Learning the Taste of Tobacco

[JR McDuff]

Being new to pipe smoking, should I first taste the different tobacco types independently before they are blended? If I start with blends, how will I know a Latakia from an oriental or Virginia or Cavendish? I would like to start out knowing their distinct attributes first. Any feedback would be appreciated.
Thanks!

 

[pantsBoots]

Start puffing and avoid aromatics is what I would recommend, but what do I know? I have begun to learn the different leaves just by smoking myriad blends and figuring out ones that have generous amounts of X vs. those with condimental amounts and learning what I can expect.

Another very real possibility is to get tins of single leaf in order to learn. Personally, however, I shudder to consider smoking straight Latakia, or perique, or Oriental (even though I love blends that feature all 3 prominently).

Enjoy the journey!

 

[stokesdale]

Being new to pipe smoking, should I first taste the different tobacco types independently before they are blended? If I start with blends, how will I know a Latakia from an oriental or Virginia or Cavendish? I would like to start out knowing their distinct attributes first. Any feedback would be appreciated.
Thanks!

Great question. First, many people consider everything a "blend", which is wrong, so I'm glad you have researched this beforehand. A little deceiving for sure, but even a pure red Virginia (no casing, no topping, no other types in it) I have seen people call a blend. That said, what you really want, then, is to try plain tobaccos first...my favorite, actually. I can't stand all the other fancy tobaccos mixed in like latakia, perique, etc. The typical attributes to plain blends (plain Virginias and/or Burleys) are going to be a bit bold at first, like scotch is to a first time scotch drinker; but like scotch, they grow on you if you just grunt through the initial bowls of it. After a while you'll start to know what foundations you like (Virginia and/or Burley) and then you can expand from there with the other more complicated blends.

In general, Bright Virginias are sweetest, but lowest nicotine. Red Virginias are more peppery, less sweet, more savory, more nicotine. Plain Burleys are ball twisters. Not sweet, very bold and a lot of nicotine. Pretty simple actually.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

Depends. Do you want to be Jim Inks or do you want to simply enjoy your pipe? My tasting is kind of 3 bit digital, I like it, It's okay or I hate it. I think I could spend every moment I smoke till I die trying to discern specific flavors and I still wouldn't come close to Jim's finely attuned palate.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

yes

 

[stokesdale]

yes

pithy.

 

[logs]

Depending on how serious you are the easiest and most direct method is to buy blending tobaccos, i.e. straight red VA, straight burley, perique, latakia, etc.

If you look at the bulk offerings of C&D or Sutliff on Smoking Pipes you'll be able to find a number of different blending tobaccos. You don't need much, just an ounce of each to get an idea of the flavors.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

pithy.

Precise

 

[Olkofri]

Try pure components first. Though I'd strongly suggest not to smoke pure latakia or pure perique—these are like spices in food—more so perique. You wouldn't have a spoonful of ground cumin or grown habanero pepper, would you?

Start out with some straight VA, pure black cavendish (not that cavendish is a tobacco type but a process), burley. Go from there.

 

[Olkofri]

Precise

?

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Someone should come up with a tasting kit that just has a few bowls of each component. But, then there are miraculous things that occur when things get mixed. Latakia can go anywhere from leather to campfire to even cologne smelling is toppings are added. All components have the potential to just do the unexpected when combined.
Personally, I don't like it when a blend has too many components. They just taste too busy for my preferences.

 

[fireground_piper]

I'm not sure component tobacco is a great way to start out if you're just getting into it. A Straight Virginia blend is still a blend of different types of virginia tobaccos along with some processing.

Pure mixing components can be harsh and plain without at least some of the processing designed to help bring out certain flavors within a particular leaf for a blend. I'd at least suggest pure blends like a burley blend, virginia blend, etc. that's at least been processed to some extent and intended for a consumer to enjoy as a finished product.

 

[stokesdale]

Someone should come up with a tasting kit that just has a few bowls of each component. But, then there are miraculous things that occur when things get mixed. Latakia can go anywhere from leather to campfire to even cologne smelling is toppings are added. All components have the potential to just do the unexpected when combined.
Personally, I don't like it when a blend has too many components. They just taste too busy for my preferences.

Why don't you do that...it's not like you have anything else to do

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I'm not sure component tobacco is a great way to start out if you're just getting into it. A Straight Virginia blend is still a blend of different types of virginia tobaccos along with some processing.

Pure mixing components can be harsh and plain without at least some of the processing designed to help bring out certain flavors within a particular leaf for a blend. I'd at least suggest pure blends like a burley blend, virginia blend, etc. that's at least been processed to some extent and intended for a consumer to enjoy as a finished product.

Sure, sure... But, no one smokes component tobaccos for pleasure. If he did, he would be merely smoking it to get an idea of what these components taste like. But, sure, try a few Virginias and a few burleys. Heck, there are tons of varieties just in the burleys, and there are hundreds of different Virginias to taste also.

 

[stokesdale]

I'm not sure component tobacco is a great way to start out if you're just getting into it. A Straight Virginia blend is still a blend of different types of virginia tobaccos along with some processing.

Pure mixing components can be harsh and plain without at least some of the processing designed to help bring out certain flavors within a particular leaf for a blend. I'd at least suggest pure blends like a burley blend, virginia blend, etc. that's at least been processed to some extent and intended for a consumer to enjoy as a finished product.

I strongly beg to differ. For instance, a tin of Carolina Red Flake is all red Virginia, most likely even from the same farmer...is that a blend of red Virginia? No. If I go down the road a pull Bright Leaf off of plants from 20 different farmers in the area, cured them, cut them and mixed them together, would that be a blend? Not to me it wouldn't be. Now, you MIGHT have an argument if you mixed Bright Leaf from NC with Bright Leaf from GA, but even then I would hesitate to call it a blend. Mix NC with African Bright Leaf? Yes, then I would go so far as saying it was a blend of Bright Leaf Virginias, but only then would I call it that.

 

[stokesdale]

Sure, sure... But, no one smokes component tobaccos for pleasure. If he did, he would be merely smoking it to get an idea of what these components taste like. But, sure, try a few Virginias and a few burleys. Heck, there are tons of varieties just in the burleys, and there are hundreds of different Virginias to taste also.

I smoke "component" tobacco every day for pleasure...one of my favorites is Bright Virginia Ribbon in fact.

 

[fireground_piper]

I strongly beg to differ. For instance, a tin of Carolina Red Flake is all red Virginia, most likely even from the same farmer...is that a blend of red Virginia? No. If I go down the road a pull Bright Leaf off of plants from 20 different farmers in the area, cured them, cut them and mixed them together, would that be a blend? Not to me it wouldn't be. Now, you MIGHT have an argument if you mixed Bright Leaf from NC with Bright Leaf from GA, but even then I would hesitate to call it a blend. Mix NC with African Bright Leaf? Yes, then I would go so far as saying it was a blend of Bright Leaf Virginias, but only then would I call it that.

Yes, I would call it a blend unless it came from the same plot of land. Even Perique, which all comes from the same farm, has different characteristics if they barrelled it individually by field. There's an older Mark Ryan article on it with tests they did. Once you mix multiple fields for an intended outcome, it's now a blend.

 

[logs]

I'm not sure component tobacco is a great way to start out if you're just getting into it. A Straight Virginia blend is still a blend of different types of virginia tobaccos along with some processing.

Pure mixing components can be harsh and plain without at least some of the processing designed to help bring out certain flavors within a particular leaf for a blend. I'd at least suggest pure blends like a burley blend, virginia blend, etc. that's at least been processed to some extent and intended for a consumer to enjoy as a finished product.

Actually I think it's the single best way to learn about the condiment tobaccos, the ones that are hard to discern in a blend (especially orientals). I agree with you about VA and Burley though. They're easy to taste and there are plenty of blends that feature them pretty straight without much monkey business.

 

[stokesdale]

Yes, I would call it a blend unless it came from the same plot of land. Even Perique, which all comes from the same farm, has different characteristics if they barrelled it individually by field. There's an older Mark Ryan article on it with tests they did. Once you mix multiple fields for an intended outcome, it's now a blend.

I truly emphatically could give a rats ass what Mark Ryan says

 

[mso489]

Even tobacco with just one kind, like Virginia or burley, have several different kinds within a blend. Being strictly studious, trying a few single-leaf tobaccos, is not a bad idea. However even those of us who smoke blends for years before any single leaf smokes sort it out pretty quickly after a while. If a blend does not have Latakia, or Perique, or burley as a condiment, most of us know that. By your studious method, you may figure it out a little quicker. Maybe you could rotate between two or three single leaf and a blend or two.