Hi all, I've been enjoying the occasional pipe over the past 6mo or so and have now tried MacBaren Vanilla Flake, a cavendish blend from local tobacconist, H&H burley kake, Frog Morton on the bayou, and now last night Dan's Blue Note. I've been smoking them in an estate Dr. Grabow I was gifted. Problem is I've yet to really be able to appreciate a flavor in any of them. They all taste something like smoke with some sort of flavorish spicy bite. I was really excited to try the blue note after reading some rave reviews and upon initial light was hit with some very clear sweet/cake like flavor that quickly changed to smoke. I do get some tongue bite so perhaps I am just incinerating the tobacco each time? Or can the pipe itself be masking the flavors? I'm hoping there are distinct flavors in here that I am just missing!
All tobaccos taste the same...what's the problem?
- Thread starter bearpwn
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Generally takes a bit of time to distinguish between blends mate. Remove your filter and give er a try. Sip slowly and lightly and you will begin to pick it up. Should take 45 min to an hour to complete a bowl.
Sometimes smoking the tobacco to fast can take away from the flavor. Take it slow and you want to puff when the ember is almost out rather than to puff to keep it going. When I first started smoking a pipe I found the same thing, everything always tasted like tobacco. I almost quit thinking I was doing something wrong. I was. Smoking it to smoke it, not smoking it to enjoy it and that's what smoking a pipe is all about.
I have run into this exact issue and I think you may be smoking too fast - I was, and the tongue bite is a definite indication. Dan's Blue Note and MacB Vanilla Flake are two of my favorite tobaccos but both of them will nip if you don't sip them slowly - but if you slow down you should notice an improvement. That said, neither will taste like they smell - very few aromatics actually do - but both should give an improved aroma and taste if smoked slowly.
The advice to expand your rotation with a few cobs is good too - Diplomats and the Country Gent are my choices for cobs. I would be cautious about removing the filters though as I have heard at least one account of a smoker who accidentally inhaled an ember - he swears by the filters now
.
Good Luck
The advice to expand your rotation with a few cobs is good too - Diplomats and the Country Gent are my choices for cobs. I would be cautious about removing the filters though as I have heard at least one account of a smoker who accidentally inhaled an ember - he swears by the filters now
.Good Luck
You are smoking too fast and too hard and if it is a Grabow you prob have a paper filter in it. Simple fix!
Ya mate, most of them take the 6mm paper filter or you can sub with 6mm balsa wood filter. Not all Grabows take em, but most do, unless they have the stinger.
bearpwn,
At the risk of admonishment, I will simply recommend that you remove (throw away) all filter or trap material and sip your smoke rather than draw heavy. Get yourself a "new" inexpensive briar pipe with no filter or trap and start over. Run a pipe cleaner through your pipe and remove it and give it a chance to rest and dry. Or, buy a few inexpensive briars if you wish to smoke more and rotate them. Also, rotate your blends as well. Finally, use a dull pipe knife to remove tobacco residue from your bowl after smoking it and before putting a different blend in the bowl. Lots of good advice has been given here. Follow it all. You will find a reward for doing so. I promise. If not, seriously, I had the rare experience of the same thing. Found out I had a bad sinusitus infection! Anti-biotics and ten days later, I was back on track enjoying my pipe.
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At the risk of admonishment, I will simply recommend that you remove (throw away) all filter or trap material and sip your smoke rather than draw heavy. Get yourself a "new" inexpensive briar pipe with no filter or trap and start over. Run a pipe cleaner through your pipe and remove it and give it a chance to rest and dry. Or, buy a few inexpensive briars if you wish to smoke more and rotate them. Also, rotate your blends as well. Finally, use a dull pipe knife to remove tobacco residue from your bowl after smoking it and before putting a different blend in the bowl. Lots of good advice has been given here. Follow it all. You will find a reward for doing so. I promise. If not, seriously, I had the rare experience of the same thing. Found out I had a bad sinusitus infection! Anti-biotics and ten days later, I was back on track enjoying my pipe.
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All good advice here, and it's easy to see a pattern in the suggestions being made. Re-read CaptainBob's post.
I'm of the opinion that a beginner should avoid aromatics because their moisture can lead to problems, such as scorching the tongue, and biting from alkalinity too. Also, casing sauces mask the underlying true taste of the tobacco, so the beginner never really learns the foundational elements of a blend.
IMHO, it's better to start with very high quality straight VA's, Burleys, and Orientals. After one has learned to identify the leaf, one can expand to more exotic fare.
... or, you can just have fun. I don't see the need to become overly academic about the whole thing. Just because I'm anal-retentive doesn't mean that's the only way to enjoy the hobby.
I'm of the opinion that a beginner should avoid aromatics because their moisture can lead to problems, such as scorching the tongue, and biting from alkalinity too. Also, casing sauces mask the underlying true taste of the tobacco, so the beginner never really learns the foundational elements of a blend.
IMHO, it's better to start with very high quality straight VA's, Burleys, and Orientals. After one has learned to identify the leaf, one can expand to more exotic fare.
... or, you can just have fun. I don't see the need to become overly academic about the whole thing. Just because I'm anal-retentive doesn't mean that's the only way to enjoy the hobby.
Welcome aboard to all the new members posting in this thread.
I'll add my two cents:
I recommend doing some light reading in Wikipedia.
Not overly technical, but if you search Cavendish, Virginia, Oriental, Latakia, Perique, and Burley tobaccos you might gain a bit of insight into what the differences really are and that may help you "train" your pallet.
You are on a journey into a world of unique satisfaction and nuance...
Glad you picked up a pipe.
:
:
I'll add my two cents:
I recommend doing some light reading in Wikipedia.
Not overly technical, but if you search Cavendish, Virginia, Oriental, Latakia, Perique, and Burley tobaccos you might gain a bit of insight into what the differences really are and that may help you "train" your pallet.
You are on a journey into a world of unique satisfaction and nuance...
Glad you picked up a pipe.
:
:
I'm a recent novice, and I started with wet aros. While it was quite frustrating at first, I've learned that packing method and slowing down helped quite a bit. I let my tobacco dry for a long time (as I live in a humid area), and I pack it a bit loose. I would rather pack to loose than too tight, it's easier to fix the problem by tamping more often.
I didn't see anyone mention this, but I'll throw my .02 in as well. When you're sipping slowly, and you're not catching any flavors, be it aromatic or English or whatever, practice French inhaling. Just let some of the smoke out of your mouth and pull it back in through the nose. You'll be surprised what other flavors start developing, especially at the back of the tongue and sinuses. This is what I do if the front of my tongue isn't catching much flavor.
Wow I come back today and there are so many responses! Thank you all for the insight...I have much experimenting to look forward to. For those who suggested, I do not have a filter in the Grabow so that fix is not as easy. I did clean it the other day with the alcohol method as I had never done that before. Plan on picking up a corncob this week!
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