Figuring out What Type of Tobacco I Really Like?

[cam9]

I'm curious as to how long it takes to find a tobacco you really liked?
When you are a new pipe smoker like myself trying to deal with the learning curve, there is a lot of factors that can affect the tobacco experience. There are also so many tobaccos to chose from it's easy to suffer from the paradox of choice (i.e a constant feeling for the need to search for that "Perfect" option)
For me, I'm still trying to get the process down and figure out what tobacco I really like. I do realize this is all part of the enjoyment of pipe smoking.
So my question is when you were a new pipe smoker, how long did it take to really know what you liked? Thanks.
Edited by jvnshr: Title capitalization (please check Rule #9)

 

[unkleyoda]

It took 6 months or so. I started like most with OTC aros, like Captain Black. I never had a good experience. The smokes were hot, wet and biting. Mostly due to incorrect technic. I literally Googled 'how to smoke a pipe'. I learned a good technique and practiced. I noticed that my experience got a lot better, but I was still left with the feeling that something was wrong. The tobaccos I was smoking tasted bad to me. I tried a few from shops like Boswells. Their aros tasted way better than what I was able to procure locally. Then I spoke to someone and they mentioned Latakia. It piqued my interest. I ordered a tin of Dunhill My Mixture 965, and fell in love. This is what I was looking for. Now I smoke English mixtures (Latakia containing tobaccos), Virginias, VaPers, etc, and like them all. But English mixes are my favorites, and 965 will always be my first love.

 

[workman]

I think that happened almost immediately. And then my tastes changed and then they changed again, so it's a process, and a very pleasant one.

 

[warren]

Determining my tastes didn't take long. My first taste of Nightcap and I was hooked on English blends. Before that I was satisfied with OTCs as that was what was available in Fairbanks in the 60s. There was no internet shopping then so, one was limited to what was available in the local area.

 

[frozenchurchwarden]

I would love to give a number but I’m sure you could go your whole life “not liking” something just because it could take any given amount of time to get the formula just right for some blends (getting the correct cut, moisture, lighting technique, puffing cadence...).
There were some blends I had when I started that I’m almost sure I would have enjoyed today if the tobacco had been prepared properly (probably needed re-hydration in this case, and then maybe some aging).

Other times your personal taste will just adapt to new flavors over time (such as the pure dirt-like bitter flavor of Dark Kentucky).

In general though your taste for tobacco should be reasonably well developed within 6 months. Try everything.

Also listen to your body, if something hurts stop doing it, and figure out why or how to mitigate the problem. Not everything has an easy answer though, smoke aggrivates my already sensitive skin in my mouth, “dry mouth” is most likely the root problem and basically there is nothing I can do to make the smoke less irritating. The pipe will forever be relegated to being an occasional treat.

 

[prairiedruid]

6 months to a year to learn the basics of pipe smoking well enough to truly taste what I was smoking. As to figuring out what I like to smoke, every new tin is a voyage of discovery, some great, some meh, and some not spoken of ever again.

 

[mikefu]

For me, it probably took about a year. I started with some cheap aromatics, like Captain Black, it really didn’t like them. I realized the a lot of cheap aros fall into the “smells good, tastes bad “ category. Then I started going to a good tobacconist, and Lou referred me to (RIP) McLelland Virginias, which I really liked after learning how to smoke and not burn my tongue off. Then I tried their Oriental #12, and fell in love with orientals. From there I kept exploring Orientals and English blends, finally expanding into Balkans and then most recently full circle back to occasional non-goopy, quality aromatics in my rotation. It’s an organic process for me. But with all that being said, I really knew I’d found something the first time I tried an oriental blend, and that took me almost a year.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

Try to find something easy to pack and smoke to learn on. I think this should be the primary reason Frog Morton will be missed. Potlatch or one of the other non aromatic SPC blends might be a good choice. Once you feel like you're reasonably proficient smoking that blend, branch out. I'd recommend sticking with ribbon cut or ready rubbed for awhile until venturing into flakes. Starting out, make sure to dry your tobacco before smoking it. IMHO, you'll be better off erroring on the dry side. Your taste buds will tell you what you like although over time, your tastes will likely evolve.

 

[sumusfumus]

Honestly, it was easier for me to figure out what tobacco, or tobacco blends that I do not like. Latakia is a a tobacco that I do not care for. From the first time I smelled it, until today, it is a "blend killer" for me. It quickly overpowers, and smells awful....like burnt leather, and tastes like smokey ashes. People scatter when there's too much Latakia.
So, I try smoking only blends containing either no, or very small amounts, of Latakia. Knowing what tobacco(s) you don't like eliminates many, many choices. Why spend good money on tobacco mixtures that you'll ultimately, reject?
However, the only way to gain this knowledge is to smoke through some small sample packets of differing style blends. Searching is where the fun's at. You can start by smoking stronger mixtures and work you way toward milder blends, or, do it the other way around.
Enjoy. Write your critiques for all the blends that you have sampled in a small note book. It's easy to forget when you a smoking your way to that tobacco nirvana.
Frank

NYC

 

[jpmcwjr]

Diff strokes.... Almost everything I smoke has latakia in it. Even premium VAs I've tried don't quite sit well with me. Same with burleys. Yet both are part of blends I like to some degree.

 

[mothernaturewilleatusallforbreakfast]

I have liked different tobaccos over time. I started out liking stuff like BCAQ, Nightcap, 965, and Escudo. Over the course of time I still like Escudo, but have grown to primarily like straight Virginias (all of them; reds, browns, bronze, and lemony yellows). It took a couple years, maybe even three or four, to finally discover what I like. Enjoy the journey! ::

 

[winton]

I wish I had seminar on the various types of tobacco when I first started smoking. I stumbled around trying too many blends. Now I go up to a tobacco vendor and say, "Perique good, Latakia bad, nicotine lightweight. What do you recommend?"

 

[Chasing Embers]

Found out shortly into it with Christmas Cheer '92 that I was a Virginia smoker. Lat blends were okay in the beginning as they are very forgiving to packing and cadence errors, but now they all taste exactly the same to me. Virginias, and Virginia/Oriental blends have a myriad of possibilities and dominate most of my cellar.

 

[johnsteam86]

For me its constantly changing. Now for an everyday smoke I like to go for the English or VaPer blends. I not real fond of sweets but when I am in the mood for something sweet I will generally bring out the aromatics for that. There are so many blends to discover and taste that I really cannot keep myself on just one specific blend or manufacturer. It wasn't until I found the radio show that I really started finding blends that I really liked and with the help of people on here it only refines it now. Enjoy the voyage and take your time with it. There is more than enough room to cellar whatever you like.

 

[anthonyrosenthal74]

I found what I really liked quite early, and then quite a few more I really liked through recommendations from members of this forum. My advise is this, if you find something you can enjoy, take notes of what blend it is, what components (all the different types of tobacco) are in the blend, flavorings if any, and write all that down in a journal if need be. Ask for recommendations of similar blends here.... fair warning, you will likely get a lot of recommendations. Look a few of these recommendations up on tobaccoreviews.com. Don't be afraid to move out of your comfort zone and try other blend types. Just because McCornielbarrenhearth & Hogwart's Balkan Burn The Hair Of Your Chest blend doesn't sound as tasty as Mousebeam's Hurdy Gurdy Nightmare (it has Cognac!!!! :D ), doesn't mean you won't like it. Take notes, try new blends, ask questions... you'll find a blend you not only like, but love, in no time. ::

 

[lazar]

I hated OTCs and most burley-related blends instantly, as well as all aros. I loved all Latakia blends. Now I've become more discerning about Lat blends, smoke lots of aros, but still hate burley. I'm still learning to appreciate straight VAs, and know that I don't like Perique. This has been over about 5 years, but I'd say my taste really firmed up after about 6 months.

 

[Chasing Embers]

This has been over about 5 years, but I'd say my taste really firmed up after about 6 months.

That's the funny thing about smoking. You may wake up one day and find an aversion to all your favorites.

 

[thomasw]

That's the funny thing about smoking. You may wake up one day and find an aversion to all your favorites.

True. I've been pipe smoking since my college years and when I first started I smoked a lot of English and Balkan blends, as they tend to be more forgiving to packing and puffing problems. But it happened just as CE suggests. One day I just found that all my Latakia started to taste bland. I remember it happened back in 1998 because I was having lock-ups with my Win98 PC at the time -- remember the blue screen of death?? -- and the realization hit me: I must try some other tobaccos because mine (all English at the time) are boring my taste buds just like that bloody blue screen was visually dull. So for the last twenty years I have found myself to be a burley lover and lover of VA-Burs; I like VAs too because I find that burley for me is usually best 'unlocked' with a VA. I wish I could be a cool, hardcore VA smoker, but I have to admit what I am: a burley man. I have progressed to the odd Aromatic (HU Tobacco's Makahawa), but I think in general, despite contemporary usage statistics, Aromatics are best left to those who have really well developed palates for tobacco. Admittedly I feel I have a way to go before I'll be able to appreciate them.

 

[Chasing Embers]

One day I just found that all my Latakia started to taste bland.

That mirrors my experience. In the early '90s, I was all about latakia, but now Penzance tastes exactly like Pirate Kake. If any at all, I like Latakia in condiment amounts and far in the background. As for the aros, after nearly 30 years of smoking, I have only discovered in the last year and a half that I can now taste them exactly as they smell.

 

[panamacharlie]

I started out over 50 years ago on aros from a B&M. sorted of settled on BCA. About a year ago I got on this forum, which led me to PS Flakes, which I stocked up on and are my main smokes. Because of a sale I ordered some Lane aros, and fell in love with Dark Red, the only one I even liked. Now I find myself gravitating to it more and more.