Train your tongue. When developing your palate, the goal is to be able to pick out and appreciate specific flavors and nuances. The best way to do that is to experience those flavors in their natural state, then look for them in your smoke. Be sure to smell them as well, since much of your sense of taste is derived from olfactory sensations. Taste dry coco powder, then dark chocolate, then milk chocolate, then smoke a burley blend and see how it compares. Sample various citrus fruits and compare them to bright Virginias. Sniff some fresh cut grass and hay and see how that factors in. Sample red fruits and stewed fruits and compare to red Virginias. Try some dried figs, raisins and prunes and compare to perique. Smell some baking spices and pepper as well. Literally pick up a big scoop of freshly dug earth and smell it hard. When you smell, don't gently smell, but sniff the scent up into your sinuses. It should be an audible sniff. If you've never tasted marzipan, you can never pick out marzipan. Same with guava or lychee. Smell and note the difference between fresh and dried flowers. Look for that dried flower scent in oriental forward blends. Taste some good grassy butter and hard cheeses. Sniff some aromatic hardwoods and incense woods like Paolo Santo or Sandalwood. Smell a barbecue grill, a campfire, a sooty fireplace, and even a tire/garbage fire and contemplate the differences next time you smoke latakia.
This may seem like a strange approach, but it works with beer, wine, liquors, and fine food, and it works with pipe smoke as well.
If you develop your palate enough and develop the necessary vocabulary to express what you sense, who knows maybe one day you could become a beloved and prolific reviewer the likes of
@jiminks ! If that's not your goal, you can at least feel competent in your own assessments and sharing them conversationally. Best of luck in your endeavors!
