I've read a few times here over the years that aros are more difficult for newbies to enjoy. I do smoke aros now daily, also non aros, and enjoy both quite a bit. I'm not sure why the non aros are harder to enjoy however. My smoking skill has no doubt improved over the years, but i feel like i wouldve enjoyed them all the same before. Maybe not. Can someone who believes this please explain?
Enjoying Aros
- Thread starter dcicero
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Aromatics are very light in flavor and are prone to burn hot due to the moisture and added sugars. Good packing, lighting, and cadence for smoking them comes with experience. New smokers tend to smoke hot and fast and that will flash off the flavor of the toppings.
I think a lot of that conventional wisdom about aromatics being difficult to enjoy falls on the shoulders of traditional American style aromatics from Sutliff and other companies who absolutely soak their aromatics in propylene glycol, resulting in a wet and sticky tobacco that's difficult to pack, difficult to keep lit, and can cause tongue bite just from how hot you have to get the tobacco in order for it to burn and the wet Virginias in them. They also tend to leave the inside of your pipe a sticky mess after smoking them.
On the flip side, Danish style aromatics like Mac Baren's Vanilla Flake/Cream/Rollcake and many of Cornell & Diehl's offerings (Autumn Evening, Corncob Pipe, etc.) tend to be lightly topped and without much in the way of propylene glycol so the tobacco stays dry and is easy to pack and light; and much less likely to cause tongue bite. They're also quite a bit more tobacco-forward than the American style and generally blended so that the light toppings compliment the natural tastes of the Virginias and/or Burleys instead of trying to cover them up.
Danish style aromatics are much less common than the wet and goopy American style ones though, so I think aromatics get a bad rap as a whole just due to how widespread the mechanically difficult American style aros are. They're what most pipe smokers think of when they think "Aromatic", but there are certainly other styles of aromatics that don't come with those difficulties.
On the flip side, Danish style aromatics like Mac Baren's Vanilla Flake/Cream/Rollcake and many of Cornell & Diehl's offerings (Autumn Evening, Corncob Pipe, etc.) tend to be lightly topped and without much in the way of propylene glycol so the tobacco stays dry and is easy to pack and light; and much less likely to cause tongue bite. They're also quite a bit more tobacco-forward than the American style and generally blended so that the light toppings compliment the natural tastes of the Virginias and/or Burleys instead of trying to cover them up.
Danish style aromatics are much less common than the wet and goopy American style ones though, so I think aromatics get a bad rap as a whole just due to how widespread the mechanically difficult American style aros are. They're what most pipe smokers think of when they think "Aromatic", but there are certainly other styles of aromatics that don't come with those difficulties.
I enjoy quite a number of so-called American aros from small scale blenders and don’t find them heavy with PG. Many are fairly “juicy” but just a matter of drying them to preference.
I probably should have worded my post a bit more eloquently, because like you pointed out there are some blenders who do American style aromatics really well. Boswell and Straus come to mind, and I'm sure there are plenty of others that do as well. I also know there's also lots of people who love Sutliff's aromatics and at the end of the day the only thing that matters when it comes to choosing tobacco blends is that you enjoy what you smoke.
Just because someone else doesn't care for a blend style doesn't mean you can't enjoy it, so smoke what you like best regardless of what anyone else thinks about it. Opinions are like... uhhh... hats. Everyone has them, and I've got some hats too.
Aromatics come in various topping strengths; light medium heavy, you could say.
Light ones can come across almost natural like, depending on the toppings.
So depending on the amount of topping, not all Aromatics are a wet goopy mess to dry and smoke.
Try a tin of Grousemoor, and see what you think. It’s not heavily topped, light moisture, and it’s easy to light and smoke.
arlingtoncigar.com
Light ones can come across almost natural like, depending on the toppings.
So depending on the amount of topping, not all Aromatics are a wet goopy mess to dry and smoke.
Try a tin of Grousemoor, and see what you think. It’s not heavily topped, light moisture, and it’s easy to light and smoke.
Samuel Gawith Grousemoor 50g Tin
Samuel Gawith Grousemoor: Manufactured By: Samuel Gawith Blend Type: Aromatic Contents: Virginia Flavoring: Floral Essences, Fruit/Citrus Cut: Ribbon Net Weight: 50 grams
arlingtoncigar.com
I enjoy this blend though I've got to be in the mood. I typically grab a ken byron aro and think they are just phenomenal, can't put them down.Aromatics come in various topping strengths; light medium heavy, you could say.
Light ones can come across almost natural like, depending on the toppings.
So depending on the amount of topping, not all Aromatics are a wet goopy mess to dry and smoke.
Try a tin of Grousemoor, and see what you think. It’s not heavily topped, light moisture, and it’s easy to light and smoke.
Samuel Gawith Grousemoor 50g Tin
Samuel Gawith Grousemoor: Manufactured By: Samuel Gawith Blend Type: Aromatic Contents: Virginia Flavoring: Floral Essences, Fruit/Citrus Cut: Ribbon Net Weight: 50 grams
Wilke and KBV have my favorite aros, not that I don't enjoy a few others, but the ones I return to the most are from those two blenders. But Bosworth's and Country Squire have some I like and many I've yet to try.