Is There Such a Thing as Pipe Tobacco Sommelier
- Thread starter jdlander
- Start date
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
Site Sponsors
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
No! Neither is there such a thing as a "cigar sommelier." Accurately, the term is correctly applied only to long trained and tested, wine specialists. But, people can call themselves what ever they want I suppose. It's simply a misapplication of a specialized term.
Last edited:
No but I picked Coke in the Pepsi challenge.
I can usually tell you if it’s tobacco. Does that count?
The funny part is using the wine-taster "experts" as an example.
They have been blown completely out of the water in double blind tests too many times to count.
Anything to do with human smell and taste is meaningless except in general terms. The fat part of the bell curve. Hot is hot, sour is sour, salty is salty, etc.
Descriptions like "A delicately fermented fruity essence of ripe mulberries that were picked on a sunny day with a five mile-per-hour southwest breeze, juxtaposed with deep vanilla tones that bring forth an evocation of an evening spent on a Southern Hemisphere tropical beach in a dark green---not light green---canvas hammock..." that run on for several paragraphs?
Um, no.
They have been blown completely out of the water in double blind tests too many times to count.
Anything to do with human smell and taste is meaningless except in general terms. The fat part of the bell curve. Hot is hot, sour is sour, salty is salty, etc.
Descriptions like "A delicately fermented fruity essence of ripe mulberries that were picked on a sunny day with a five mile-per-hour southwest breeze, juxtaposed with deep vanilla tones that bring forth an evocation of an evening spent on a Southern Hemisphere tropical beach in a dark green---not light green---canvas hammock..." that run on for several paragraphs?
Um, no.
The point of a certified sommelier is not to be able to identify a particular wine in a blind tasting (that’s part of the testing process but not usually part of their day job), but rather to understand the nuances of a wide range of various wines in order to provide pairing advice to a diner or bar patron. They also may curate a restaurant’s wine list and maintain the cellar, as well as train the servers.
So if it were a thing, I suggest that a “pipe tobaccolier”
would be an expert piper familiar with the range of blends (perhaps every blend carried in a particular tobacco shop) who could be consulted by another pipe about their desired smoking experience (flavors, aromas, mouthfeel, burning performance, etc.) and recommend a blend that would fulfill their request to a T.
I’ll bet that some of us have met tobacconists or fellow pipers who possess this skill in a limited fashion, who are able to give an excellent recommendation for what to smoke at a particular time. Most of us are able to recommend blends that we’ve personally enjoyed, but our knowledge is usually limited to what’s in (or was, at one point) our own cellars, and not broad enough to be certifiable as experts.
(And yes, I just made up “pipe tobaccolier”. If the exact term existed before, I am unaware and will chalk it up to a situation like Leibniz and Newton both independently inventing calculus.)
So if it were a thing, I suggest that a “pipe tobaccolier”
would be an expert piper familiar with the range of blends (perhaps every blend carried in a particular tobacco shop) who could be consulted by another pipe about their desired smoking experience (flavors, aromas, mouthfeel, burning performance, etc.) and recommend a blend that would fulfill their request to a T.I’ll bet that some of us have met tobacconists or fellow pipers who possess this skill in a limited fashion, who are able to give an excellent recommendation for what to smoke at a particular time. Most of us are able to recommend blends that we’ve personally enjoyed, but our knowledge is usually limited to what’s in (or was, at one point) our own cellars, and not broad enough to be certifiable as experts.
(And yes, I just made up “pipe tobaccolier”
. If the exact term existed before, I am unaware and will chalk it up to a situation like Leibniz and Newton both independently inventing calculus.)
While its not specifically Pipe tobacco you can become tobacconist certified. https://tobacconistuniversity.org/
THE CERTIFIED CONSUMER TOBACCONIST (CCT) PROCESS:
The Certified Consumer Tobacconist (CCT) degree exists to establish fundamental knowledge, credibility and increase personal satisfaction for the most passionate consumers: CCT are proven aficionados. The CCT degree is for consumers—not professionals. A consumer who pays the CCT tuition can take the test up to two times—all fees are non refundable. The CCT Tuition is $150: payable when you apply. There are 50 multiple choice questions on the final exam and a passing score is 90% or better.
As I'm in the industry I'm a CST. But Kevin here is a Master - and he wrote a good portion of the pipe related content as well.
THE CERTIFIED CONSUMER TOBACCONIST (CCT) PROCESS:
The Certified Consumer Tobacconist (CCT) degree exists to establish fundamental knowledge, credibility and increase personal satisfaction for the most passionate consumers: CCT are proven aficionados. The CCT degree is for consumers—not professionals. A consumer who pays the CCT tuition can take the test up to two times—all fees are non refundable. The CCT Tuition is $150: payable when you apply. There are 50 multiple choice questions on the final exam and a passing score is 90% or better.
As I'm in the industry I'm a CST. But Kevin here is a Master - and he wrote a good portion of the pipe related content as well.
