Conflation Between OTC Tobaccos and Aromatics

[brass]

I believe that aromatics i general have been conflated with drug store tobaccos. Like many here, I prefer most any other type of blend over aromatics. I just assumed most all aromatics smoked wet and bite.
But over time, I've smoked some tobaccos that I really liked, not knowing in some cases, that they were aromatics. Most recently, I've been smoking Stanwell Jubilee and Boswell's Best. Both burn well in general, leave little to no dottle = much less goop at the heal - and are overall satisfying smokes. And of course, they leave a nice room note.
While aros will not displace my VaBurs, VaPers or Englishes, a good aromatic makes a nice change of pace for me. I will endeavor in the future to not to dismiss a blend lightly just because it is an aro. And aromatics greatly expand blend choices - not that I need more options.
JMO.
Pax

 

[pipesmokingtom]

Yep.
Putting too fine a point on what "genera" a blend is is useless, in my opinion.
You could hand 20 blends to 5 different pipe smokers and have them categorize them in to English, VA, Burley, aromatic and you'd get 5 different results. I just performed this exercise when I reorganized my open tins and it was tough. One rack for latakia blends, one for non-aromatics, one for aromatics. Some blends are "tweeners" and don't go anywhere neatly.
I smoke it if I like it, and I don't if I don't.

 

[mso489]

There are many fine aromatic blends. From my point of view, that means tobacco forward and quality base tobacco. If I had to go with one or the other, I'd probably smoke only non-aros, but many classics are in the aromatic mode -- like Royal Yacht, Iwan Ries Three Star Blue, Edward G. Robinson, and so many more. I don't like the over-moist highly flavored blends, but many do, and that too keeps the pipe tobacco market going.

 

[philobeddoe]

I've never had a blend by Samuel Gawith or Gawith & Hoggarth that was goopy or gave any tongue bite whatsoever. Most smokers don't even consider these Lakeland style tobaccos to be aromatics for some reason. To my understanding, any blend that has been flavored by anything other than different tobacco varietals would fall under the aromatic umbrella.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Many associate aromatic with new pipe smoker. The new guys try it, can't taste it, move on, and swear they will never touch it again. Aro's are for the experienced smoker. There's not one aro I smoke now that doesn't taste exactly how it smells, and it took a couple of decades to get to that point. Add to the fact that aromatics are the backbone of the pipe tobacco world.

 

[brass]

botbf, What are the aeros you settled on?
Pax

 

[Chasing Embers]

Chocolate Truffle

Devil's Holiday

Pumpkin Spice

Black Raspberry

Peaches And Cream

Sweet Vanilla Honeydew

Paladin Black Cherry

Dark Red

D&R London Dock

Stokkebye's Cinnamon

Exotic Orange
Many others as well.

 

[brass]

Are those mostly Boswell blends? I'll try some after I finish my current stash of opened aros,e.g., Jubilee and Bosewells best.
Thanks for the response.
Pax

 

[Chasing Embers]

Never tried Boswell.
Sutliff-Chocolate Truffle

Dan Tobacco-Devil's Holiday

Sutliff-Pumpkin Spice

Lane Limited-Black Raspberry

Stokkeybye-Peaches And Cream

Dan Tobacco-Sweet Vanilla Honeydew

Paladin-Black Cherry

Lane Limited-Dark Red

D&R-London Dock

Stokkebye-Cinnamon

Rattray's-Exotic Orange

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

can't consider Full or Original Amphoras ,or Mc Barens Golden Extra as being aromatics ,could you?In some degree The same stands for U.S evergreens'and all arounders PA-CH_Granger-SWR Regular,perhaps the qualifaction as semi-aromatic fits better for aforementioned U.S &EU Otc blends

 

[philobeddoe]

Aside from Lakelands, I enjoy MacBaren Vanilla Cream flake & loose cut, Rattray's Exotic Orange, MacBaren Plumcake and especially W.O. Larsen's Signature....good stuff! But I'm always eager and willing to try just about anything, you never know what tasty treasures you might find in unexpected tins.

 

[cortezattic]

...part of a post from 6 years ago:

I started out with drug store "blend" aromatics, which is to say, cased Burley (with a "plastic-like" aftertaste).

Then I abruptly dropped them when I discovered English style blends and other high end natural blends.

Over the years I've discovered that there are three kinds of aromatics:
- the above mentioned drug store stuff -- designed to deliver nicotine and regale the wife's nose, not your palate

- natural tobacco blends with either a topping or a non-tobacco amendment such as deertongue

- Cavendish blends -- cased, but much less artificial tasting, and aimed at the tastebuds rather than the wife's nose.
Only recently have I begun to explore and enjoy the latter two types, and I confess to being an aromatics newbie.

I think chasingembers is right in saying that aromatics are for experienced pipe smokers. Newbies just end up scorching their tongues.

 

[brass]

Good advice for reserving aero's for the experienced piper. I sip on aero's like I do Virginia's.'
Pax

 

[mso489]

Frog Morton Cellar is at least toward aromatic, with its whiskey barrel block in the tin lending its whiskey flavor. 'tango sent me a supply of Peretti's Thanksgiving Day, a seasonal aro that is tobacco forward with no bite at all. Other seasonal blends I've tried bite like junkyard dogs.

 

[brass]

MSO, you are a TAD instigator.

 

[pipesmokingtom]

I've only smoked Frog on a Log. I HAVE all of the Frogs, but can't bring myself to open them. At least until I plow through the 20 other Latakia blends I have open already.

 

[phantomwolf]

When I got into pipe smoking, the first thing I picked up on was a kind of stigma that ero blends were novice or rudimentary. Like Riunite is to wine or Bud Light Lime is to beer-Fireball is to whiskey etc.. I think it's just that the recent hipster surge of new smokers fixated on Latakia and thumbed their nose at anything else.
Let's face it- This hobby breeds that sort of atmosphere to an extent. The whole idea of a 'gentleman' in a silk robe in an expensive leather chair in a richly appointed study. Walls lined in English oak, shelves of rare, leather-bound books. A roaring fire in the hearth and on the stand next to the chair, a pure silver tray holding an elegant pipe that would cost a working-man a week or two's wages at least and a tin of the finest select tobaccos. Tobacco beyond the palate of the average troglodyte. After all, who would follow foie gras and caviar with something as brash and slovenly as chocolate-cherry Cavendish?
Back to reality.. Those days are over. I think the average pipe smoker now is one that simply enjoys the hobby- free of pretension. I think only those who do not smoke a pipe still see it as a hobby solely reserved for the Monopoly guy or that guy on the Aperitif label.
Anyway.. How often is Exotic Orange released? I've been chasing it around the internet for a few days now. Is it worth the $40 they are selling it for on ebay?

 

[kodos44]

I enjoy most blends and don't judge based on a style label. I've smoked a number of fantastic aromatics and some I found absolutely awful. Same with English blends.

Aside from Lakelands, I enjoy MacBaren Vanilla Cream flake & loose cut, Rattray's Exotic Orange, MacBaren Plumcake and especially W.O. Larsen's Signature....good stuff! But I'm always eager and willing to try just about anything, you never know what tasty treasures you might find in unexpected tins.

Exactly!

Anyway.. How often is Exotic Orange released? I've been chasing it around the internet for a few days now. Is it worth the $40 they are selling it for on ebay?

REALLY want to try this out but no, I won't pay a premium for it on e$ay

 

[Chasing Embers]

Anyway.. How often is Exotic Orange released? I've been chasing it around the internet for a few days now. Is it worth the $40 they are selling it for on ebay?

I've seen it twice at SPC this year. They usually get around 100 tins, and it sells fast. Another good Ratrays aro is Blossom Temptation when you can find it.

 

[pipesmokingtom]

Walls lined in English oak, shelves of rare, leather-bound books. A roaring fire in the hearth and on the stand next to the chair, a pure silver tray holding an elegant pipe that would cost a working-man a week or two's wages at least and a tin of the finest select tobaccos

Wait... That's not how you do it?