I am having the time of my life trying all the tobacco's available. I use to smoke pipes about 15 years ago and just recently decided to pick it up again since I am close to retirement. The internet has opened up a whole new world for the pipe smoker I have noticed since 2000. I am struggling with rating my experience with each tobacco, I started using stars "****" but that is not providing me with enough information since most of my ratings are 3/4 stars. I tried some G.L. Pease Westminster and I didn't like at all, but the second and third time around I started enjoying it very much. This has happened several times. I have all my tobacco's on google spreadsheet, 36 so far. Do you usually pick one tobacco for the day or does it depend on time of day? Should I smoke one tobacco at a time all day then decide. Does anyone have any hints or tips on rating their tobacco's ? Don't want to get anal about it but would appreciate any input. I know I should just enjoy but I'm a bean counter and things need to be on a spreadsheet :D Thanks!
Rating tobacco
- Thread starter pvamic41
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Welcome to the forums! ...and welcome back into the pipe tobacco pastime! :clap:
I (rather informally) use a 4 point rating system. That eliminates fence-sitting in an odd numbered system.
My preferences seem to change so often that a point system loses its meaning after a while. I think it is more
useful in a group setting, such as TobaccoReviews.com, because a cumulative score shows the consensus opinion.
I think it takes time to appreciate Pease's blends, but once they click with you they'll always deliver the goods.
I have dozens of open tins going at any given time. Actually, I transfer a tin's contents to a Mason jar upon opening it.
Don't rush to judgement on a blend. Love at first puff, and rashly buying a bunch more, has often ended in disillusionment.
I'm not a note taker; but my jar labels include a brief description to jog my memory, and help in choosing my next smoke.
I (rather informally) use a 4 point rating system. That eliminates fence-sitting in an odd numbered system.
My preferences seem to change so often that a point system loses its meaning after a while. I think it is more
useful in a group setting, such as TobaccoReviews.com, because a cumulative score shows the consensus opinion.
I think it takes time to appreciate Pease's blends, but once they click with you they'll always deliver the goods.
I have dozens of open tins going at any given time. Actually, I transfer a tin's contents to a Mason jar upon opening it.
Don't rush to judgement on a blend. Love at first puff, and rashly buying a bunch more, has often ended in disillusionment.
I'm not a note taker; but my jar labels include a brief description to jog my memory, and help in choosing my next smoke.
I'm with you! I almost feel guilty about how much I've been enjoying getting into pipes and tobacco.
The cool thing is that I realize I've only scratched the surface, yet with the tobaccos I've acquired I think I have a much better understanding of the various types, styles, or genres and am beginning to settle into learning with the 15 or so blends I've got on hand.
I've not found anything yet in a quality blend that I didn't enjoy. ( I don't consider CB a quality blend )
Some may have required more than one or two bowls to gather their qualities in my sensory system, but ultimately, I am really enjoying this ride.
One branch I haven't climbed YET is Lakeland blends?
The cool thing is that I realize I've only scratched the surface, yet with the tobaccos I've acquired I think I have a much better understanding of the various types, styles, or genres and am beginning to settle into learning with the 15 or so blends I've got on hand.
I've not found anything yet in a quality blend that I didn't enjoy. ( I don't consider CB a quality blend )
Some may have required more than one or two bowls to gather their qualities in my sensory system, but ultimately, I am really enjoying this ride.
One branch I haven't climbed YET is Lakeland blends?
The star rating might work, though it has its limits. For example, I like non-aromatics better than aromatics, but
I do enjoy aromatics in rotation. I'd give most aromatics lower scores, but might actually smoke my favorite aros, in
rotation, more than I'd smoke some non-aros that I'd give a higher rating. That sort of thing. As long as you understand
how your system works and what you mean by the stars, it's not really a problem. I opt out of recording much about
pipes and tobacco, since a lot of my life is and has been about recording stuff. I like to have some areas that remain
free-form and undocumented, somewhat. As long as the speadsheet is enjoyable to you, it's a good idea.
I do enjoy aromatics in rotation. I'd give most aromatics lower scores, but might actually smoke my favorite aros, in
rotation, more than I'd smoke some non-aros that I'd give a higher rating. That sort of thing. As long as you understand
how your system works and what you mean by the stars, it's not really a problem. I opt out of recording much about
pipes and tobacco, since a lot of my life is and has been about recording stuff. I like to have some areas that remain
free-form and undocumented, somewhat. As long as the speadsheet is enjoyable to you, it's a good idea.
Welcome back to the fold, pvamic41, and glad you found this, the web's best resource for all things pipe and tobacco. Try this article for some starter hints; the main thing to remember is to give it time--both your tasting and the contemplation thereof--and keep copious notes. Over time you'll have a much clearer understanding of what you fancy.
It takes a long time to smoke enough representative blends in the genres, such as straight VA or latakia, to then compare them and arrive at your taste representation of that genre; that is, how the tastes of the many blends all typically taste like so, to you. It takes some years to do this for most guys. If you pay attention to the taste of the tobacco and attempt to separate the different tobaccos in the blend, rather than just puffing absentmindedly, your palate will progress much faster. Ditto if you write tobacco reviews. If this sounds appealing, don't be daunted by saying in public what you think, even if its seems elementary. Apologize for being a reviewer n00b; guys will understand and think back to when they wrote n00b reviews. My point is that aggressive tasting can lead to your brand of tobacco mastery more quickly.
As regards which tobacco I smoke on which day and at what time, my choices are idiosyncratic, much like the choices of everyone else. But I would say that I smoke Dark Flake 90% of the time at night, or 1792.
As regards which tobacco I smoke on which day and at what time, my choices are idiosyncratic, much like the choices of everyone else. But I would say that I smoke Dark Flake 90% of the time at night, or 1792.
I keep a tobacco log. I use pen and paper, because I am frequently smoking out doors. I try (although not always successfully),to write impressions as I start a new blend. If I don't do it then,I try to do it within a few bowls. I will then try to write further impressions later on as I smoke through the blend, and then give it a numerical rating. This makes it useful when I go looking for something to try later on.
I also strongly agree with Cortez - don't rush out and buy a pound because you loved your first bowl. :
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I also strongly agree with Cortez - don't rush out and buy a pound because you loved your first bowl. :
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