It doesn't make one any less of a person. puf

What Cosmic done said, yeah.

Bill

 

[Patrick_Green]

I've had a bit of an opposite reaction. I find I like english blends the most as I venture into the world of pipe tobacco. But your taste, is your taste. Much like the world of spirits it will evolve and change over time. Go about it at your own pace, its your world! I wouldn't personally give up on trying new things, but maybe give it a rest until you get the adventurous tug to tread new territories. Ultimately, it's your taste and your call my friend.

 

[adui]

I tend to be in the same camp as Patrick here, I initially went for the Aromatics because they smell so dang good in the jar. I find, for me anyhow, that smoking them seems hollow and tasteless. The first I tried that I actually tasted was the Luxury navy Flake (Stokabeys).While I liked that, it was the Balkan and English blends Ive tried that truly tickled my taste buds.

 

[luigi]

Your life, your rules. That's completely OK if you prefer aromatics. ?
I switched from cigarettes to pipes in search of the most natural tobacco one can get. I was right and it was a match! ? I believe aromatics have more nasty additives. Being aware of smoking something created artificially and very likely more harmful than tobacco itself is turning me off. Most of the times. An occasional bowl of aromatic or better light aromatic is my way to go, follow yours and you're a winner.

 

[olkofri]

There are aromatics and then there are aromatics. Aromatic OTCs will have plenty of nasty additives and tons of PG, yes; but quality aros like Sillem's or Vauen's or H&H Chatham Manor don't, and provide a flavourful experience with no chemical after-tastes.

 

[sittingbear]

Lately I've been moving away from my normal Virginias and burleys and embracing some aromatics. Some of that has to do with the season and the cooler weather (virginias tend to taste better in warmer weather to me). Some of it has to do with the pleasant aroma of aromatics. But a lot of it is that I just enjoy the flavors of my aro's, and I'm trying more to find the good quality ones that I don't mind investing in.

Something I have to remind myself of, though, when smoking Virginias is to make sure my pipe is super clean. I break it down and scrub it clean between pretty much each smoke, otherwise I get an acrid, cigarette taste that I don't enjoy.

 

[Chasing Embers]

There are aromatics and then there are aromatics.

And they're all fine. I've gotten more aftertaste nastiness from every H&H tobacco that I've smoked than I have OTCs. Like a saccharine sweetness. Angler's Dream is the only one so far that I haven't experience that from.

 

[aro222]

So fairly new to the hobby but have been trying every blend i can get my hands on. have acquired a handful of pipes i rotate and have really been focusing on my cadence and breathing. I feel like im really hitting my stride and sipping rather than puffing. Its all coming together. Whenever i see advice to new smokers its to not start with aromatics as tongue bite, etc can be an issue. I have yet to really suffer any tongue bite to be honest.
My big issue is taste. i loooove aromatics and have jars on jars that i rotate. i feel like my palate is gettin better at identify flavors and im happy after every bowl of aromatic. the flavors i am enjoying are why i came around to pipe smoking. Now when i try non aromatics, i seem to get the same bland "cigarette" taste. i dont get the "grassy" bright notes or any of the tasting notes i read about. Its hard to articulate, but i feel like theres a bit of pressure with the community to step up to non aros. ok maybe not pressure but the thought that "true" smokers focus more on non aros. Aros seem easy to identify and enjoy, but non aros require a more cultured palate. maybe Im on an island here but anyone else have this same feeling? any long time smokers gravitate mainly to aros? apologize for the rambling post.

I thought it was my duty to chime in on this one
I started with aro’s and immediately loved them. Especially once I got my cadence and technique where I wanted it. Now 5 years later I am still an aromatic smoker and find myself loving them as much or even more than when I first started. Now I will say this, if you are new to the forum, than you might find that the discussions here tend to lean more in favor of non aromatics and how much more superior they are. In fact I even felt for a while that people were not interested in discussing aromatics and if you mentioned that you smoked them that you were in a way not considered a true pipe smoker. Now having said that since I’ve joined and spent more time on the forums chatting with various gentleman about all things pipe and tobaccos, I realize that I was mistaken. I believe all the members here have smoked an aro at one point and some enjoy them more than others. The point I’m trying to make is this, although it may seem that people look down on you for enjoying a great bowl of chocolate cream or a fantastic vanilla custard they really are not, these fellows are a great bunch of guys who will guide you in the right direction when you need it and answer any question that you may have whether you smoke aro’s or vapers or burleys. The fact that your enjoying a pipe is all that matters. Keep it lit brother