Developing Tastes

[Lonely_wanderer]

Being quite new to the pipe tobacco world, I have limited knowledge of the individual types of tobacco. I read reviews with terms like "spicy perique" and "sour Turkish" and cannot seem to pick them out of a blend. The bready dark fruit notes of a Viginia I can seem to place, along with the incense smoke of a Latakia. How would one go about training my tastes? I thought of getting some "blending" tobaccos, but really have no idea which ones would be good and/or in small packages. I don't need a pound of Lemon Virginia or Latakia. Or should I separate a tin by color/cut and try to discern the individual components? Seems like casing and topping may influence that route as well. Thoughts?

 

[mso489]

Don't try to take it all in at once. Get a few examples of different genres, like Virginia (Orlik Golden Sliced for example), burley (Carter Hall), and an aromatic like Sir Walter Raleigh Aromatic. The object is to enjoy your pipe, so focus on that, not on becoming familiar with many blends at once. Keep sampling in small quantities, an ounce in bulk, a tin, a pouch, and keep track of what you try.

 

[trouttimes]

Slow down there buddy. Part of the joy of pipe smoking is the journey. Learning comes over time and that slow discovery is wonderful. I bet if you revisit in a year, some of the blend you first smoked, you will be surprise what you now taste. I've been smoking over 40 years and I still discover new taste in old blends. Enjoy the ride.

 

[Sonorisis]

The thing that has helped me the most is getting the very highest quality tobaccos. They are more likely to have the real-deal components. Lot's of brands these days substitute a similar tobacco for a corner-stone element of their claimed blend. And that makes it all but impossible to regulate your taste buds.

 

[seanv]

As stated, keep sampling and keep notes. Try different blends in different pipes at different times of day with different drinks. Sooner than later you will be surprised at what you taste on each blend.

 

[Lonely_wanderer]

So trying individual elements would not help then?

 

[Sonorisis]

So trying individual elements would not help then?

I've been wanting to ask Jiminks that question for a long time!

 

[rushx9]

So trying individual elements would not help then?

It can, but I would recommend smoking various blends that showcase a specific variety or genre before trying them solo. Condimental tobaccos are best blended with base tobaccos because of how they work synergistically. You may try orientals all by themselves and think they taste flat and acrid, but blend in some sweet fruity VA and the combination creates those sour floral notes orientals are known for. Perique can be a little ho hum by itself but supplies truckloads of flavor in small amounts when combined with Virginias or VaBur blends.
Imho, the best way to learn about Oriental tobacco is to smoke through some Presbyterian or a white-label Balkan. To learn about fire cured Kentucky, get some Orlik Dark Strong Kentucky or Mac Baren Old Dark Fired. If you wanna learn about burley, grab some pouches of Prince Al, Sir Walt, and Carter Hall. If you want to get a grip on Perique, try Bayou Morning or Escudo. Once you experience a condimental leaf leading a blend then you can decide if you still even want to try it solo. If you do, you'll be able to make the connection on what job they're doing in a blend pretty easily. You'll also see why most varietals are blended. Even "straight Virginias" are blends of several VAs of different colors and flavors grown all over the world.

 

[Pipewizard420]

Trying Individual components could help give you an idea of what they taste like (Latakia and Perique in particular) but smoking them straight is not usually recommended as they are used as condiment flavors, but it's not a bad idea to have some on hand to enhance or change blends you don't care for much and can really help transform a dud into a stud.

 

[JimInks]

I've been wanting to ask Jiminks that question for a long time!

Smoking them straight gave me great insight into the properties of the tobaccos, and I greatly recommend doing so to interested parties. What it doesn't do is tell you the chemical reactions that blends go through when they are mixed. As tobaccos marry, chemical changes can occur. But, if you understand the characteristics of individual components, you'll certainly find it easier to pick out flavors when you smoke.

 

[mortonbriar]

One of the fun things about getting the individual leaf to play with is being able to make your own blends up. I found being able to toy with the ratio's was a faster way for me to figure out what I liked in my first few years...I had a wish list of 100+ blends that I wanted to try, but at the time was only smoking a bowl or two a week.

A couple of ounces each of a burley, virginia, cavendish, turkish and latakia would certainly set you up for all kinds of fun!

 

[judcole]

As a couple of the fellas have mentioned, don't be in a big hurry - it does all take time! Relax, enjoy, make some notes, and don't feel that you have to try everything all at once!

 

[Lonely_wanderer]

Thanks for all the input everyone! I'll have to file this all away and use it to continue my great journey!

 

[greeneyes]

My opinion: before doing what you suggest, I'd focus on a few "hallmark" tobacco blends, and smoke perhaps two tins each. Smoke as often as you are able. With repetition comes familiarity. Smoking once a day or once a week won't open your palate up to the discernment of subtleties in pipe tobacco. Just my opinion, again, but I'd recommend a little "boot camp" before going off and trying to "deconstruct" pipe tobacco first.

 

[mso489]

I agree with several earlier posts. Start with blends and wait a few years to sample various single leaf tobaccos. It's a good exercise, but not a good way to start out. You might like to smoke just single leaf, and that's okay. I don't think you want to get into mixing your own, or not for some time, since that is a whole rabbit hole. Try many good blends in a gradual way over time, and branch out into single leaf, smoked singly or mixed as condiments, only when you get the whole pipe smoking activity down quite well. Start with basics, not high expertise.

 

[mso489]

An additional thought: Pay attention to the constituent tobaccos in the blends you sample. I think at the beginning you learn more from picking out the various flavors within relatively "simple" blends, that is blends with a few tobaccos. If you want to be methodical and scholarly about it, you could keep a log and record this information, or just keep it in mind and notice both in what you smoke, and when reading tobacco pages online or in hard copy catalogs. This should all be recreation and what you want to do, not a chore.