Difference between English and nonaromatic
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There are no dumb questions Fish. It's actually very good one as there's a lot of disagreement about what an English mixture really consists of. The received opinion is that an English is unflavoured and contains a liberal amount of Latakia, while a non-aromatic is unflavoured but more likely based on Virginias and Burleys etc. You can argue, however, that this is a misconception based on marketing and that an English mixture is one that adheres to the old English Tobacco Purity laws, which held that a blend could not include anything other than pure tobacco as a constituent of its weight. The association with Latakia presumably arose because this leaf provided a good flavouring alternative to a casing or topping. So, strictly speaking, an English is simply one that is unflavoured - it and a non-aromatic are the same thing.
To clarify, Latakia is an Oriental tobacco from Cyprus or Syria, cured over wood fires, to give it an intensely smokey, leathery, somewhat spicy taste.
This is a tricky subject as peoples opinions on what an english blend is varies. Take a look at this:
Q: What is generally meant by "English," "Scottish," and "Balkan" style?
A: The definitions of these terms seem somewhat fluid, apart from the fact that all tobaccos bearing these appellations contain Latakia. To my mind, it's more important to consider the difference between an English mixture and a Scottish one. In the first case, Latakia is a more dominant note, with Virginias and orientals filling in the gaps. A Scottish style blend, on the other hand, is dominated by matured virginias, possibly with small amounts of oriental leaf or a bit of Latakia for spice.
There's been some discussion of late about what a “Balkan Blend” is, and after some poking about in old ephemera - tobacconists' catalogues, old magazines and so on - I'm beginning to believe that the term is meaningless. Generally, people seem to apply it to an English mixture with a greater presence of oriental tobaccos, but this isn't really a fair cop. I suspect the term was probably originally used to describe a blend that is similar to the now venerated Balkan Sobranie. What's interesting is that this particular blend was dominated by virginias and Latakia, with only delicate sprinklings of oriental leaf, which is quite at odds with the current colloquial usage.
Probably better just to think of the two terms as being interchangeable, if we use them at all, since any definitions we create will be similarly aribtrary. For more on this subject, have a look at my article, What IS a Balkan Blend in Pipes Magazine
And this:
http://pipesmagazine.com/python/pipe-news/english-blends-and-latakia-blends-one-in-the-same/
So we really should break it down into categories like latakia blend, oriental & latakia blends, oriental blends, aromatic blends,viriginia, burley, virginia/perique, virginia/burley etc.
This would be far less complicated than just english blend or balkan blend or non aromatic blend.
Q: What is generally meant by "English," "Scottish," and "Balkan" style?
A: The definitions of these terms seem somewhat fluid, apart from the fact that all tobaccos bearing these appellations contain Latakia. To my mind, it's more important to consider the difference between an English mixture and a Scottish one. In the first case, Latakia is a more dominant note, with Virginias and orientals filling in the gaps. A Scottish style blend, on the other hand, is dominated by matured virginias, possibly with small amounts of oriental leaf or a bit of Latakia for spice.
There's been some discussion of late about what a “Balkan Blend” is, and after some poking about in old ephemera - tobacconists' catalogues, old magazines and so on - I'm beginning to believe that the term is meaningless. Generally, people seem to apply it to an English mixture with a greater presence of oriental tobaccos, but this isn't really a fair cop. I suspect the term was probably originally used to describe a blend that is similar to the now venerated Balkan Sobranie. What's interesting is that this particular blend was dominated by virginias and Latakia, with only delicate sprinklings of oriental leaf, which is quite at odds with the current colloquial usage.
Probably better just to think of the two terms as being interchangeable, if we use them at all, since any definitions we create will be similarly aribtrary. For more on this subject, have a look at my article, What IS a Balkan Blend in Pipes Magazine
And this:
http://pipesmagazine.com/python/pipe-news/english-blends-and-latakia-blends-one-in-the-same/
So we really should break it down into categories like latakia blend, oriental & latakia blends, oriental blends, aromatic blends,viriginia, burley, virginia/perique, virginia/burley etc.
This would be far less complicated than just english blend or balkan blend or non aromatic blend.
Based on what's out there and how it's described. I now consider anything from the isles English. English orientals, flakes, ropes, aromatics. It's best when makers just tell you what's in it. English "style" would also work. Mostly my experience has been with the guys on top. My favorite english, Stonehaven. Haven't seen that on this side of the pond. How to describe Froggies line? American
Fish, on tonight's Pipes Magazine Radio Show, Brian is going to address this very subject. If you can't listen to it live at 8:00pm, then maybe you can download it. The podcasts have been very informative to my progression.
Stonehaven is not an English tobacco, it's a Viriginia/ Burley blend, it contains no Lataka or Orientals.
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