How to Sharpen Your Sense of Smell and Taste

[mso489]

I'd say focus is one key. We're encouraged to multi-task, as if doing three things at once is meritorious. Slowing down helps. Perhaps turn off the background music and other distractions from time to time. Return to single leaf or simpler blends of two or three tobaccos, to experience those more directly. Leave some time between bowls. Think about what you're experiencing. Have a ritual of sometimes pausing between puffs, admiring the pipe visually, enjoying its texture, savoring the scent of the room note, and rolling the smoke in your mouth. Close your eyes momentarily (don't fall asleep with a pipe). Take your time.

 

[anotherbob]

practice. Artists can id more colors and see more subtle differences in shades of colors then regular people. Why cause they practice doing so and they give themselves a reason to know these things. Same applies to taste. Get a job as a cook might help too. You have to learn how to taste at that job.

 

[Mis Pipas]

I'd say focus is one key. We're encouraged to multi-task, as if doing three things at once is meritorious. Slowing down helps. Perhaps turn off the background music and other distractions from time to time. Return to single leaf or simpler blends of two or three tobaccos, to experience those more directly. Leave some time between bowls. Think about what you're experiencing. Have a ritual of sometimes pausing between puffs, admiring the pipe visually, enjoying its texture, savoring the scent of the room note, and rolling the smoke in your mouth. Close your eyes momentarily (don't fall asleep with a pipe). Take your time.

absolutely

 

[Mis Pipas]

One practical way to identify different tastes is to take notes, as though you were preparing to write a review of a blend. What I have found is that developing your vocabulary is at least as important as developing your palate.

Check out Greg Pease's article:

https://pipesmagazine.com/blog/out-of-the-ashes/dont-think-of-a-purple-giraffe/

Thank you. I appreciate your answer. I really think it will help. I'll put into practice

 

[greeneyes]

I'd say focus is one key. We're encouraged to multi-task, as if doing three things at once is meritorious.

This is why I don't 'lunt'--avoiding dog poo on the sidewalk and making small talk with neighbors just isn't conducive to a meditative appreciation of the smoking experience.

Smoking is a funny thing. Smoking more often is sometimes the solution for discerning the complexities of the flavors and aroma. I find there's a 'sweet spot' and if you smoke too infrequently what stands out most is the bolder burnt vegetal flavors, and less of the nuance.

 

[diamondback]

I would think if you really want to isolate taste and smell, you would purchase some different blending tobacco first and smoke some straight. I have never done it but many people have posted clay pipes provide the purest taste so I suppose you would purchase a few clay pipes as well. You should definitely learn to snork or whatever it is called when you throat inhale and let the smoke out through your nose. I would then start with some simple blends and smoke one for awhile to learn it. Look to isolate and identify specific flavors and nuances. Expand from there.

I don't do any of that because I don't care. I'm digital in my pipe smoking, I either like it or I don't. I respect folks like Jim Inks who are very skilled at being "analog" and can identify the specific flavors down to the part where they can even identify the type of leaf being used.

I did exactly this with various pure-Virginias (bright, red, stoved...) so I could more easily pick them out and become familiar with their flavors and characteristics. Difference being I used ‘broken in’ cobs instead of clay pipes.

Someone already mentioned taking notes. I couldn’t agree more! Take notes for the first ounce at least, modify, update, delete, etc. as you become familiar with your blend.

At some point I take and compare my notes with Jim Inks (at TR). Often I find myself going back to see if I can pick out things I missed that he found, etc.

 

[solideogloria86]

One thing that will help for sure is to get a tobacco flavor wheel. You can find them from a quick Google image search. Most of them are geared toward cigars but there are a lot of flavors that are found in both pipes and cigars. As you smoke, look at the flavor wheel and see if any of the flavors listed jump out at you. It will help you put a name to a taste you didn't know how to describe before.

 

[kola]

Inextricably. Hmmm..."LIKE."

I'll have to work that in - at the next card game.
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in·ex·tri·ca·bly
/ˌinəkˈstrikəblē,inˈekstrəkəblē/
Learn to pronounce
adverb

1.in a way that is impossible to disentangle or separate.
"for many top executives, golf and business are inextricably linked"
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[diamondback]

One thing that will help for sure is to get a tobacco flavor wheel. You can find them from a quick Google image search. Most of them are geared toward cigars but there are a lot of flavors that are found in both pipes and cigars. As you smoke, look at the flavor wheel and see if any of the flavors listed jump out at you. It will help you put a name to a taste you didn't know how to describe before.

Good point I think. Truth is I “cut my teeth” on cigars. After I’d gotten the mechanics of pipe smoking down I immediately started teasing out the flavors in pipe tobacco. Having been a cigar guy for years probably helped a good deal.