Done with Aromatics…?

[CoffeeAndBourbon]

You may want to try a "light" aromatic and not your standard propylene glycol soaked aro.
I recently got a tin of C&D We Three Kings and it is quite nice.

Very light topping that is pleasant and compliments the tobacco flavors.

 

[AroEnglish]

Hmm. Are you smoking inside, anywhere you like, or a designated room?

Personally, I can't help you with the Aros, as I have yet to master the art of successfully smoking and enjoying a typical aromatic due to all the things you mentioned.

I smoke inside all day long. But I'm relegated to my room. I have a ventilation system which keeps the smoke from leaving my room.

If you're smoking anywhere in the house, you might just try smoking what you want... and keep your mouth shut.

If pressed about the room note:

"It's pipe tobacco. The various blends produce a variety of room notes depending on the type of tobacco variety, condimental tobaccos additions, casings, and or toppings, this is just one of them!

How does your ventilation system work and do you have any pictures?

 

[monty55]

How does your ventilation system work and do you have any pictures?

Smoking Room Ventilation :: General Pipe Smoking Discussion - https://pipesmagazine.com/forums/threads/smoking-room-ventilation.90255

 

[ADKPiper]

Aromatics give me a headache.
I've read that they add glycerin to aromatics.
I'm not sure but I know they don't really agree with me.
No problem. My favorites are not aromatic.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

As a side note... we no longer tell people that smoke aromatics that aromatics suck. This is verboten... because the sissies that smoke them would get their panties all bunched up in the crack.

Who said we’re wearing any?

 

[OverMountain]

Before you call it quits, try some Boswells aromatics like B Best, no bite delite etc.

Many aromatics seem to be made with lesser quality leaf and topped to hide this fact. Boswells is the best in the book IMO. Quality leaf, quality topping and the room notes are very welcomed if you need to smoke indoors.

 

[edger]

Many great suggestions regarding tobaccos and technique so far, but not a mention of mouth chemistry. Keep on experimenting.

 

[FLDRD]

You may want to try a "light" aromatic and not your standard propylene glycol soaked aro.
I recently got a tin of C&D We Three Kings and it is quite nice.

Very light topping that is pleasant and compliments the tobacco flavors.

I popped mine open just after x-mas with a year on it from production. Smells great, and sometimes the allspice, cinnamon and vanilla come through in the smoke, but for me - mostly not. I get a little bit of flavored hot air most of the bowl. Only a few puffs that really seem to represent what it should be. I've never had good success with aromatics...
Even hoping that the underlying tobacco flavor would come through if the topping didn't, but it just didn't work for me. It's still hanging out, mostly a full tin. Every now and then I try something I have difficulty finishing, it's a learning process for me.

 

[Coreios]

Maybe you're allergic to the topping on aros and when it's too dry you've dried it all out of it. My opinion on dryness is I like it as close to a dry crumbling leaf as possible but doesnt crumble. That would be more like 50s humidity than 60s.

 

[milk]

I'm not sure there is a need for a "rule" to validate your negative experience.

I see it a little differently. If you could navigate Virginias without ever having an issue with "bite" or moisture it's just a matter of figuring it out, IMO. I started out with aros and lighter English and burley and I get more out of aros now than I did then, but that is the same with all tobaccos, honestly. Too wet, too tight, chasing the flavor with aggressive technique . . . been there, but been there with other blends as well. I'm a lot more Virginia "biased" now than I was and honestly I think trying to figure out flakes and getting it right to enjoy Virginias has helped me all the way around, including with aros. Maybe you are remembering those good old flake days a little too wonderfully - flakes take some drying as well and still a matter of feel and experience in terms of drying.

Watch @Chasing Embers videos on pipe packing, maybe read some threads on that in general and drying (tons of 'em), experiment a little more. Nothing wrong with abandoning aros in favor of something else if that's what you want to do and if that's what it takes, but you'll still have to get the handle on moisture and technique, which I still work on, try to figure out, all the time - still not "second nature" all the time here for sure, and I can't claim any expertise!

You may be right about my memory. It’s been a few years. And I have a lot of aros so I’ll have to go back at some point or it’s a waste.

Ah! You are in Japan. And since you are a sensibly polite individual, won't like to be unfriendly to neighbors. Is it true you can't smoke in public area in Tokyo? I find that somewhat a silly law from normally logical people. Anyway, Virginia can bite as well as aromatics. Your best bet is to find out a way to determine dryness of the optimal humidity for your tobacco. A lot of folks will go back to aromatic later, or so I have been told.

I live in Osaka and you can smoke anywhere here but I never go anywhere! Not anymore now that I have two little kids. My neighbor didn’t like me sitting outside with my pipe in the summer and I think it was more about him not understanding what the heck I was doing.

 

[milk]

Smoking Room Ventilation :: General Pipe Smoking Discussion - https://pipesmagazine.com/forums/threads/smoking-room-ventilation.90255

Those are some serious ventilation systems. Wow!

 

[monty55]

Those are some serious ventilation systems. Wow!

They're very quiet and move considerable air.

 

[hawky454]

Eh, I wouldn’t go swearing off a genre of tobacco, you never know what the future holds my friend. A decade from now, you may fall in love with em. I don’t smoke them often but a great portion of my favorites have some kind of top note, a well made aromatic from time to time is wonderful and it’s usually pleasant to those around you. My stepdad, at 74 years of age took up the pipe and put the cigars behind him, my mom couldn’t be happier, now she’s considering getting a corn cob for herself, haha… my work is done!

 

[milk]

Eh, I wouldn’t go swearing off a genre of tobacco, you never know what the future holds my friend. A decade from now, you may fall in love with em. I don’t smoke them often but a great portion of my favorites have some kind of top note, a well made aromatic from time to time is wonderful and it’s usually pleasant to those around you. My stepdad, at 74 years of age took up the pipe and put the cigars behind him, my mom couldn’t be happier, now she’s considering getting a corn cob for herself, haha… my work is done!

I used to love cigars. I had a humidor a few years back and Cubans were widely available in Japan. I moved, had a family and sold a whole humidor full of aged Cubans. I sort of regret it because the guy didn't deserve what he got!!! But the smell in our new house? I couldn't; I wouldn't! Anyway, a few weeks ago, I walked into a tobacco store looking to buy a Cuban and I was shocked to learn that Japan had changed course and stopped importing Cubans. I almost fell down. My mouth hung open. Just a few years ago the shops had rooms full of them. I don't mean to be snobbish but the difference between Cubans and non-C's is so noticeable. They're like totally different products. Anyway, I think pipes are a different pleasure because the art of the pipes themselves. I just love them and I don't really miss cigars. I don't really want that smell on me anyway.
Yes, I bought ALOT of Aros. I have to come back to them. I have 5 or 6 different kinds. I guess I will gives them some age!

 

[Briar Lee]

You may be right about my memory. It’s been a few years. And I have a lot of aros so I’ll have to go back at some point or it’s a waste.

I live in Osaka and you can smoke anywhere here but I never go anywhere! Not anymore now that I have two little kids. My neighbor didn’t like me sitting outside with my pipe in the summer and I think it was more about him not understanding what the heck I was doing.

No, people are the same in Japan as everywhere.

They can’t bear to see somebody enjoying themselves.

 

[milk]

No, people are the same in Japan as everywhere.

They can’t bear to see somebody enjoying themselves.

I guess so. It’s too bad but my wife noted that it kept the peace. Sometimes she said I should do it anyway but I’m not that sort of person. It’s not like the neighbors would really even notice except once in a great while if they happened by. They’re always gone. But once I knew he didn’t like it I stopped.

 

[PipeIT]

@milk Aromatics vary in topping strength;

light, medium, heavy...

Do you like Cherry? Now this is not at all your usual cherry blend, and for an Aro, it is absolutely amazing. The cherry is subtle too.

Sakura is a light Aromatic, with a lot of real tobacco flavors going.

KBV Sakura – KBV

kbven.com

Don’t take my word for it, @JimInks even gave it 4 stars.

updating via yoast

www.tobaccoreviews.com

Next, if you want to try a slightly lighter Aromatic get Samuel Gawith Grousemoor.

Samuel Gawith Grousemoor

Buy the Samuel Gawith Grousemoor from the most trusted cigar, pipe, and coffee online store for over 25 years, CupOJoes.com

www.cupojoes.com

These two are not your typical Aromatics, and there are a lot of very subtle Aromatics out there, that you might not even realize they were Aromatics.

A lot of people have the wrong understanding of what Aromatics are today.

Aromatics aren’t all powerful added flavors of wet tongue bitting tobacco.

Read this article if you haven’t.

Aromatic Pipe Tobacco | Smokingpipes.com

Learn more about how aromatic pipe tobaccos are made, including the differences between casings and top notes.

www.smokingpipes.com

 

[PipeIT]

@milk I was editing over the post, just double check it, to see if everything is the same when you Liked the post.

Have fun...

 

[anotherbob]

…and my family is going to suffer (with the smell of non-A’s) I guess. I’m just no good at this and I know it probably comes down to bad technique. I had smoked Virginia tobaccos for a few years and had few or no problems. At that time, I mostly enjoyed stuff like Full Virginia Flake, and University Flake. I quit pipe-smoking for a few years. Now I’ve come back to pipe smoking and I’ve started out with aromatics because of the family and my needing to smoke indoors. At first, I got a lot of flavor from aromatics but then the problems started. Of course I’ve been having tongue bite like I’ve never had it before. But I’ve also had a problem of flavor and getting the humidity just right. It seems like all these tobaccos I’ve tried (Solani Red, Blue Note, Mac Vanilla Cream) provided me great flavor at first but then have no flavor when they’re too dry or too wet. I feel very frustrated with not being able to tell the exact right state they are supposed to be in and I feel like plain old flakes were never this finicky. I’ve really been trying hard with all these aromatics I’ve bought. I’ve even been jarring them with Boveda at 62%. If they’re too wet, I steam my tongue; if they’re too dry, there’s just no flavor at all. Should I just come back to these aromatics later? My mouth is in pretty bad shape. They’ve got me really frustrated. They just seem so fussy to me. I know experienced smokers can get it just right by the feel of it. I can tell when it’s very wet or very dry but I’m not at the point where I can get it exactly right and the smoke is thus unenjoyable. I’m thinking of going back to those days I fondly remember with my plain flakes. Maybe I’ll try Best Brown Flake or Peterson’s (Dunhill?) Flake which seem to have less offensive room notes than stronger Virginias or those English varieties I never got around to trying (I guess those are out if I don’t want my family to kick me out of the house?).

yeah wait. If you're getting tongue bite that really kills flavor. Let it heal and then go from there. And the trick with dry tobacco is to be gentle with smoking it. Go slow but more importantly sip instead of puffing. And even if that doesn't completely cure the issues it's easier to tell when it's getting hot which will kill flavor especially with aromatics.
And as far as your family goes you can always ask them what they're opinion of different blends are.
Personally I smoke my tobacco very dry and find it easier to deal with. But it does take a gentle touch to not torch it.

 

[milk]

@milk Aromatics vary in topping strength;

light, medium, heavy...

Do you like Cherry? Now this is not at all your usual cherry blend, and for an Aro, it is absolutely amazing. The cherry is subtle too.

Sakura is a light Aromatic, with a lot of real tobacco flavors going.

KBV Sakura – KBV

kbven.com

Don’t take my word for it, @JimInks even gave it 4 stars.

updating via yoast

www.tobaccoreviews.com

Next, if you want to try a slightly lighter Aromatic get Samuel Gawith Grousemoor.

Samuel Gawith Grousemoor

Buy the Samuel Gawith Grousemoor from the most trusted cigar, pipe, and coffee online store for over 25 years, CupOJoes.com

www.cupojoes.com

These two are not your typical Aromatics, and there are a lot of very subtle Aromatics out there, that you might not even realize they were Aromatics.

A lot of people have the wrong understanding of what Aromatics are today.

Aromatics aren’t all powerful added flavors of wet tongue bitting tobacco.

Read this article if you haven’t.

Aromatic Pipe Tobacco | Smokingpipes.com

Learn more about how aromatic pipe tobaccos are made, including the differences between casings and top notes.

www.smokingpipes.com

Nice! I wonder if they ship to Japan. Grousemoor I’m pretty sure I can get. I almost bought that once. I will try it down the line. I have Kendal Flake and I haven’t really tried it. The ones that have been really bothering me are Solani Red and Connoisseur and Mac Vanilla. I think when they’re wet of course they bite terribly but when they’re too dry there’s no flavor at all. Anyway, I’m repeating myself. I really do appreciate all the recommendations. I will come back to this thread in the future. Grousemoor is one I already have in my head.