Aromatic with no flavor and almost no room note

[brudertuck]

Hello fellow pipe smokers,
I just had my first pipe yesterday. I have a MM Great Dane Spindle of which I took the paper filter out, I bought a 8oz. tin of Brigadier Black Bull Run and sat down last night after work and was excited and looking forward to a great and relaxing experience. I opened the tin and this wonderful aroma of vanilla hit me and I started packing my pipe. Beforehand I did read a lot on this forum, also read the Complete Corncob Primer and tried to get as much advice as possible from online sources about packing, lighting, tamping, tobaccos, etc. Granted once you have to actually do it, it is harder than reading about it, but I think I didn't do too bad and I know I have to improve on my technique and stick with it for a while to really start to grasp the whole idea of the art of pipe smoking. But my biggest problem was that I did not taste anything of the flavor of the tobacco and I could not make out much of a pleasant aromatic room note, my wife also complained that it just smelled pretty much like a bar full of cigarette smoke in the room. She barely could smell the vanilla. What did I do wrong ? I really want to try to improve and stick with it, but it was quite disappointing the first time not to have the aromatic experience. Thanks for your help.

 

[jackswilling]

Have not tried that aromatic. Do have the MM Great Dane tobacco and it is a good choice for your MM Great Dane Pipe. There is so much good information on decent aromatics here, move on to another. Trial and error.

 

[billypm]

I would try some other, better-known aromatics before you start to draw any conclusions. I haven't heard of the one you smoked so I can't speak for its characteristics.

 

[mephistopheles]

I feel like most aromatics don't really have a lot of flavor. I think they are more of a gimmicky tobacco that you would smoke more for just the scent and you would do that more for other people than really yourself. That said, I've tried some aromatics that have smelled absolutely disgusting when lit. Like a dirty, wet cigarette. A few good ones that I've tried are: Lane 1-Q, Russ' Monthly Blend - Snowdrift, Sutliff Private Stock - Great Outdoors. They taste really good and they smell nice.
So reading guides like the Corncob Primer can be really good resources and you should keep looking for written information, but maybe a video would be helpful.
Try this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Cqg6TBCIT4
Also, with aromatics I tend to fill my bowl very loosely. I press everything down just slightly, light with a match, tamp it to keep the charred top even, relight with a Bic lighter, and that usually lets everything burn down to gray ash or as good as it will get with minimal care.
Another thought, you might be smoking too fast. I'm not familiar with Brigadier Black - Bull Run but I do know that tobaccos with casings, if smoked too fast, can taste rancid or might not taste like much of anything. This also affects how the room note is. Slow sips will win the day in this regard.
Just keep trying. Stick with it. It's all about experience and that is definitely a process. Sometimes you appreciate a particular tobacco not on the first bowl, but a few later.

 

[brudertuck]

Great, thanks for all the advice

 

[brudertuck]

By the way, I bought this tobacco off of the pipes & cigars website, it is a I believe a custom blend made by them
http://www.pipesandcigars.com/search/?q=Bull+run

 

[mephistopheles]

Yep, I've seen it on there before but haven't tried it.
Here are some reviews for it. This is a helpful resource as well if you didn't already know.

http://www.tobaccoreviews.com/blend/5352/brigadier-black-bull-run
It sounds like the vanilla taste and scent are pretty subtle. I'd try a couple more bowls of it making sure to sip very slowly and see if you can't pick up on the flavor a little bit more. It might just not be what you're looking for.

 

[cobguy]

Lol ... Stogie Farts!
While fun and informative, I would offer a couple of suggestions.
When first lighting your tobacco ... the "charring light" ... do not be so aggressive.

Wooden matches would be preferable but, if not, at least use a softer flame and hold it further from the tobacco.
Same goes for the real lighting ... gentle and evenly across the top, drawing in slowly.
During your smoke, you should come very close to having your pipe go out several times.

Rather than "rapidly puffing" to get it going, try lightly covering the top of your pipe with

your fingers and drawing in couple slow firm puffs ... if this doesn't work then lightly tamp and relight.
DO NOT dump ashes on your little brothers head! :rofl:
After dumping the ash and blowing thru the stem ... just go straight to the pipe cleaners.

Holding your pipe and shaking it will only result, eventually, in a humorous chasing of your stem.
Dry your tobacco well to prevent excessive moisture / steam and prevent tons of relights.
Lastly, IMHO, try a less "aromatic" tobacco ... a little goes a long way.

Look for something that at least contains some Burley and Virginia and not all Cavendish.

You might want to try something with Latakia like that FM Cellar that Stogiefarts was smoking.
Be patient, smoke slowly and most of all ... enjoy! ::

 

[brudertuck]

Wow, I am really glad I joined this forum, thanks again for all the advice!

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Just like a dirty person, cant smell their own stink... and after five minutes you can't smell your own cologne... You just will never smell your own room note. The funny thing is that if you are in a room with someone else smoking the same tobacco, you will smell each other's room note. Weird huh!
Cobguy hit the nail of the head, smoke slow. Also, keep in mind that only as long as the smoke is in your mouth, the nicotine is being absorbed, so if I am blowing clouds of smoke, I'm just wasting money. I keep the smoke to a slow trickle, smoking it on the verge of going out, and I get more flavor. But also keep in mind that there are absolutely no rules in all of this. We all develop our own styles, and we never tell a cowboy how to ride his horse unless he asks.

 

[oklansas]

brudertuck,
Try Sutliff's line of aromatics. They are a solid offering and tend to pack plenty of flavor into the tobacco. There are good aromatics, there are bad ones, just like any tobacco - just remember to smoke slow and try a bit of everything and, in the end, smoke what you like.
Personal favorite from Sutliff is Bacchanalia, but Molto Dolce has a pretty solid following around here.

 

[mso489]

What I can't tell from the post is if brudertuck just doesn't like aromatics or just doesn't like this aromatic. Try something else, either aromatic or non-aro and see. I smoke mostly non-aros, but enjoy aromatics as a change of pace, but I want them tobacco flavor forward. The one suggested here are good recommendations.

 

[brudertuck]

mso489, I guess I don't like that tobacco, but I am too inexperienced to know yet what to expect from aromatics, I will have to test more tobacco including non-aromatics, I just started out with aromatics since it seemed to me from reading that quite a lot of people recommend them for beginners

 

[oklansas]

brudertuck,
I actually started with an English (Peterson's Old Dublin ) - there is no right way to start. You might want to avoid straight Va's at first, mostly because they can be really finicky and unforgiving. Really, the best advice I ever got was to try a bit of everything and figure out what I liked.

 

[brudnod]

Welcome and good idea getting the knowledge first on this web site and then taking the plunge. You will make plenty of mistakes even with having done so, as we all have. You have actually learned the most important lesson for a new pipe smoker: Only buy as much tobacco as you would feel comfortable throwing out when you first try a blend. If you have local tobacconist they will sell you just about any amount and can offer good advice on what they have in stock. If you want to challenge a potent aromatic I would think Sutliff Molto Dolce, as Oklansas suggested above, would be a good start but dry it out a bit first. As primarily a mild (the tobacco and possibly me) aro smoker, I have think you can find something that you like. Have your wife weigh in on the room note because, as Cosmic points out, you are not going to be the best judge of your own smoke. And successfully smoking slowly is an acquired skill, not a God-given talent. Good luck!

 

[loneredtree]

+1 Spencer. Brudertuck: You are on a trial & error journey. Get small amounts of Tobacco that sound good until you start to find the types and specific blends that you like. 8 oz is a lot but do not toss it. Jar it ,Mason type, and it may be OK or useful for blending later.

Enjoy the journey!

 

[cobguy]

P&C has a good deal right now that may interest you ... 6 tins for $34.98
http://www.pipesandcigars.com/specials/you-pick/hearth-home-tin-sampler/
There are both aro's and non-aro's to sample.
I recommend the Louisiana Red and Anniversary Cake for Va/Per's, Ambassador's Blend for a first Latakia blend

and you may want to try Classic Burley Cake for an aromatic.
Let us know as you go! ::

 

[brudertuck]

Sounds good, I will continue on the journey to find the tobaccos I like and thank you for all the recommendations

 

[frozenchurchwarden]

If a lack of flavour is your biggest problem on your first bowl you're doing much better than the flaming train wreck that was my first bowl.
Given how often I find things changing over time, I think the best advice is just to keep trying new things until something clicks.

A year ago I thought I would never try more than 30 blends, that it would be "enough". I'm nearing 100 now and I think (I think) that I'm just catching up on the last few flavours you can get out of a bowl (I'm trying Yenidje and Samsun next). It's finally getting where I have to look a little harder to find stuff that sounds different from what I've had already.

Of course, I may still be saying the same in another year, but who knows, the point is it's a fun hobby and a very unique experience.

 

[michiganlover]

Smoke slow!! No roomnote, no tobacco flavor, and not tasting the flavoring are all indicative of smoking way too fast, and thus burning off any flavor.