Comparing tobacco taste to food

[Worknman]

Other than aromatics, to me pipe tobacco tastes like well, pipe tobacco. Of course theres a wide variety of blends and they all have their own unique flavor which is what I love about pipe smoking. But I've never taken a puff and thought hmmm, this tastes like moms freshly baked bread sprinkled with a hint of cinnamon, some raisins with a little bit of grass and citrus notes with an aftertaste of chocolate. But not dark chocolate, more like milk chocolate. Is that pepper Im tasting?

Of course Im being sarcastic but am I the only one out there?

 

[mikethompson]

I don't have a palette that is sophisticated enough to detect the subtle nuances of flavourings. Sometimes I will read a review and think, how do they detect the hint of cinnamon in there?

I usually am good with grassy / woodsy notes and dark chocolate in there though. I guess it all takes time.

 

[stogie37]

Food isn’t always the first flavor association I make - but it’s definitely a great reference point for taste correlation (?) For instance, some McClelland VA’s have a flavor profile that was escaping description for me til I settled on Cola - yep, that was it! And when I smoke aged Hoyo de Monterrey Oscuro Sultans I swear it’s like eating a Chicago Steakhouse Ribeye ?

 

[krizzose]

I think it’s just a close association sometimes, and it’s the easiest way to describe something. That being said, the “chocolate” flavors I get from some tobaccos taste just like chocolate to me

 

[alaskanpiper]

I don't get it either. Tobacco does not taste like food. I can see using some of the words we would use to describe food, you know, rich, sweet, sharp, dry, sour, bold, light, fresh, fermented, earthy, smokey, etc. That makes sense to me. But not food itself. Tobacco tastes like tobacco, in it's many various forms and flavors.

The one exception for me is the tin note on McClelland Virginias. Them shits smell like Ketchup.

 

[Waning Embers]

Black Twist XX = char broiled steak

BTXX+ODF=bbq steak

BTXX+ODF+SNF=honey bbq steak

 

[didimauw]

Other than aromatics, to me pipe tobacco tastes like well, pipe tobacco. Of course theres a wide variety of blends and they all have their own unique flavor which is what I love about pipe smoking. But I've never taken a puff and thought hmmm, this tastes like moms freshly baked bread sprinkled with a hint of cinnamon, some raisins with a little bit of grass and citrus notes with an aftertaste of chocolate. But not dark chocolate, more like milk chocolate. Is that pepper Im tasting?

Of course Im being sarcastic but am I the only one out there?

Yeah I just don't see it either. Maybe it's because of my horrible sense of smell.

 

[luigi]

Same here. If I think of all the adjectives listed by somebody who has 2,5k+ reviews on tobaccoreviews and presumably loves his meals, tasting tobacco becomes much more interesting.
One aromatic was reminding me of a breath of my ex, right after she had been removing the gum, but my palate is changed now. ?

 

[cshubhra]

There are two things at play here in my opinion...

1. It takes some time to distinguish flavors - To me it started with Virginia. After 7 months of smoking I am starting to distinguish different flavors in Virginia. Other than sweet, savory etc... Black XX of course will show you flavors on the first day of smoke

2. Identifying those flavors and describing them of course is a different ball game. I can’t describe them, but I have heard those who can, train for this

 

[tobefrank]

I always get savoury notes from smoking Escudo. Sweet but savoury, like honey glazed bacon.
It’s not the actual taste though, more the experience of smoking something savoury.