About To Give Up On Non Aromatics

[Mr.Mike]

I'm in the opposite boat. I try to like aros, but most of the time I feel like I'm smoking steam. Non aros give me tons of flavor. With that being said I don't always taste everything that is described in reviews. I have my suspicions that alot of reviewers are sheep just regurgitating other reviewers tastes to fit in.

 

[anotherbob]

I'm in the opposite boat. I try to like aros, but most of the time I feel like I'm smoking steam. Non aros give me tons of flavor. With that being said I don't always taste everything that is described in reviews. I have my suspicions that alot of reviewers are sheep just regurgitating other reviewers tastes to fit in.

I find reviews interesting but useless. At best they're a review of one persons experience with a blend that proves how different everyones senses really are.

 

[olkofri]

Yeah, I don't go by reviews. I take them with a grain of latakia as everyone's tastes are different. Some people absolutely love seafood, but no matter how glaring their reviews of lobster dishes are I ain't eating that crap.

 

[twofocused]

Be a loud and proud aro smoker! I love some Trout Stream in a cob and others love the room note.

 

[badbriar]

Like others here have said, smoke what you like and don't look back! That said, you might want to try one or two of the more popular quality English or Oriental blends - if you like wonderfully smoky pipe tobaccos. English blends are honest in that they taste pretty much like they smell. You definitely won't get that cigarette-like taste with a good 'un! Happy Herfing!

 

[craiginthecorn]

Smoke what you enjoy. Your taste may well change in the future, but if not, enjoy those aromatics anyway.

 

[Chasing Embers]

English blends are honest in that they taste pretty much like they smell.

Aromatics do too if you smoke them the right way.

 

[Chasing Embers]

You definitely won't get that cigarette-like taste with a good 'un!

You will any of them if you smoke them too hot.

 

[karam]

More on Orientals as aromatics.

A lone wolf on aromatic or Oriental pipe tobacco

by Ben Rapaport Is an aromatic or Oriental blend one of your preferred pipe tobaccos? In a sense, it’s a trick question. Today, the distinction between aromatics and Orientals is sharply draw…

pipesandtobaccosmagazine.com

I'd agree with the article.

A couple of cents: in Greece where a lot of Orientals are grown, they are described as "aromatic" (verbatim, it simply means "fragrant" in Greek), suggesting that their flavour is more fragrant than the "typical" natural tobacco taste. What most of people refer to as aromatic tobacco nowadays is called "flavoured tobacco" over here.

I guess saying "typical" is both confusing and may rub some people the wrong way - there's no typical tobacco aside from the ubermass-produced commercial cigarette blends. And100 years ago "typical" would mean different things to someone from Virginia, someone from Kentucky, someone from Trebizond, and someone from Xanthi. Incidentally, we spent Christmas in the house of a friend whose great grandfather was a tobacco farmer, we naturally got talking and he said that until about 100 years ago all of tobacco production in Greece was Greek varieties, then Virginia came and dominated because the same field that yielded 600kg of local variety leaf would yield 1.5 ton of Virginia.

 

[Chasing Embers]

What most of people refer to as aromatic tobacco nowadays is called "flavoured tobacco" over here.

When I first started smoking a pipe in 1991 in the US, I had only ever heard Orientals called aromatic. Flavored tobaccos were just that, flavored tobaccos. I had not heard the term aromatic applied to a flavored tobacco until I started buying blends on the internet in the mid 2000s.

 

[jaytex1969]

A couple of cents: in Greece where a lot of Orientals are grown, they are described as "aromatic" (verbatim, it simply means "fragrant" in Greek), suggesting that their flavour is more fragrant than the "typical" natural tobacco taste. What most of people refer to as aromatic tobacco nowadays is called "flavoured tobacco" over here.

That makes sense. That's why we don't do it...

 

[bmdfm]

I have tried to like aromatics as I enjoy the room note they leave, I just haven't found a single one I can stand to actually smoke. 1Q is about the closest I have come and I really don't like that either, it's just the one I hate the least. I tried a tin of Cult's Blood Red Moon based on all of the positive reviews and found that to be one of the most vile tobaccos of all time, at least to my palate. Tasted to me like somebody soaked pipe tobacco in a bath of Robitussin. Yuck! I gave the rest away.

I tend to really like Va/Pers and most recently some burley blends which I used to avoid. I really like some of the dark fired Kentucky's as well. But the only person who cares at all what I like is me and that's OK. I'm smoking for me anyway. If you like aromatics, smoke aromatics. Whatever gives you smoking pleasure is all that matters in the end.

You really shouldn't feel any pressure to like something just because others do, and you shouldn't feel bad for liking aromatics. Happy piping!

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Have we talked him off the ledge yet?

 

[bent1]

Smoke what tastes good to you is my advice. Re reviews, when I find a reviewer who has similar taste as me, I’ll look for his reviews & give it extra attention.

 

[gervais]

Yep, gotta find something you enjoy first, then go from there. Branch out slowly from there. If aromatics are your thing, no shame in that.

 

[docrameous]

I fired up a bowl of 1-Q the other day after a long absence, and it was just ‘ok’, not great, but ‘ok’. I used to like it more but as I smoke other blends more and more I have liked it less.

I need to tour aromatics again, but for now aromatics are not that appealing to me. My favorite would be Sorensen Mixture. It’s a bit more stable in taste throughout the smoke.

 

[smokeyweb]

99% of what I smoke are non-aros... but I recently tried a sample of Sutliff Spiced Rum... man it’s good! Need to pick up a few ounces with my next purchase!

 

[BROBS]

I fired up a bowl of 1-Q the other day after a long absence, and it was just ‘ok’, not great, but ‘ok’. I used to like it more but as I smoke other blends more and more I have liked it less.

1Q is a terrible example of an aro IMO.
it's so light that you have to try to chuff it to get any tobacco flavor, and so overly cased and topped that it's sopping wet with false additives. There are good aros, and crappy ones.