How Many Pipe Tobaccos Can You Tell When Blind Tasting
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I pack at least 6 to 10 pipes every morning before I leave the house, all with various tobaccos I have in rotation. Sometimes, an unsmoked pipe will carry over a day or two later. But, every one of my smokes is a guessing game of "which tobacco is this?" I highly recommend it for exercising the taste recognition part of your brain.
I've done blind taste testing with my Better Half's help with:
-different Latakia brands (C&D, Total Leaf, Sutliff, Stokkebey)--they are all good to me, CD is best
-C&D Orient Express (1998) vs new--both good, old better (but flavors faded a bit after opening over the past few months)
-I too am now loading several bowls for the day and then coming back to them throughout the day/night. How fun and challenging for my tasting experiences!!
kindly
mike
-different Latakia brands (C&D, Total Leaf, Sutliff, Stokkebey)--they are all good to me, CD is best
-C&D Orient Express (1998) vs new--both good, old better (but flavors faded a bit after opening over the past few months)
-I too am now loading several bowls for the day and then coming back to them throughout the day/night. How fun and challenging for my tasting experiences!!
kindly
mike
I can now taste Latakia in blind taste testing every time! It was touch and go there for awhile but now I recognize it. ?
But seriously there are a few tobacco blends I can nail every time but it’s shocking how hard it can be to discern the difference between two or more similar blends within the same genre sometimes. There have been mysteries that remain forever unsolved when I forget which one I packed in which pipe. Jiminks I’m not.
But seriously there are a few tobacco blends I can nail every time but it’s shocking how hard it can be to discern the difference between two or more similar blends within the same genre sometimes. There have been mysteries that remain forever unsolved when I forget which one I packed in which pipe. Jiminks I’m not.
Are you asking about specific blends, like Solani 660, or blend types? I've only known one person who could reliably recognize a specific blend by taste alone. I can recognize a few because they're very distinctive, like St Bruno, or a manufacturer because they have a distinctive house flavor, like McClelland Virgiias, most of us would be doing well if we could recognize the genre of blend, and a lot of us would be doing well if they could recognize they were smoking tobacco.
I am pretty hopeless at defining a blend's name or even mfg. Though I know they are likely to be English blends!
I think I could taste Lakatia a mile away.?
How many of us actually test our ability to taste and identify a blend. It really has helped me with my memory of flavors.
Also, going to wine tastings has helped me significantly with tasting also. I try to learn as much as I can at the things that interest me like that.
Also, going to wine tastings has helped me significantly with tasting also. I try to learn as much as I can at the things that interest me like that.
I agree with @cosmicfolklore in that when we train ourselves to nuance, it helps us in other areas as well. Refining a palate is a great exercise in patience and deliberate experimentation.
Regarding the question: If we are talking about tobaccos in my current rotation, I can tell them apart easily...but then, my rotation right now is broken into very recognizable categories.
My only aromatic is SWRA, which is really easy to distinguish in flavor and scent from Mississippi River, which is profoundly different from Dark Fired Kentucky, Wessex Brigade, and Luxury Bullseye Flake. I think that even a brand new, non pipe person would be able to distinguish the difference between each one of those without much trouble.
Regarding the question: If we are talking about tobaccos in my current rotation, I can tell them apart easily...but then, my rotation right now is broken into very recognizable categories.
My only aromatic is SWRA, which is really easy to distinguish in flavor and scent from Mississippi River, which is profoundly different from Dark Fired Kentucky, Wessex Brigade, and Luxury Bullseye Flake. I think that even a brand new, non pipe person would be able to distinguish the difference between each one of those without much trouble.
I recognize genre, some components and that's about it. Never was good with names.
I think I would recognize Ennerdale. 
Seriously, I would probably discern between genres, but I doubt I would distinguish between Hamboorger Veersmaster and Capstan Blue, Between Black mallory and 965 or between Nightcap and Artisan. Let's not even try between the four different Rattrays classic Virginia offerings
Seriously, I would probably discern between genres, but I doubt I would distinguish between Hamboorger Veersmaster and Capstan Blue, Between Black mallory and 965 or between Nightcap and Artisan. Let's not even try between the four different Rattrays classic Virginia offerings
My observations are a bit biased as i only smoke my own blends lately. So i know whats in them(most of the time unless i forget:p) and knowing what is in them I can taste subtle differences of a few percent 2.5-5% for things like perique, latakia and orientals. And maybe around 5-10% variations for different virginias, kentucky, burley. But that's when I KNOW I made the change. taste is funny like that, once your mind knows, then it's much easier to pick things out.
As for other blind tasting of blends, i can still pick out each of the tobaccos usually, but exact ratios is much more difficult(can get a ballpark though). As for actually discerning various commercial blends, I think it really depends on how familiar you are with a blend or how much you have smoked it before. Easy to recognize an old friend or aquaintance even after years, but that stranger you met once or twice maybe not so much. Some blends have a unique aspect or topping and can be picked out easily, like the stranger that had that funny nose or bubbly demeanour.
As for other blind tasting of blends, i can still pick out each of the tobaccos usually, but exact ratios is much more difficult(can get a ballpark though). As for actually discerning various commercial blends, I think it really depends on how familiar you are with a blend or how much you have smoked it before. Easy to recognize an old friend or aquaintance even after years, but that stranger you met once or twice maybe not so much. Some blends have a unique aspect or topping and can be picked out easily, like the stranger that had that funny nose or bubbly demeanour.
I bet more of you could identify between blends if you tried. You just haven't tried.
Try smoking two pipes with almost similar tobaccos, like FVF and maybe Pure Virginia or Capstan... smoking two blends side by said at the same time will really tune you in.
I mean, if someone asked me to tell the differences between sodas or coffees, I wouldn't be able to, because I've never tried. But, give me a few weeks to try different blends side by side... I'm pretty sure I could.
I bet if someone handed me a pipeful of something that I smoke regularly, I could probably tell you what it is.
Try smoking two pipes with almost similar tobaccos, like FVF and maybe Pure Virginia or Capstan... smoking two blends side by said at the same time will really tune you in.
I mean, if someone asked me to tell the differences between sodas or coffees, I wouldn't be able to, because I've never tried. But, give me a few weeks to try different blends side by side... I'm pretty sure I could.
I bet if someone handed me a pipeful of something that I smoke regularly, I could probably tell you what it is.
I suspect it is more difficult than most think it is. If you knew in advance which four (or whatever) blends were being tested, for a sort of multiple choice, that would increase chances, as would sampling distinctly different blends -- Cavendish, cigar leaf, and burley. A row of unnamed English blends, all with Lat and none with burley, things could be pretty obscure. Blenders who smoke critically all the time might have an advantage.
That's one reason I like to watch (in amazement) the SPC's Mystery Tobacco YouTube videos. It always amazes me what they can discern.
I'd bet that people who smoke a fairly large variety of blends would struggle to identify more than 50% if someone else were to pack their pipe and hand it to them. I think for the most part, I could easily pick the genre. But if someone handed me pre packed bowls of F&T CVP, Vintage, Capstan Blue, Aylesbury Classic Flake and Astleys 44, I think I'd struggle to get all 5 right.
