Must You Be in Favor of Aro or Non-Aro Blends?

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captainbob

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 5, 2010
765
2
No. You do not need to be on one side or the other. Recently, I received an email from a smoker of my C&D blends who could not understand why I would want to create both aromatic and non-aromatic tobacco blends for Cornell and Diehl. Now, I do consider Captain Bob's Pot O' Gold Mixture, a non-aromatic. By definition, it is. The very light Maple topping is in such a small degree as to only bring out the sweetness of the predominant Virginia medley. The topping is not, by any means, predominant and therein lies the difference! He thought that a pipe smoker had to be on one side or the other. I explained that I personally have a very broad taste range and can enjoy a heavy English as much as an aromatic. It's just that those around me do not like the English as much as I do. Therefore, I generally avoid heavy Latakia blends even though I do enjoy them.
I explained to him that many of the veteran pipe smoker's I know do have a broad taste range and do enjoy both aro's and non-aro's. And, to keep in mind that "aromatic" is a term used to describe a blend that does have a predominant topping. That does not mean the blend does not have tobacco flavor. The topping is predominant when naming a blend such as "Cherry Blend". One would expect it to taste like cherry.
Raw tobacco is not pleasant. Most, if not all blending tobacco, has been "cased" (pre-blended) and/or receives a "topping". It is all a matter of degree to name it aromatic or non-aromatic. Raw tobacco, by its nature is quite unpalatable. I know this because I have smoked raw tobacco and also have learned the art of blending over the last fifty years from experts. I have come to understand the meaning of "degree" in blending tobacco elements, toppings and how "raw source tobacco" is treated before blending.
There is no right or wrong. There is no aro or non-aro exclusivity to define tobacco with any specificity other than its name and claim! It is a matter of degree of added flavoring and your personal preference. I do really wish that the smoker's of non-aromatic blends (so-to-speak) would simply get off their high horse and realize that a pipe smoker enjoys whatever tobacco pleases him.
A pipe smoker is not defined by the the tobacco he smokes. Rather, a pipe smoker is defined by the fact that he smokes a pipe and enjoys it! (the reference to "he", also means he or she). We need more "she" in this hobby.

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dhizzy

Part of the Furniture Now
Aug 29, 2011
649
1
I smoke just about every type. I lean more toward Va's and VaPers but sometimes get a hankering for an aromatic. I will tend to go for a more high quality one but I do, nonetheless. And to boot, one of my favorite blends which I smoke 2-4 times a week is a crossover English; Two Friends English Chocolate.

 

captainbob

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 5, 2010
765
2
dhizzy, based on what you like and prefer, try Two Friends Heritage. This was the late Craig Tarler's (CEO of C&D) go-to smoke since he created it in 1999. It is in my rotation. It is also similar to my Captain Bob's Pot O' Gold Mixture except I added more Burley depth (about one-third) and a touch of Maple.

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petergunn

Starting to Get Obsessed
Mar 3, 2013
183
2
There is no right or wrong. There is no aro or non-aro exclusivity to define tobacco with any specificity other than its name and claim! It is a matter of degree of added flavoring and your personal preference. I do really wish that the smoker's of non-aromatic blends (so-to-speak) would simply get off their high horse and realize that a pipe smoker enjoys whatever tobacco pleases him.
A pipe smoker is not defined by the the tobacco he smokes. Rather, a pipe smoker is defined by the fact that he smokes a pipe and enjoys it! (the reference to "he", also means he or she). We need more "she" in this hobby.
spot on sir.
The exchange of ideas and wisdom about pipe smoking on the net are a blessing but it can also be a curse when you get cult like beliefs about tobacco.
The ability with a few mouse clicks to order from so many different blenders a vast array of tobacco is a great opportunity(one that those of us who started smoking years ago didn't have)so my thinking is those who are searching take advantage of all the choices and don't smoke something just because it's what the cool kids smoke..

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
There are better crafted tobaccos and blends in the various categories, including English and

other what-are-called non-aromatics, clear aromatics, over-the-counter tobaccos and others

that fall between categories. Then there are huge differences in how individuals smell, taste,

and otherwise experience particular tobaccos. I sympathize with pipe smokers who try English

or Balkan blends for the first time and think they have left behind any other kind of tobacco

they've smoked before. That is a natural reaction to a good first experience. But most people

whose taste keeps growing discover a wide range of pleasant tobaccos, blends, and even ways

of mixing, layering, or otherwise individualizing the experience. The more experienced the

pipe smoker, the greater the tendency to be tolerate of a wide variety of tobaccos.

 

numbersix

Lifer
Jul 27, 2012
5,449
53
Thanks Capt Bob. Excellent post - a good read and also good to be reminded about the often blurred lines between the two.

 

flyguy

Lifer
Nov 20, 2012
1,018
4
Great Post, Capt. Bob! To kinda paraphrase Roth: our access to variety is why some of us smoke a pipe.

 

trailspike48

Part of the Furniture Now
Jan 15, 2013
767
2
I enjoy the flavor and room note of aro's. However until I learn to pack a bowl better, I don't like the extra relights I seem to have with the aro's I've tried. I also find I have more re lights with flakes. I read and use the tips and hints from experienced pipe smokers here on the forum, but this learning thing can be tough. :D

 

zonomo

Lifer
Nov 24, 2012
1,584
5
I really like this post. I just wish everyone would sort of respect the fact that people have different tastes in almost everything, be it wine or condiments. I think the Pipe world is big enough for both types of smokers and in fact, perhaps a little small in total.

 

captainbob

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 5, 2010
765
2
Thank you all for the participation and honesty! The bottom line is "enjoy your pipe" and be proud of choices of tobacco blends that meet or exceed your expectations. That means that I also applaud all of us for recognizing a blend that does not meet our individual expectations. With all the variety available to us, there is no need to become discouraged. The infamous words spoken many times are "smoke what you enjoy and enjoy what you smoke".

Thank you again for your participation. I am age 63 and have not smoked everything available by a long shot. But, I have developed a broad taste range and have been fortunate to delve into blending and hooked up with Cornell and Diehl to make my dreams come true for those particular tastes that I wanted and could never find. It has its rewards and this Forum is a perfect example of how rewarding it can be to share a common interest with friends!

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click on the pics to enlarge:

Visiting with Master-Blender "William" of Cornell and Diehl at Chicago:



Now this is a real pipe collection at Chicago:



Visiting with the late Craig Tarler about my blends at the Chicago Show a couple years ago. My co-pilot Dick Novitske to my right:



Craig asked me to sample some new blends at Chicago! It was in this meeting that the artwork was decided for Captain Bob's Blend with the artist Rob Pritchard. His work is in the background of this photo.



A small sample of my collection of Artisan one-of-a-kind Bob Hayes pipes. Now, I own a total of 19 of his pipes.



From left to right: Bob Hayes, Captain Bob, Chris Tarler and Craig Tarler.



Thanks for looking!



 

roadqueen

Starting to Get Obsessed
Apr 9, 2013
267
4
Wonderful post, Captain Bob. I'm of the mind, "Smoke 'em if ya got 'em!" It's all tobacco, there's no reason to be judgemental from one type to the next.

 

brewshooter

Lifer
Jun 2, 2011
1,658
3
No, no, Captain Bob, a pipe blend must contain between 10-15% latakia, no more than 4% perique, but may contain no perique, 20% burley and the rest must be made of rare brown Virginias, which have been aged and processed by passing through a sheep's stomach. Anyone who calls themself a real pipe smoker would know this. Captain Bob, I am disappoint...

 

captainbob

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 5, 2010
765
2
Brewshooter...
What a great response! You are a HOOT!!!

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batdemon

Part of the Furniture Now
Dec 20, 2011
834
0
Great post, Captain. Very well written. I'm another that likes all types of blends.

 

bigboi

Lifer
Nov 12, 2012
1,192
3
I too enjoy a great variety of blends. Thanks for sharing. I am to new to the world of pipe tobaccos to really say I have found my rotation, though I have found several that I am stocking up on.

 

brewshooter

Lifer
Jun 2, 2011
1,658
3
For the record, I also enjoy several aros and a number of VA and VAPer blends. English/latakia blends will always be my favorite, but I find something in each of the major categories I enjoy. Oh, lakelands, I even like those!

 

captainbob

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 5, 2010
765
2
roadqueen,
I really love to see women smoking a pipe. It is very special. Thank you for your post. Please keep us guys in line! Thank you for your comment. I agree with you.

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click on pic to enlarge (if you dare):



 
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