Every now and again they tend to take the mystery out of things. Much simpler to try a tobacco and if you like keep buying it and if not there's always more to try.
Anyone Test Their Taste Buds to Understand Their Smoking Preferences?
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Giving it up was extremely hard. I know the amount of nicotine I would get from pinch of chewing tobacco was much larger then what you would get from any cigarette.Chewing tobacco must be an American thing. In my entire 61 years, I've not ever even heard of anyone chewing baccy here in Oz.
Many have said how giving up chewing tobacco was even harder than giving up tailor-made cigarettes.
I'm glad it never took off here, I'd probably like it.
The single biggest deterrent though, would be that I can't imagine girls would be terribly pleased to have a tongue that's coated with baccy juices stuck in their mouths.
As much as I love my tobacco, girls always came first.
I read years ago that one can of Kodiak had more nicotine than a carton of cigarettes, and am inclined to believe it.
Most of what you "taste" is actually strongly associated with your sense of smell.
An experiment I saw many years ago - a blindfolded person with nose pegged was given a cup of fluid to taste and asked if it was tea or coffee. He got it wrong. This person was reputedly one of the top tea tasters in the UK. He would routinely nose and taste dozens of tea blends daily.
I had massive sinus issues some years back, and ended up having a 4 hour sinus surgery. The tipping point for me was a whisky tasting (Suntory) where we were presented with several whiskies ranging in price from $30 to $1000+(18yo sherry-cask Yamazaki) and I couldn't differentiate.
I had "friends" advise me to buy a cellar full of the $30 bottle and save my money. My rejoinder was that that would what they would be given when they dropped over next
However all of the above is really beside the point. If you like something, then stock up. If not, jar it and give it another go sometime down the track. If you still dislike it, then dump it. It matters not if there is a scientific reason why you dislike latakia or get severe tongue-bite with a certain blend. The bottom line is it just does not suit you.
This hobby of ours is supposed to be fun, relaxing and enjoyable. Why choose to struggle swimming against the flow.
An experiment I saw many years ago - a blindfolded person with nose pegged was given a cup of fluid to taste and asked if it was tea or coffee. He got it wrong. This person was reputedly one of the top tea tasters in the UK. He would routinely nose and taste dozens of tea blends daily.
I had massive sinus issues some years back, and ended up having a 4 hour sinus surgery. The tipping point for me was a whisky tasting (Suntory) where we were presented with several whiskies ranging in price from $30 to $1000+(18yo sherry-cask Yamazaki) and I couldn't differentiate.
I had "friends" advise me to buy a cellar full of the $30 bottle and save my money. My rejoinder was that that would what they would be given when they dropped over next
However all of the above is really beside the point. If you like something, then stock up. If not, jar it and give it another go sometime down the track. If you still dislike it, then dump it. It matters not if there is a scientific reason why you dislike latakia or get severe tongue-bite with a certain blend. The bottom line is it just does not suit you.
This hobby of ours is supposed to be fun, relaxing and enjoyable. Why choose to struggle swimming against the flow.
I worked for years as a barista, particularly at a local roaster where we would do cuppings (coffee tasting) weekly to check the standard of the blends we were roasting, a customer put me on to a flavour profile kit that is commercially available..its more to have a standard to communicate flavour profiles than anything else not sure if it translates exactly for tobacco but it might be useful for someone interested in pinning down a particularly illusive note in a blend...
Sounds about right..winos always beat me to the punch (haha...sorry for pun) reminds me a bit of "smell-o-vision"
Chewing tobacco must be an American thing. In my entire 61 years, I've not ever even heard of anyone chewing baccy here in Oz.
Many have said how giving up chewing tobacco was even harder than giving up tailor-made cigarettes.
I'm glad it never took off here, I'd probably like it.
The single biggest deterrent though, would be that I can't imagine girls would be terribly pleased to have a tongue that's coated with baccy juices stuck in their mouths.
As much as I love my tobacco, girls always came first.
I remember a film about GARLIC I saw in the '80's (why ? Don't ask - curiosity??) advertised as " an experience in Odoroma"
There was a woman down the back of the cinema frying garlic in a portable electric frypan with a fan wafting the aroma towards the audience.
Very definitely a one-off !
I test my taste buds by subjecting them to different tobacco. It's a system I've found works 100% of the time.
Lord, lord. 'Tother day someone is worrying about determining the proper humidity and using Bovedas with the tobacco.
Now it's testing our taste buds.
Seems to be overthinking things, to me.
As someone who has essentially been accused of the "overthinking" thing, I wholeheartedly agree that testing your taste buds is a rather extravagant overthinking. Why in the world would you want to use a test to approximate what tobacco you might like when instead, you can just test the questions directly by trying different tobacco?
As someone who believes that there are objective, quantifiable, ascertainable ways to improve the pipe experience, such as ideal moisture levels, packing densities, and so on, I cannot see what value could be added by testing your taste buds. Your taste buds (and olfactory system) will already accomplish the task of telling you what blends you enjoy.
I'm sure the OP knew he was other thinking, but hopefully to stir up a rigorous debate.
I think my next thread will be about connecting jumper cables to my nipples while smoking to see if I can stir up some of the same.
But, I am certain that there is a disconnect between what our tastebuds can detect and what we like. I seem to have an uncanny ability to detect bitterness in things. But, that doesn't mean that I like bitter. I don't eat raw carrots, cilantro, or basil for this reason.
I think my next thread will be about connecting jumper cables to my nipples while smoking to see if I can stir up some of the same.
But, I am certain that there is a disconnect between what our tastebuds can detect and what we like. I seem to have an uncanny ability to detect bitterness in things. But, that doesn't mean that I like bitter. I don't eat raw carrots, cilantro, or basil for this reason.
It's all pretty interesting. For years I've said that taste and smell play a bigger role in our lives than we think. We concentrate on the visual and audio much more than taste and smell and I believe that what and how you taste and smell plays a big role in daily life.
Interestingly enough, dogs are the reverse. What they smell and to a lesser extent what they taste is much more relevant to their daily life than what they hear and see. That's why people that constantly give commands to their dogs are more likely to have dogs that don't listen. Dogs are more in tune with the energy you provide, where you stand in the pack and what they smell..... which would make for an interesting human!
The elimination of cologne and perfume because of hyper sensitivity in so many individuals in today's society compared to yesteryear is emblematic of how our "tastes" have evolved. I think tobacco goes along the same lines. Since there are less people smoking in public and we are exposed less and less to tobacco through our sense on a daily basis, maybe that changes the way your taste buds react to tobacco.
I enjoy spicy, strong flavors in food. Heavy garlic, peppers, strong ginger, horseradish on a regular basis but if I spend a week eating only the subtle flavors of mild Japanese cuisine, spicy and strong totally kill my taste buds. Same with my tobacco. That's why mixing it up between strengths and flavors seems to be a better way to enjoy tobacco for me.
Interestingly enough, dogs are the reverse. What they smell and to a lesser extent what they taste is much more relevant to their daily life than what they hear and see. That's why people that constantly give commands to their dogs are more likely to have dogs that don't listen. Dogs are more in tune with the energy you provide, where you stand in the pack and what they smell..... which would make for an interesting human!
The elimination of cologne and perfume because of hyper sensitivity in so many individuals in today's society compared to yesteryear is emblematic of how our "tastes" have evolved. I think tobacco goes along the same lines. Since there are less people smoking in public and we are exposed less and less to tobacco through our sense on a daily basis, maybe that changes the way your taste buds react to tobacco.
I enjoy spicy, strong flavors in food. Heavy garlic, peppers, strong ginger, horseradish on a regular basis but if I spend a week eating only the subtle flavors of mild Japanese cuisine, spicy and strong totally kill my taste buds. Same with my tobacco. That's why mixing it up between strengths and flavors seems to be a better way to enjoy tobacco for me.
I have always had an uncanny sense of smell also. It really helps when I am hunting, and I usually smell a snake before I see it. My wife is usually amazed when we go out hiking. Smoking hasn't damaged it, or maybe it has, and my slightly damaged sense of smell makes life more bearable for me.
Not all types of smoking affect taste equally. I have a couple of chef friends who I got to switch from cigs to pipes (DGT helps) and their taste function improves. May have something to do with inhalation affecting the cilia or little hairs in the throat.
Just make sure you post pics ?I think my next thread will be about connecting jumper cables to my nipples while smoking to see if I can stir up some of the same.