Having trouble deciphering flavors

[JBrumBravo]

I've been smoking a pipe for about a month. I've watched videos on proper procedures, and I've practiced them to break down flavors in the tobacco. At first tounge bite blocked my ability to taste, but I got that under control. I've tried retrohaling to fully experience the tobacco, and I've sipped the tobacco and swirled it in my mouth. I have tried about 9 different blends so far and the problem is that most just taste like tobacco. I do like Latakia, but my palate is just not recognizing a lot of other flavors. Is this normal for a beginner smoker and does anyone have any advice?

 

[The Benedictine]

Take all that advice you watched and stuff it down the toilet. There is no "proper" procedure. Each pipe will smoke differently. You'll start noticing nuances the longer you smoke and develop a cadence that stops you from smoking hot.

 

[warren]

You do realize some smokers spend months, even years developing their palate. It's a process, takes time. And, here's a thought, your palate my not be as innately sensitive as others. So, take the time, make the effort and hopefully, after a period of time you'll meet with some success. Then again... maybe not.

 

[Sobrbiker]

Some of us have flavor discernment at such a keen level that “I really like this blend” or “yeah, this isn’t doing it for me” is about as good as we get
Don’t sweat it, don’t overthink it, enjoy the ride.

 

[OzPiper]

You do realize some smokers spend months, even years developing their palate. It's a process, takes time. And, here's a thought, your palate my not be as innately sensitive as others. So, take the time, make the effort and hopefully, after a period of time you'll meet with some success. Then again... maybe not.

Yup.

@JimInks has honed his palate smoking at least 20 bowls a day over several decades.
AND he has more tastebuds per square inch of his tongue than 99.999% of us

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I have around 4 flavors I'm interested in detecting. I love it, I like it, It's okay, I can tolerate it and it sucks. I'm fortunate to be able to smoke the first one, I love it, exclusively.

 

[anotherbob]

I've been smoking a pipe for about a month. I've watched videos on proper procedures, and I've practiced them to break down flavors in the tobacco. At first tounge bite blocked my ability to taste, but I got that under control. I've tried retrohaling to fully experience the tobacco, and I've sipped the tobacco and swirled it in my mouth. I have tried about 9 different blends so far and the problem is that most just taste like tobacco. I do like Latakia, but my palate is just not recognizing a lot of other flavors. Is this normal for a beginner smoker and does anyone have any advice?

whatever. That stuff comes with time or it doesn't. If you're enjoying the tobacco and can tell ones you like and enjoy more, that's really the minimal requirement for a palate development.
Though as strange as it sounds if you really want to notice more and pick up more flavors and nuances. Write reviews. You don't have to share them. I swear it does something to your brain.
Though if I am honest about how tobacco works for me.... I usually start with kind of a mashed up flavor that's not too distinct and after smoking a blend for a while certain things flavorwise just jump out and for whatever reason stay. But picking up on and identifying flavors isn't a big deal either way. Enjoying and savoring and relaxing do matter.
Or that's my 2 cents. Oh one last thing the thing about identifying flavors just helps pick the next blend to try and makes it somewhat more likely it will be one you enjoy.

 

[TheIronMonkey]

It might be useful for you to pick up a common, easily available blend that has been reviewed by @JimInks and read the review. Jim will usually break down his tasting notes with what flavours he associates with each component. Gently smoke your pipe and see if you can pick out the things he mentions. Even if you think you’re smoking slowly, chances are that you could go even more slowly; very often, new smokers are smoking much faster than they think they are and end up smoking too hot—they’re carbonizing their tobacco and burning up all the oils that carry the flavour. Over time, you’ll pick up on more subtle notes and nuances, as long as you’re burning your tobacco relatively coolly. It’s expected to get a cloud of smoke when initially lighting or relighting your pipe, but as you’re smoking, you should barely see wisps. There are no rules; if you love clouds, that’s your prerogative, but you won’t get the flavours you paid for with that approach.

Enjoy!

 

[OzPiper]

Though as strange as it sounds if you really want to notice more and pick up more flavors and nuances. Write reviews.
But picking up on and identifying flavors isn't a big deal either way. Enjoying and savoring and relaxing do matter

^^^^^ THIS !

I spent many years going to wine tastings where we had to discuss wines we had tasted (sometimes up to 20 or more at sitting)

Having to dissect smells and flavours involves focusing and digging into the recesses of your memory for scents and flavours that are evocative of what is in the glass in front of you.
It develops and sharpens your tasting skills over time.

Coming back to smoking, I decided that my main reason for smoking was to have a relaxing bowl rather than a challenging gustatory and olfactory session.

Hence “I really like this or I don’t like this” is where I’m mostly at these days

 

[skydog]

Hence “I really like this or I don’t like this” is where I’m mostly at these days

That's all that really matters in the end. People talk about their tastes developing or changing even after years or decades of experience, regardless of how much you smoke there is always more to learn. As long as you enjoy it then you're doing it right.

 

[Scrapyard Ape]

....Hence “I really like this or I don’t like this” is where I’m mostly at these days

Myself as well. My palate is basically "Go/No-Go" when it comes to flavors. Fortunately, my nose makes up for what my palate lacks; tin notes and room notes play a HUGE role in determining if I like a mixture or not.

 

[Waning Embers]

I've watched videos on proper procedures

your palate my not be as innately sensitive as others.

Some of us have flavor discernment at such a keen level that “I really like this blend” or “yeah, this isn’t doing it for me” is about as good as we get

Like said above, many don't chase the components in the flavor and either like a blend or dislike it based on the entirety of the composition. No rules, no methods, no procedures, just enjoy.

 

[warren]

Probably the best response to the OP! I smoke for the overall taste and pay little attention to the components.

 

[Sig]

Guess what? You're smoking tobacco, its supposed to taste like tobacco, you're doing it right.
The nuance thing will come with time. What others taste is not what you're going to taste, taste is subjective.
Tobacco is kinda like apples. There are dozens of types of apples...Granny Smith, Macintosh, Fugi, Pink Lady.....but they all taste like apples. Can you tell a Gala apple from a Northern Spy apple? Apple aficionados can. And with time and a lot of apples, so could you.
In my opinion tobacco reviews are a huge detriment to new smokers. People think they aren't doing it right if they can't taste "damp grass" and "Georgia red dirt" in their tobacco.
Good tobacco hits everyone different.
Does Cilantro taste good to you, or does it taste like soap? It tastes like perfumed soap to me, my wife loves it. If the only thing you ever taste is tobacco, you're lucky. THAT'S the point of smoking TOBACCO! If you start tasting 40 different flavors, its probably leftover flavors from your lunch. Tobacco will taste different while, or after eating or drinking certain things. I know pipers who only like certain blends with certain drinks. Like Virginia Flake with black coffee, or a Latakia blend with a single malt scotch. The flavors people are tasting are more of impressions than actual flavors. Some straight Virginias give me a cinnamon flavor, ive never heard anyone else say that. Does that mean everyone else is tasting wrong? Or am I tasting wrong, even though I LOVE the taste?
My advice is to pay almost zero attention to tobacco reviews. Anything more than price, moisture content, cut and presentation and an overall impression is just subjective fluff.....in my opinion.

 

[sardonicus87]

This is another classic case of something I've mentioned before that I also have previously mentioned that I am seeing more of in all kinds of forums...

That there must be some "right way" of doing something, or "if I do X, Y should happen"... trying to make everything fit a black-and-white box.

Not unlike people who ask things like "what do [insert demographic group] people want/think/do/etc about X/Y/Z?" where the answer is always "you have to ask the individual, there's not once size fits all/it's not a unanimous/homogeneous group".

Or "I did X perfectly, why did it not work?".

As to the OP, training a palate takes a long time, your body has to learn how to detect novel flavor compounds. Even if you have a decently strong palate in general, training it on specific things, even if you've trained your palate for other tasting before, often takes at least half a year for the good, dedicated tasters who know what they're doing (comparative tasting, benchmarking, etc), when they're going to something new (like, going from wine to coffee tasting for instance, or, I dunno, cheeses or some other stuff people like to taste in that way?).

And even then, when you're trying to discern flavor like that, even the reviewers you read won't get all the flavors they say in one or two sittings, it takes time, concentration, focus and multiple runs at it to sus out all the flavors they talk about.

 

[Sigmund]

There is nothing wrong with being curious.

Its not of paramount importance but If you want to be able to taste various elements take your time. It will take a while

If you want to be able to pull out subtle components you might try an activated charcoal filter. With then I find an increased separation of flavors. If nothing else its an interesting exercise.

There is nothing wrong with just lighting up and kicking back and there is also nothing wrong with a different approach

A lot of it is going to come with experience.

 

[JBrumBravo]

It might be useful for you to pick up a common, easily available blend that has been reviewed by @JimInks and read the review. Jim will usually break down his tasting notes with what flavours he associates with each component. Gently smoke your pipe and see if you can pick out the things he mentions. Even if you think you’re smoking slowly, chances are that you could go even more slowly; very often, new smokers are smoking much faster than they think they are and end up smoking too hot—they’re carbonizing their tobacco and burning up all the oils that carry the flavour. Over time, you’ll pick up on more subtle notes and nuances, as long as you’re burning your tobacco relatively coolly. It’s expected to get a cloud of smoke when initially lighting or relighting your pipe, but as you’re smoking, you should barely see wisps. There are no rules; if you love clouds, that’s your prerogative, but you won’t get the flavours you paid for with that approach.

Enjoy!

Very good advice. I will check into the reviews you suggested and concentrate on slowing my cadence. I do puff fast, and I feel like if I can't see the smoke, I need to pull even harder. This may be costing me the flavour I have been looking for. Thank you for the insightful advice ... Joey

 

[JBrumBravo]

There is nothing wrong with being curious.

Its not of paramount importance but If you want to be able to taste various elements take your time. It will take a while

If you want to be able to pull out subtle components you might try an activated charcoal filter. With then I find an increased separation of flavors. If nothing else its an interesting exercise.

There is nothing wrong with just lighting up and kicking back and there is also nothing wrong with a different approach

A lot of it is going to come with experience.

Thank you for the advice. A common theme with pipe smoking seems to be relaxing and being patient. I tend to be a go getter and strive for results. Perhaps this journey will help me to cultivate mindfulness and peacefulness. I am going to work on slowing down and concentrating on the moment. Perhaps this will help me enjoy the moment more and find the nuances of experience that will reveal the subtleties of flavor in pipe smoking. Thank again ... Joey.

 

[JBrumBravo]

This is another classic case of something I've mentioned before that I also have previously mentioned that I am seeing more of in all kinds of forums...

That there must be some "right way" of doing something, or "if I do X, Y should happen"... trying to make everything fit a black-and-white box.

Not unlike people who ask things like "what do [insert demographic group] people want/think/do/etc about X/Y/Z?" where the answer is always "you have to ask the individual, there's not once size fits all/it's not a unanimous/homogeneous group".

Or "I did X perfectly, why did it not work?".

As to the OP, training a palate takes a long time, your body has to learn how to detect novel flavor compounds. Even if you have a decently strong palate in general, training it on specific things, even if you've trained your palate for other tasting before, often takes at least half a year for the good, dedicated tasters who know what they're doing (comparative tasting, benchmarking, etc), when they're going to something new (like, going from wine to coffee tasting for instance, or, I dunno, cheeses or some other stuff people like to taste in that way?).

And even then, when you're trying to discern flavor like that, even the reviewers you read won't get all the flavors they say in one or two sittings, it takes time, concentration, focus and multiple runs at it to sus out all the flavors they talk about.

I see what your saying. Pipe smoking and flavor discovery is like a similar journey with different destinations. Not everyones journey is the same, and not every destination shares the exact same characteristics. This is exciting when you think about it.

I am learning that this process will take time for me to develop the ability to discern the subtleties of flavor. I am also learning that it is better to take the journey easy and enjoy the path. Thank you for sharing your insightfull thoughts, and may we both continue to grow as we grow ... joey.

 

[JBrumBravo]

Guess what? You're smoking tobacco, its supposed to taste like tobacco, you're doing it right.
The nuance thing will come with time. What others taste is not what you're going to taste, taste is subjective.
Tobacco is kinda like apples. There are dozens of types of apples...Granny Smith, Macintosh, Fugi, Pink Lady.....but they all taste like apples. Can you tell a Gala apple from a Northern Spy apple? Apple aficionados can. And with time and a lot of apples, so could you.
In my opinion tobacco reviews are a huge detriment to new smokers. People think they aren't doing it right if they can't taste "damp grass" and "Georgia red dirt" in their tobacco.
Good tobacco hits everyone different.
Does Cilantro taste good to you, or does it taste like soap? It tastes like perfumed soap to me, my wife loves it. If the only thing you ever taste is tobacco, you're lucky. THAT'S the point of smoking TOBACCO! If you start tasting 40 different flavors, its probably leftover flavors from your lunch. Tobacco will taste different while, or after eating or drinking certain things. I know pipers who only like certain blends with certain drinks. Like Virginia Flake with black coffee, or a Latakia blend with a single malt scotch. The flavors people are tasting are more of impressions than actual flavors. Some straight Virginias give me a cinnamon flavor, ive never heard anyone else say that. Does that mean everyone else is tasting wrong? Or am I tasting wrong, even though I LOVE the taste?
My advice is to pay almost zero attention to tobacco reviews. Anything more than price, moisture content, cut and presentation and an overall impression is just subjective fluff.....in my opinion.

Wow, you hit it right on the head. Your response has been very revealing to me and very liberating as well. I am learning that time and different conditions will help me discern the underlying qualities of this tobacco flavor. And my experience will undoubtedly be unique to me. Thanks for responding and for helping newbies like me find their way ... Joey