Is There Such a Thing as Pipe Tobacco Sommelier

[jdlander]

I have seen wine sommeliers, and even cigar sommeliers, but not a pipe tobacco sommelier.

Are there any palates out there developed well-enough to be able to identify pipe tobacco by their scent, taste, etc?

Super experienced wine sommeliers can even narrow a wine down to a particular year. Is this possible with pipe tobacco?

 

[SpuddsBuckley]

No, but a lot of people are good at pretending.

 

[xrundog]

Actually yes! His name is @JimInks .

 

[dottlejockey]

Actually yes! His name is @JimInks .

I've wondered similarly about the master blenders out there as well.

 

[BingBong]

I've wondered similarly about the master blenders out there as well.

Possibly Greg Pease? With his culinary background.

 

[dottlejockey]

Possibly Greg Pease? With his culinary background.

Good call.

 

[chilllucky]

There is no such recognized certification or title for pipe tobacco. So far as I know there isn't one for cigars, either. There is (or was 15 years ago when I heard about it) such a thing as "A Certified Tobacconist", which was a retail employee who had completed a certain number of classroom hours training. I think the precursor to the PCA put it together.

But it was - to my understanding as the customer of a guy taking the classes - just a knowledge of tobacco and products. Not a sophisticated tasting thing.

 

[woodsroad]

@lestrout is as close as I've met.
Keep in mind, that despite the packaging and marketing hype, a lot of tobacco tastes and smells the same or not markedly different. Add to that the many changes that occur over time and under differing conditions and you'll never find anyone who can say "Ah, yes! McClelland 2016 while they were still using the Mark Ryan's Latakia, most likely a 1999.5, opened in 2013, but I think it was stored in Dan Johnson's cellar, where the Eastern Pennsylvania Shale Radon adds that special je ne sais quoi!"

 

[RustiePyles CPG]

@lestrout is as close as I've met.
Keep in mind, that despite the packaging and marketing hype, a lot of tobacco tastes and smells the same or not markedly different. Add to that the many changes that occur over time and under differing conditions and you'll never find anyone who can say "Ah, yes! McClelland 2016 while they were still using the Mark Ryan's Latakia, most likely a 1999.5, opened in 2013, but I think it was stored in Dan Johnson's cellar, where the Eastern Pennsylvania Shale Radon adds that special je ne sais quoi!"

I find the shale radon notes to be wholly inferior to the heady piquant that highly mineralized groundwater radon of the planes produces.

 

[Sig]

As I've discussed here before, no.
Ive been involved in online and offline pipe and cigar groups for many years. Although everyone can pick out their favorites, ive seen nobody who csn just pick out dozens of blends.
Anyone familiar with pipe and cigar forums and groups 15+ years ago knows, blind taste tests a very disliked by the "experts". The more of an expert they believe they are, the more they hate blind tastings.
Several forums actually banned blind taste tests due to backlash from the pro tasters.
There are a few I can of course pick out.....MacBaren VA #1, Cult BRM.....maybe a few others. But when it gets to just generic genres, again, ive never heard of anyone.
Im willing to try if anybody wants to try. This is a mature enough group to not get butt hurt.
Ten random blends from any genre.
Name 8 of the blends I'd think that would be good proof. On me, shipping and all. I can get them out tomorrow.
There is the phenomenon where you find a blend very familiar. Once you are told the blend, it triggers in your brain. Ive seen that at in person pipe gatherings. Then you kick yourself for not recognizing a blend you have smoked weekly for years.

 

[Sig]

@lestrout is as close as I've met.
Keep in mind, that despite the packaging and marketing hype, a lot of tobacco tastes and smells the same or not markedly different. Add to that the many changes that occur over time and under differing conditions and you'll never find anyone who can say "Ah, yes! McClelland 2016 while they were still using the Mark Ryan's Latakia, most likely a 1999.5, opened in 2013, but I think it was stored in Dan Johnson's cellar, where the Eastern Pennsylvania Shale Radon adds that special je ne sais quoi!"

MacBaren va#1 and Cult Blood Red Moon are the only 2 I believe I could pick out immediately....and Rattrays Exotic Passion (Orange).
Ive got Va#1 from many years, it all tastes the same....delicious, and my one and only deserted island blend.
Aromatics are probably the easiest...of course, duh. But once you get into VaPers, Burley, Balkans, and English.....they get extremely hard or impossible to pick them with any regularity. But this is just my experience at shows and in person meet ups. Have a bowl from an unmarked baggie, and comment how familiar it tastes. To find out its a blend you smoke 4x a month.

 

[ThermionicScott]

As I've discussed here before, no.
Ive been involved in online and offline pipe and cigar groups for many years. Although everyone can pick out their favorites, ive seen nobody who csn just pick out dozens of blends.
Anyone familiar with pipe and cigar forums and groups 15+ years ago knows, blind taste tests a very disliked by the "experts". The more of an expert they believe they are, the more they hate blind tastings.
Several forums actually banned blind taste tests due to backlash from the pro tasters.
There are a few I can of course pick out.....MacBaren VA #1, Cult BRM.....maybe a few others. But when it gets to just generic genres, again, ive never heard of anyone.
Im willing to try if anybody wants to try. This is a mature enough group to not get butt hurt.
Ten random blends from any genre.
Name 8 of the blends I'd think that would be good proof. On me, shipping and all. I can get them out tomorrow.
There is the phenomenon where you find a blend very familiar. Once you are told the blend, it triggers in your brain. Ive seen that at in person pipe gatherings. Then you kick yourself for not recognizing a blend you have smoked weekly for years.

There's a pretty entertaining blind tasting thread on another forum. It's impressive what some guys are able to get right, but it's mostly a lot of veteran pipe smokers getting humbled.

 

[Sig]

There's a pretty entertaining blind tasting thread on another forum. It's impressive what some guys are able to get right, but it's mostly a lot of veteran pipe smokers getting humbled.

I believe everyone can get a few.
But a sommelier needs to know their stuff. Some wine Sommeliers work on it for decades.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

When I can enjoy a bowl in a restaurant . . .

 

[Sig]

There's a pretty entertaining blind tasting thread on another forum. It's impressive what some guys are able to get right, but it's mostly a lot of veteran pipe smokers getting humbled.

I'll bet most of these guys are doing this for fun.
Its the self proclaimed experts who HATE them.

 

[fireground_piper]

@lestrout is as close as I've met.
Keep in mind, that despite the packaging and marketing hype, a lot of tobacco tastes and smells the same or not markedly different. Add to that the many changes that occur over time and under differing conditions and you'll never find anyone who can say "Ah, yes! McClelland 2016 while they were still using the Mark Ryan's Latakia, most likely a 1999.5, opened in 2013, but I think it was stored in Dan Johnson's cellar, where the Eastern Pennsylvania Shale Radon adds that special je ne sais quoi!"

That shale radon tho…..very special.

 

[PaulRVA]

A sommelier usually has the ability to narrow down and make suggestions based on someone’s preferences and their input.
@JimInks based on his experience and wealth of knowledge has that trait and the ability to dial in pairings to your desires and match you up pretty darn dead on.
He is eerily good at it and I can personally attest to that.
So he’s as close to a sommelier of tobacco that I’ve come across IMHO.

 

[BriaronBoerum]

The closest I've seen is Smoking Pipes has an ongoing "Mystery Blend" series of videos, where a bunch of the long time employees try to identify a blend chosen for them by somebody in the pipe biz. They often get close, or identify the category or a flavor, but more times than not, they don't pick the exact blend, despite collective decades of experience!

 

[jpberg]

How often do sommeliers do legitimate blind tests that you would expect of tobacco guys?

 

[woodsroad]

I find the shale radon notes to be wholly inferior to the heady piquant that highly mineralized groundwater radon of the planes produces.

That stuff is best as a colgne, a dab behind each ear and a healthy slosh over the nether regions. Much better than a vasectomy, and cheaper, too.

I’d never let it touch my tobacco.