Flavouring, casing, topping and aromatics
- Thread starter drennan
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Generally speaking, the first three words are synonymous. They refer to non-tobacco flavors and/or sweeteners that are added to blends at some point during the manufacturing process. They are the added ingredients that help to make "aromatics" aromatic. And aromatics -- again, generally speaking -- are tobacco blends that are flavored to smell (and, to a lesser degree, taste) like something other than straight tobacco: chocolate, coffee, fruits, berries, vanilla, nougat, etc., etc.
Non-aromatic blends can include very light touches of some of these additions as well. But the flavor/aroma profile is still intended to represent tobacco, not something else. For example, rum is sometimes added to a Virginia/burley flake, but that doesn't mean it's actually an "aromatic" blend. Bob's Chocolate Flake is another flake that includes a light dusting of cocoa; yet I think most folks would still categorize it as a non-aromatic because the overall flavor/aroma is tobacco, not chocolate.
You didn't mention "scented" tobaccos. I put these in the category of non-aromatics, but they include a floral/perfumey scent/flavor that makes them distinctive. These are also commonly known as "Lakeland" blends, because the two main producers of these flakes are based in England's Lake District: Samuel Gawith and Gawith & Hoggarth. Many pipe smokers describe the flavor of Lakelands as "soapy" and either love it or despise it.
Non-aromatic blends are sometimes lumped together as "English" blends. I don't favor that, though, because I personally believe that latakia needs to be present in a blend for it to be called an English. So I think "non-aromatics" is a better way to describe straight Virginias, Virginia/perique blends, and Virginia/oriental blends. But it's a lot easier to just say "English or aromatic" than wrestle with all of the possible nuances.
Again, these are generalities and there are exceptions. And that's probably more than you wanted to know!
Bob
Non-aromatic blends can include very light touches of some of these additions as well. But the flavor/aroma profile is still intended to represent tobacco, not something else. For example, rum is sometimes added to a Virginia/burley flake, but that doesn't mean it's actually an "aromatic" blend. Bob's Chocolate Flake is another flake that includes a light dusting of cocoa; yet I think most folks would still categorize it as a non-aromatic because the overall flavor/aroma is tobacco, not chocolate.
You didn't mention "scented" tobaccos. I put these in the category of non-aromatics, but they include a floral/perfumey scent/flavor that makes them distinctive. These are also commonly known as "Lakeland" blends, because the two main producers of these flakes are based in England's Lake District: Samuel Gawith and Gawith & Hoggarth. Many pipe smokers describe the flavor of Lakelands as "soapy" and either love it or despise it.
Non-aromatic blends are sometimes lumped together as "English" blends. I don't favor that, though, because I personally believe that latakia needs to be present in a blend for it to be called an English. So I think "non-aromatics" is a better way to describe straight Virginias, Virginia/perique blends, and Virginia/oriental blends. But it's a lot easier to just say "English or aromatic" than wrestle with all of the possible nuances.
Again, these are generalities and there are exceptions. And that's probably more than you wanted to know!
Bob
If I remember correctly top dressing and casing are two different processes of adding the flavoring to the tobacco. I'm not too clear on how those processes are carried out though.
Actually, every tobacco is cased, which is an added calorie to slow the burn to make it function in a pipe. Otherwise it burns like paper or cardboard. There were a few companies that touted that their tobacco was not cased, but I believe that it was reveled on here that they are no longer producing tobaccos.
Toppings are flavors that are added afterwards to enhance the aromas of aromatics.
Check out Russ Ouelette's articles, especially the one on cavendish. ...And, maybe we can conjure him up to elaborate more on this.
Toppings are flavors that are added afterwards to enhance the aromas of aromatics.
Check out Russ Ouelette's articles, especially the one on cavendish. ...And, maybe we can conjure him up to elaborate more on this.
http://pipesmagazine.com/blog/put-that-in-your-pipe/savor-the-flavor/
See Russ's article "Savor the Flavor" for some basics.
See Russ's article "Savor the Flavor" for some basics.
The nuts and bolts are: casing works to correct the shortcomings of the leaf, and top dressings add aroma, and sometimes, flavor. Flavorings can be used as a casing, but sweeteners are the most common casings. An aromatic is a tobacco that has had something added to it (a top dressing, a particularly strong casing or an herb, like deertongue) that makes it (hopefully) pleasantly fragrant.
Russ
Russ
If all* pipe tobacco has a casing, then it's not always evident in the tin.
*excluding some orientals that may not have a casing at all.
But,please correct me if I'm wrong, Russ.
As he mentioned in the article, some like to brag that they just smoke non-cased, non-aromatic tobaccos, but this may stem from a misconception about what the casing is.
*excluding some orientals that may not have a casing at all.
But,please correct me if I'm wrong, Russ.
As he mentioned in the article, some like to brag that they just smoke non-cased, non-aromatic tobaccos, but this may stem from a misconception about what the casing is.
Not all tobacco is cased, but many of the blends that people believe are uncased, still contain some casings.
Russ
Russ
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