This is probably more of a collection of general musings at this point than a thread post proper. But here goes…
(Apologize in advance for the length.)
I started smoking a pipe in the late 90s, perhaps even 2000. Can’t recall precisely. Hit it for around 9-10 years. Switched to fine-ish cigars for about 3+ years just bc I got hooked on the flavors. Plus, I was in seminary and had a TON of reading to do. When you’ve got 10,000 pages to read every 16 weeks, it helps not having to stop and relight and tamp and fiddle every 10 minutes or so.
Then, sometime around 2012/13, I guess I just gradually quit smoking. I didn’t plan to. It just happened. I remember popping the lid on my humidor one day and realizing I had a box full of $20 sticks drying out. Ashton ESG. Loved those and the VSGs.
This past summer, the pipe started singing its siren song again. And, happily, I succumbed. (Interestingly, during my smoking hiatus, I never stopped considering myself a pipe smoker.)
But this time has been different. For many reasons. But I’ll stick to the topic at hand.
In my prior pipe life, I exclusively smoked aros. No cherries. Nothing fruity/floral. More chocolate, nutty, and black cavendish-infused blends from two local tobacconists in Lexington, KY: Schwab’s Pipes N’ Stuff, and Strauss Tobacconist. My go to blends were two from Schwab’s; Ideal and Ebonknight. And I still enjoy Ideal on rare occasion. Call them up and order some! Today, I’m generally turned off by chocolatey tobacco.
And I never even gave a second thought to what tobaccos were in those blends. I just lifted the lid off the jar, took a whiff, and bought accordingly. I was a noob, and back then had no interest in tins.
Since I’ve taken it back up, I’ve been smoking various Englishes more than anything, and dabbling in some Va and VaPers. My enthusiasm for English is waning. I go through phases.
But lately, I’m navigating toward a select few aromatics. But nothing goopy or overly sweet. Well, except for the tin of Cult Blood Red Moon dad bought me for Christmas.
This kind of brings me to the point of this thread.
The aros I’m enjoying these days, even when they have a stronger tin note of flavoring, tend to hit the palate in a way where, surprisingly, only a hint of that flavor is detected. I find I can actually taste the tobaccos quite well. Which I actually like and prefer. I’m not looking for aros where flavoring overpowers the leaf. Just the opposite, in fact
But I swear I recall being bowled over by the casings and toppings when I initially took up the gentle art.
Even the Cult cherry, while goopy and with a VERY strong tin note, smoked remarkably more tobacco-forward than I expected.
As I type, I’m smoking MacBaren’s Vanilla Cream. Same experience. If somebody handed me a blind bowl of this and asked me to label it, my first thought would not be, “Oh, clearly an aromatic.”
Btw… the aros that I’m smoking lately are 3: MacBaren’s Vanilla Cream, Cult Blood Red Moon, and Bosun Cut Plug. And despite their tin notes, they’re all more tobacco-tasting than I anticipated. And this makes me rather happy. These days, I’m a bigger fan of “tobacco sweet” than I am of “sugar sweet.” I want to taste the tobaccos.
Appreciate any thoughts on this topic. And certainly any suggestions for quality aros that fit the description.
