Lessons Learned From Aromatics!

[PApiper63]

I smoked cigars for years and mostly because of cost I transitioned to pipes and I found a much more rewarding hobby. Like most people when I started smoking pipes, I smoked aromatics. The same old story… Goopy mess, burnt my tongue, did not have the technique to handle them, etc. So, I transitioned out of aromatics and found more success. A couple years later I. discovering that I have a couple pounds of aromatics in my cellar.
I decided to give them another shot and decided if I didn't like them on this time around I would get rid of them. I did what a lot of us do and watched some YouTube clips on smoking aromatics(specifically the Aromatic Pipe) The gentleman on these clips has a specific and VERY loose way of packing his pipe. Essentially gravity fill with an EXTREMELY light tamp to simply eliminates the spaces between the tobacco strands. He also tamp on the side of the pipe with an angle towards the center. I tried this technique with aromatics and found a remarkably improved experience. I also tried it with non-aromatics and I found much more success at keeping my pipe lit and a cool smoke. There is an old saying "when the student is ready, the teacher will come". My experience a couple weeks ago has improved my pipe smoking experience and as an added bonus, I now know how to smoke and enjoy an occasional bowl of aromatic tobacco. Have any of you had a similar experience?

 

[HeavyLeadBelly]

Yeah, that’s somewhat my experience as well. While I still think most aromatics are just hot air and disappointment, packing loose and sipping slowly is the key to enjoying them.

Same with tobaccos that are wetter than most like Gawith stuff. Dry as much as you can but just pack loose and go easy on the cadence.

But with dryer stuff I pack tighter so in the end, gif me, it’s a judgement call as to how I pack a bowl.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Have any of you had a similar experience?

No, not with aromatics, but I did find that when I stopped worrying about packing styles, and just put tobacco in the bowl and lit it, my smokes were much more enjoyable and easier to keep lit. But, I think that for beginners, it does help to have some sort of guideline to prevent packing too tightly. But, none of the methods are foolproof.

 

[pappymac]

Aromatics get vilified by a lot of the non-aromatic snobs on forums.
And, to be honest, there are some aromatic blends that I will agree are not good smokes. The other side of that coin is that there are a lot of aromatic pipe tobacco blends out there and not all of them are wet, goopy and tasting like bad cough syrup.

As I expanded my experience of aromatic pipe tobacco, I personally found the worst offenders were U.S. manufactured blends whereas European manufactured blends tend to be less moist and goopy and have better quality toppings.

But that is just my experience.

 

[telescopes]

I smoked cigars for years and mostly because of cost I transitioned to pipes and I found a much more rewarding hobby. Like most people when I started smoking pipes, I smoked aromatics. The same old story… Goopy mess, burnt my tongue, did not have the technique to handle them, etc. So, I transitioned out of aromatics and found more success. A couple years later I. discovering that I have a couple pounds of aromatics in my cellar.
I decided to give them another shot and decided if I didn't like them on this time around I would get rid of them. I did what a lot of us do and watched some YouTube clips on smoking aromatics(specifically the Aromatic Pipe) The gentleman on these clips has a specific and VERY loose way of packing his pipe. Essentially gravity fill with an EXTREMELY light tamp to simply eliminates the spaces between the tobacco strands. He also tamp on the side of the pipe with an angle towards the center. I tried this technique with aromatics and found a remarkably improved experience. I also tried it with non-aromatics and I found much more success at keeping my pipe lit and a cool smoke. There is an old saying "when the student is ready, the teacher will come". My experience a couple weeks ago has improved my pipe smoking experience and as an added bonus, I now know how to smoke and enjoy an occasional bowl of aromatic tobacco. Have any of you had a similar experience?

Congratulations are rounding the bend On smoking. It seems like you’ve discovered the Frank Method of loading a pipe. Google it for the second part of the technique using the thumb. While there are many awful aromatics, there are also some awful Virginia, Latakia, and burley blends. A properly prepared pipe, a bit of drier tobacco, and a slow smoke will take you many miles without incident, no matter the blend you’ve chosen to burn.

 

[telescopes]

 

[wilblee]

Once again, low (density) and slow (sipping) gets the job done best.

 

[Pipke]

I think I know what video you watched, and that man's technique was helpful. I started into aromatics too, but now there are maybe two aromatics that I enjoy. I still try different aromatics if I can obtain them in one ounce samples.
Autumn Evening is one I like to pick on. I enjoy the flavor but the smoking experience is variable. Many times I end up with a cinder of burnt sugar and ash in the bottom of the bowl. I eventually decided that I will just accept "loosing" the bottom 1/4-1/3 of the bowl and dump it out. Combined with looser packing I can manage to get a good smoke out of it. I've learned that smoking aromatics has some nuances that need to be learned. By comparison, English and Balkan blends are pretty much pack-and-go - much easier on the first time pipe smoker.

 

[JoburgB2]

. . . I did find that when I stopped worrying about packing styles, and just put tobacco in the bowl and lit it, my smokes were much more enjoyable and easier to keep lit . . .

I second your comment. And venture to guess that many of us here would classify this statement as Generally Accepted As True.

 

[Chasing Embers]

VERY loose way of packing his pipe. Essentially gravity fill with an EXTREMELY light tamp to simply eliminates the spaces between the tobacco strands

Exactly. Try that with other blends as well and see what you think.

 

[bullet08]

Everyone's different. Really haven't noticed much issues with aromatics to begin with. Read enough about tongue bite and so on, I just smoked extremely slow. Soon enough I found Lat more interesting. Then VA and so on. Most tongue bite I got was from Perique in Davidoff medallion. But it seems something might have changed in Davidoff. Might try that again.

 

[PipeIT]

@PApiper63 I don’t know how long you’ve been smoking, but when you mentioned goopy mess, I assumed a general understanding of what are Aromatics.

Here’s a good article to help clarify on Aromatics.

Aromatic Pipe Tobacco | Smokingpipes.com

Learn more about how aromatic pipe tobaccos are made, including the differences between casings and top notes.

www.smokingpipes.com

Anything with the slightest of a Topping, is technically an Aromatic. There are some Aromatics so subtle, you might even think you are smoking a straight blend, especially if the topping used is similar in tastes to the blend, like orange added to a VA that already has a citrus flavor profile.

Casings = Mouth Feel
Toppings = Taste

 

[PApiper63]

@PApiper63 I don’t know how long you’ve been smoking, but when you mentioned goopy mess, I assumed a general understanding of what are Aromatics.

Here’s a good article to help clarify on Aromatics.

Aromatic Pipe Tobacco | Smokingpipes.com

Learn more about how aromatic pipe tobaccos are made, including the differences between casings and top notes.

www.smokingpipes.com

Anything with the slightest of a Topping, is technically an Aromatic. There are some Aromatics so subtle, you might even think you are smoking a straight blend, especially if the topping used is similar in tastes to the blend, like orange added to a VA that already has a citrus flavor profile.

Casings = Mouth Feel
Toppings = Taste

Ty for the explanation.

 

[Jef]

I smoke both a aromatics and english tobaccos. My favorite tobacco is an aromatic, (1Q).

I find that different tobaccos are like different pipes. They all have their own personalities. Each has its own learning curve. IMO you have to spend time learning how to pack, light, and smoke every different blend.

I agree that aromatics get a lot of bad press by many. But I find some englishes to be horrible as well.

IMO you have to give each blend a chance and try different methods to get just the right experience you are looking for out of a particular blend. If you can't find a way to enjoy a blend, then it is time to try something else. Buying quality tobacco surely helps.