All Tobacco Tastes the Same

[Mab]

EDIT: Fixed Capitalization in Title (See Rule 9)

Hi all,
I‘m new to the forum so please go easy on me and forgive me if this has already been discussed but I wonder if anyone can help me to see if I am doing something wrong.

I am relatively new to pipe smoking (approx 18months) and I am still exploring, trying to find a tobacco that I like. I read all the customer reviews before I buy and they talk about a hint of this or a taste of that and some of them sound amazing so I buy them but every time I end up smoking something that just tastes of nothing.

I do all things recommended. I have tried packing a little tighter, packing a bit looser, doing the false light, not doing the false light, holding the smoke in my mouth, passing it through my nose (I think it’s called a french inhale?)

I had a little success with Killarney tobacco, which tasted amazing for about two bowls then went the same way. I have both filtered and non filtered pipes but if I am honest I am starting to lose hope.

Can anyone suggest where I might be going wrong or a tobacco I might have success with bearing in mind I am in the UK and some might be hard to come by.

Thanks guys and sorry for the ramble.

 

[philobeddoe]

Hello Mab, welcome to the forum. I can recommend several things to try, before you give up the pipe. First, make sure your tobacco is dry enough, pipe tobacco is often much too moist from the tin or packet. Try filling your bowl, then dumping that tobacco out into a small saucer and letting it air dry for 30 minutes or so. The tobacco should fall apart when bunched with your fingers, if it clumps up, it’s too moist.
Next thing to address is your packing, the pipe should draw with roughly the same resistance as soda through a straw. If your pipe draws like a milkshake, you have packed too tight, dump it out and repack. If your pipe has little to no resistance, as if drawing air, your pack is too loose, repack it a little tighter.
The next thing I would recommend I’d removing the filter from your pipe. It’s hard enough to learn how to smoke a pipe without the added restriction of a filter. If you choose to put one in later, after you’ve got the basics down, that’s up to you, but I tell beginners to remove them, as I think that they make the learning curve more difficult.
Lastly, the easiest tobaccos to get flavor from are English (Latakia) blends, they tend to smoke cooler and the Oriental leaves in them can often be quite aromatic. Straight Virginia tobacco has less upfront flavor, and is more difficult to coax the nuances from if you are still trying to learn, though quite rewarding once you do get more comfortable with your technique. I would also caution you against Aromatic tobaccos until you learn to smoke with less effort. Many beginners start with Aromatic tobacco, as they tend to smell so good. Well, they don’t taste like they smell, unless you really know how to smoke your pipe properly, otherwise they can taste like nothing or hot steam!
Good luck.

 

[Sweet Home Alabama]

This might help.

How to Retrohale & Blow Smoke Out of Your Nose

What is Retrohaling? “Retrohale” is a term cigar lovers use these days to characterize the process of blowing smoke out through the nose. Perhaps “expelling” smoke out through the nose is a better descriptor. Since we don’t technically inhale cigar smoke, we’re essentially pushing it out through...

www.holts.com

 

[BarrelProof]

Hi all,
I‘m new to the forum so please go easy on me and forgive me if this has already been discussed but I wonder if anyone can help me to see if I am doing something wrong.

I am relatively new to pipe smoking (approx 18months) and I am still exploring, trying to find a tobacco that I like. I read all the customer reviews before I buy and they talk about a hint of this or a taste of that and some of them sound amazing so I buy them but every time I end up smoking something that just tastes of nothing.

I do all things recommended. I have tried packing a little tighter, packing a bit looser, doing the false light, not doing the false light, holding the smoke in my mouth, passing it through my nose (I think it’s called a french inhale?)

I had a little success with Killarney tobacco, which tasted amazing for about two bowls then went the same way. I have both filtered and non filtered pipes but if I am honest I am starting to lose hope.

Can anyone suggest where I might be going wrong or a tobacco I might have success with bearing in mind I am in the UK and some might be hard to come by.

Thanks guys and sorry for the ramble.

Hey Mab,

What blends have you tried so far? Not a complete list of each individual blend, but what different types have you tried? I'm newer to this than you are, but I've found there's ways to handle each type that can enhance the smoking experience. A little more insight into the types you've tried smoking and what you think you'd enjoy the most out of a blend will give the forum's powers that be (myself excluded) a little more information to provide you with some solid guidance.

 

[sablebrush52]

Hello Mab,

Welcome to the forum.

You've been given some spot on information by Philobeddoe and Sweet Home Alabama.

Here's a little from my 49 years of smoking pipes.

English/Balkan/Oriental blends are the easiest to smoke. Their highly aromatic leaves pack a lot of flavor, such that it doesn't take much technique to enjoy them. They're more forgiving of differing moisture levels than Virginia blends. Flavors will intensify with some drying time, but they're present even when the tobacco is overly moist. These are a great place to start.

Tight packing is not a good idea. Too loose a pack is better than too tight a pack. Be patient and keep experimenting until you find something that works for you. A lot of new smokers have found the "frank method" really helpful and you can find demos on that on YouTube. It seems to help them visualize a target for packing density. Otherwise, just start loose, and gradually add a little more density until you find what works for you.

Since I'm mostly a smoker of Virginia blends and their variants, I dry my tobacco down to where it's just shy of bone dry, such that I feel no cool moisture against my fingertips when I squeeze a pinch, but the tobacco is still pliant. I don't dry anything out until it's crumbly. YMMV, but I get the most detailed and intense flavors from Virginia blends in that moisture zone. Too much moisture masks flavors, some flavor is lost when the leaf goes completely dry.

Aromatics present something of a balancing act. Too dry and some of the flavoring is lost. Too moist and the flavorings are lost. My target moisture, in general is just a little bit moister than Virginia, but just a little bit.

Snorking, otherwise known as retrohaling, is a key component to picking up subtlties. You have more flavor receptors in your schnoz than in your mouth and you can pick up more detail. I tend to let the smoke drift out slowly, all the while focused on what I'm sensing, picking up little details in the smoke.

Don't get discouraged, just keep experimenting and it will come together for you.

 

[Sloopjohnbee]

All tobacco tastes like well... Tobacco my freind
Don't know what you are looking for - but there is 100% W I D E variation in subtleties - try some Virginia, Burley then buy a cigar and Semois
If you cannot taste it I suggest you consult a physician for a deficiency in your olfactory system

 

[anotherbob]

make sure your pipe is clean. And I don't know if anyone has mentioned this but slow down and I don't just mean sipping. I mean don't skip around from one blend to the next. Smoke through a pouch a tin. Open one container of tobacco and finish it before trying something new. Also at this point limit yourself to maybe one or two pipes a day. My guess is you're overwhelming your senses. Too me it sounds like you have palate fatigue. The second is a lot of blends open up as you smoke them. The final thing you need to get all the flavors you've been reading about is the hardest and easiest one to get, time. Yeah it takes time to really notice all these things. If you want to make that part of the process go faster write reviews. Don't share them yet. Just write them. You'll notice things that shock you after a short while. It's kind of like how if you start painting eve just to entertain yourself you'll start seeing more colors (or shades of colors) then you could before. Biggest thing is it sounds like you're pushing too hard and too eager. Just enjoy what you can now and don't worry about more then that. Seriously you sound like someone who just put on a pair of ice skates and is wondering why they can't play a decent game of hockey yet, they should focus on just ambling around an ice rink slowly and then when that just happens they can start learning how to play the game. Basically you're getting ahead of yourself and what you're worried about is just normal. Pipes are sort of like a mystical school there are levels of initiation and things just sort of seem to open up on their own accord. Enjoy the aspects you can and the others will come when it's time.

 

[verporchting]

Great advice above.

I’m going to add an alternative suggestion. Try a simple burley OTC blend that is easy and comfortable to smoke. Something that produces a nice smooth smoke and that you don’t have to struggle with packing or keeping it lit. Get used to rolling the smoke around on your palate and that won’t bite your tongue.

As you get used to the relaxing sensation of just enjoying the smoke you might start picking up the natural flavors and nuances of a simple blend. Maybe you can find the nuttiness or hints of chocolate in the burley.

I once heard mutton chop piper describe finding the flavors as the difference between coaxing a shy cat from under the sofa to jabbing it with a stick to push it out the other side.

It might help you relax into the whole process of pipe smoking instead of becoming frustrated with not having a nirvana experience right off the bat.

Give it a try, nothing to lose.

 

[mso489]

Good advice in abundance above. This is all about your taste buds. These vary a lot between individuals. However, I've noticed how much my taste for particular blends evolves, often for the better, after trying a blend, then jarring it and coming back some months later. This may apply to you for most blends. I'd work with several over time -- maybe a Virginia, a burley, and an English. Sip don't puff. Take your time. See if this opens one or more of the blends over time. You could be over-thinking, trying too hard, with too many expectations. Luck be with you.

 

[STP]

All great advice above. I’ve noticed that the cooler the smoke, the more flavorful it become, which can be attributed to proper packing, tobacco moisture content, draw, etc. Keeping the bowl cool to warm, as opposed to hot, will improve taste ?

 

[frozenchurchwarden]

Great advice above.

I’m going to add an alternative suggestion. Try a simple burley OTC blend that is easy and comfortable to smoke. Something that produces a nice smooth smoke and that you don’t have to struggle with packing or keeping it lit. Get used to rolling the smoke around on your palate and that won’t bite your tongue.

As you get used to the relaxing sensation of just enjoying the smoke you might start picking up the natural flavors and nuances of a simple blend. Maybe you can find the nuttiness or hints of chocolate in the burley.

I once heard mutton chop piper describe finding the flavors as the difference between coaxing a shy cat from under the sofa to jabbing it with a stick to push it out the other side.

It might help you relax into the whole process of pipe smoking instead of becoming frustrated with not having a nirvana experience right off the bat.

Give it a try, nothing to lose.

I'll second this. Personally I'm starting to explore Burley based blends not because I like burley, but because these tend to be the best behaved and if I'm going to have a totally relaxed no fuss experience with a pipe then it's probably going to have to be a Burley blend.

But also if you haven't tried a good English blend then grab a tin of G.L. Pease Quiet Nights and you'll be in for a treat.

 

[F4RM3R]

Some things take time. Just like your first few glasses of wine or coffee probably tasted the same and only after many many times do the subtle differences become apparent. Tobacco is a bit easier as there are a wide variation in blends. Smoking as slow as you can is a good place to start and eventually you'll figure out a good pace that works for you and your chosen blends. Different flavours happen when the tobaccos is burning at different temperatures. Generally slower is better, how slow for different typea of blends? you'll just have to experiment and find out.

 

[bullet08]

That's like saying "all beer tastes the same, all whiskey tastes the same, all girls kiss the same!" No. You need to try something that will let you know there are different things. Try a bowl of Pirate Kake.

 

[frozenchurchwarden]

That's like saying "all beer tastes the same, all whiskey tastes the same, all girls kiss the same!" No. You need to try something that will let you know there are different things. Try a bowl of Pirate Kake.

Except they would be right about Beer, which by definition must use Hops.
(And even if some people would debate the necessity of Hops, "Hopsless Beer" is practically non-existent.)

 

[bullet08]

Except they would be right about Beer, which by definition must use Hops.
(And even if some people would debate the necessity of Hops, "Hopsless Beer" is practically non-existent.)

It also depends on type of yeast, barley and water. Hop is just one part of what makes beer. And all beer are different.

 

[paulfg]

Except they would be right about Beer, which by definition must use Hops.
(And even if some people would debate the necessity of Hops, "Hopsless Beer" is practically non-existent.)

you need to try more beers then,if you think they all taste the same
apart from the differences in barley and yeast strains their are many breeds of hops and they can impart different flavours.
mind you if your definition of beer is something like bud then yes

 

[Ethan]

Lots of good advice above. One thing I didn't see mentioned that may help is lighting technique. Over lighting is common, and problematic when trying to get the most from your smoke. The flame should just graze the top of the tobacco, and not be drawn way into the leaf. Basically trying to create a small area on top that burns, and heats the remaining tobacco underneath. The flavor comes more from the heated tobacco that is releasing the oils as the smoke passes through it, rather than from the burnt tobacco that creates the smoke. In very simple terms, more smoke does not equal more flavor. Slow down, be patient, and good luck

 

[cosmicfolklore]

We have a member (black dog avatar) (Jeesh, I suck at remembering names) who used to suggest taking two pipes, load them up with two different tobaccos that you want to compare, and smoke them at the same time... Like a sip off of one, get it going, then switch, and do the same again... you should start to pick up on what is different faster than relying on memory. It's like a side by side taste test.

I had been smoking pipes for years before I tried that two pipe technique and it really helps, even for an old codger. Worth a try.

And, if smoking two pipes at once seems like it would take forever, you can always just finish whichever one you prefer, and come back to the second pipe later. The nice thing about pipes is that you can always come back to a bowl a few days later, sometimes it even taste better after a few days.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I had been smoking pipes for years before I tried that two pipe technique and it really helps, even for an old codger.

?Nine years smoking does not a codger make. Hawky's method is solid though.?

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Nine years smoking does not a codger make.

I have no idea what you are talking about. But, it sounds funny. Ha ha.

It's also a great way to taste these two pipes with extremely different bowl sizes to see the affect that chamber size makes on the tobacco taste. Maybe try a .5-.6" wide chamber next to a .9-1.0" chamber.