Great Smell vs No Flavor

[cygnusx1]

Ok, guys, so I have been a member for awhile but have never posted because I think i forgot. I joined 2 forums then got out of pipe smoking for a bit. So here is my post. Over time I have wondered why some pipe tobacco smells amazing before smoking and while smoking, but the flavor is, well, not there even remotely. Is it an age thing where it needs to age, or is it a quality thing? Just curious. A good example for me is Peterson's sweet kilarney. Amazing smell, just meh. Any one?

 

[crpntr1]

It's an aromatic thing

There are a few that have flavor but personally there aren't many

Welcome back

 

[thesmokindragon]

I have smoked tons of Aros trying to find one with a good balance of smell-to-flavor, none found for me, so I have moved on to only English/Balkan, Vs & VaPers/VaBurs and I'm right at home staying within all these fantastic blends ;-)

 

[zanthal]

Taste trumps scent, in my book. Never tried any Peterson blends, but if you want a good room note, I suggest Mac Baren Vanilla Cream Flake. Taste is good too. ::

 

[gwtwdbss]

You will get a much better flavor from a VA or English no doubt. Room note will not be there like in Aro's but once you find what you like you will seldom smoke an aro again. Unless you do find that aro you like.
So are you into just into black holes, x-rays, or are you a Rush Connoisseur?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VW4tmxNyuTE
Cygnus X-1
In the constellation of Cygnus, there lurks a mysterious, invisible force: the black hole

of Cygnus X-1...
Six Stars of the Northern Cross

In mourning for their sister's loss

In a final flash of glory

Nevermore to grace the night...
[1] (5:03)
Invisible to telescopic eye

Infinity, the star that would not die
All who dare to cross her course

Are swallowed by her fearsome force
Through the void

To be destroyed

Or is there something more?

Atomized...at the core?

Or through the Astral Door?

To soar...
[2] (5:48)
I set a course just east of Lyra

And northwest of Pegasus

Flew into the light of Deneb

Sailed across the Milky Way

On my ship, the 'Rocinante'

Wheeling through the galaxies

Headed for the heart of Cygnus

Headlong into mystery
The x-ray is her siren song

My ship cannot resist her long

Nearer to my deadly goal

Until the black hole

Gains control...
[3] (7:16)
Spinning, whirling

Still descending

Like a spiral sea

Unending...
Sound and fury

Drown my heart

Every nerve

Is torn apart...
Book II: The Hemispheres (10:25)

I. Prelude
When our weary world was young

The struggle of the ancients first began

The gods of love and reason

Sought alone to rule the fate of man
They battled through the ages

But still neither force would yield

The people were divided

Every soul a battlefield

Every soul a battlefield
II. Apollo: Bringer Of Wisdom (14:50)
'I bring truth and understanding

I bring wit and wisdom fair

Precious gifts beyond compare

We can build a world of wonder

I can make you all aware

I will find you food and shelter

Show you fire to keep you warm

Through the endless winter storm

You can live in grace and comfort

In the world that you transform'
The people were delighted

Coming forth to claim their prize

They ran to build their cities

And converse among the wise

But one day the streets fell silent

Yet they knew not what was wrong

The urge to build these fine things

Seemed not to be so strong

The wise men were consulted

And the Bridge of Death was crossed

In quest of Dionysus

To find out what they had lost
III. Dionysus: Bringer Of Love (17:20)
'I bring love to give you solace

In the darkness of the night

In the Heart's eternal light

You need only trust your feelings

Only love can steer you right

I bring laughter, I bring music

I bring joy and I bring tears

I will soothe your primal fears

Throw off those chains of reason

And your prison disappears'
The cities were abandoned

And the forests echoed song

They danced and lived as brothers

They knew love could not be wrong

Food and wine they had aplenty

And they slept beneath the stars

The people were contented

And the gods watched from afar

But the winter fell upon them

And it caught them unprepared

Bringing wolves and cold starvation

And the hearts of men despaired
IV. Armageddon: The Battle Of Heart and Mind (19:25)
The universe divided

As the heart and mind collided

With the people left unguided

For so many troubled years

In a cloud of doubts and fears

Their world was torn asunder into hollow

Hemispheres
Some fought themselves, some fought each other

Most just followed one another

Lost and aimless like their brothers

For their hearts were so unclear

And the truth could not appear

Their spirits were divided into blinded

Hemispheres
Some who did not fight

Brought tales of old to light

'My Rocinante sailed by night

On her final flight'

To the heart of Cygnus' fearsome force

We set our course

Spiralled through that timeless space

To this immortal place
V. Cygnus: Bringer Of Balance (22:21)
I have memory and awareness

But I have no shape or form

As a disembodied spirit

I am dead and yet unborn

I have passed into Olympus

As was told in tales of old

To the city of Immortals

Marble white and purest gold...
I see the gods in battle rage on high...

Thunderbolts across the sky...

I cannot move, I cannot hide...

I feel a silent scream begin inside...
Then all at once the chaos ceased

A stillness fell, a sudden peace

The warriors felt my silent cry

And stayed their struggle, mystified
Apollo was atonished

Dionysus thought me mad

But they heard my story further

And they wondered, and were sad
Looking down from Olympus

On a world of doubt and fear

Its surface splintered

Into sorry Hemispheres
They sat a while in silence

Then they turned at last to me

'We will call you Cygnus

The god of Balance you shall be'
VI. The Sphere: A Kind Of Dream (27:21)
We can walk our road together

If our goals are all the same

We can run alone and free

If we pursue a different aim

Let the truth of love be lighted

Let the love of truth shine clear

Sensibility

Armed with sense and liberty

With the heart and mind united in a single

Perfect

Sphere

 

[cygnusx1]

Hey gwtwdbss, I love Rush. They are by far one of my favorite all time bands. Seen them 5 times. Not much I know but it was worth it. Wouldn't go see them now, Geddy can't sing that well anymore.

 

[rmbittner]

cygnusx1:
Welcome!
Honestly, I don't know what the answer to your question is. But I've found it to be true with a range of blends, not just aromatics (which are notorious for smelling much better in the tin or to passersby than to the actual smoker). For example, I love Butera's Royal Vintage Latakia No. 1. But the Latakia No. 2 version smokes, for me, exactly as you described: Great tin aroma, great-smelling smoke but virtually no flavor in the bowl. It could be an age thing. . . but, frankly, if a blend is flavorless for me from the first couple of bowls, I'm not going to keep it around to age.
Unfortunately, I'm not sure there's any good way to know what you're going to get without trying it for yourself. Reviews here and on TobaccoReviews.com can be helpful, but you don't have to try many blends before you realize how individual taste perception is. A blend that smokes like so much tasteless vapor for you might be described by someone else as being rich in body and flavor.
One more note, though: I wouldn't give up on a blend without trying it in several different pipe shapes. I've been surprised at how a blend might just be "okay" in a large billiard but shine in a smaller-bowled pipe. I've also noticed differences in flavor based on bowl shape; a blend can taste different in a pipe with straight sides than it does in a pipe that tapers to more of a "v" at the bottom. (I'm not well-versed enough in the science of pipe smoking to know why that's the case, but it's what I've experienced.)
Bob

 

[rmbittner]

gwtwbss:
I'd caution you about posting song lyrics -- or any other copyrighted material -- here. I don't know what the forum rules are on such things (I'm new here myself!), but in the "real" world, this would be a copyright violation. Technically speaking, you need permission to reproduce any lines from poems or songs, since even a single line can represent a significant portion of the whole work. If you're quoting from a longer work -- a book, say -- "fair use" allows for roughly 250-500 words before you need to get permission from the copyright holder.
Of course, I realize the Rush lawyers aren't likely lurking here. . .
Bob

 

[captainprophesy]

I highly recommend you give Jack Lee blends a try... he has a Yule Pudding (if its still available) that smells and tastes great, kind of like smoke bread pudding... BTW Jack Lee is our very own pipeinhand here on the forums.

 

[judcole]

As has been noted, aromatics tend to be all about the room note. If you are interested in flavor, Virginias and latakia blends are the way to go.

 

[mustanggt]

Never found an aromatic that tasted good. Everyone said gosh that smells so good. For awhile that was nice but it was just smoke and I wanted more. Go with what others have said. Don't smoke for others, smoke for yourself and your pleasure.

 

[Perique]

If an aromatic smoker is looking for something more, a crossover blend that brings both tin/room note and flavor, try GLPs Barbary Coast. Burley based with quality Virginia and a bit of Perique.

 

[captainbob]

My personal opinion is that blends containing Burley tobacco will generally please others as well as you, even if they are not not classified as Aromatic. I have found that even extremely light aromatics that contain Burley will have a friendly aroma while pleasing the smoker. There are many to choose from. I have also smoked predominant Burley non-aromatics and had non-smokers comment on how good my pipe smells. And, those blends pleased me as well.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

[bigboi]

+1 on the Jack Lee Blends. I have some Honey Malt and not only does it taste good, the smell is awesome as well!

Though I am venturing into Flakes and Virginia blends too and I am enjoying them as well.