Recent OTC Blend Experiences

[pipestud]

I've been enjoying reading this thread. Everyone's chemical makeup is so different that it is really hard to nail down what Latakia and OTC blends do as they do different things to different people. There are, for example, a lot of OTC blends that deliver nic hits to me - Prince Albert is one of them although the vitamin "N" in that one is not overpowering. Five Brothers, on the other hand, can whack me with a sledgehammer. I have a friend (a member of this forum, in fact), who says that Five Brothers tastes soft and buttery and he loves it straight.
Latakia is another weed that has a variety of opinions about whether it overwhelms the senses (and it does mine whenever I smoke a blend with a large dose of it). But, I have friends who smoke nothing but Latakia and say the taste is refreshing and a real palate pleaser with no bite, no harshness and doesn't affect their taste buds in the least.
Jiminks can smoke a variety of blends, switching types with each bowl and taste the subtle nuances of all of them. As for me, after back to back bowls of anything, everything I smoke starts tasting the same as my tongue and palate feel plastered.
So, my supposition is that no one is wrong or right when it comes to discussing what various blends do to them personally.

 

[quint]

Now...I hope this doesn't step on anyones toes, but the Prince Albert had like, NO flavor whatsoever. Maybe my taste-buds are shot from VA-Pers or Lat blends, but I couldn't detect anything. It was a cool smoke, but flavorless across the board. Anyone else find this to be true w/ this classic blend? I expected to at least taste some casing.
Now the CH, I could taste at least the casing, which is at least something. The PA? Nothing. Not even cheap tobacco taste!

You are correct. You have probably burned out your taste buds on lat blends. Latakia tends to dull the one's sense of taste- especially if smoked all the time. Wet blends with lots of PG also tend to dull the sense of taste.
Try not to misunderstand Prince Albert or Carter Hall by expecting an explosion of added flavors from these two blends. They have practically no topping or casing added, and that's why they smoke so cool and smooth. They can be smoked all day long without irritating the mouth or overloading the taste buds. And that is why they are so popular and are considered timeless classics. Blends very lightly-topped with flavors that balance perfectly with the natural burleys are a joy to smoke.
Don't get me wrong. I still smoke English blends from time to time, but I have fallen in love with PA and CH, and they have become my main everyday blends. The more I smoke them, the more I appreciate them. They are like trusted friends that never let me down.
Try laying off latakia blends and wet blends soaked with PG for a while and focus on smoking PA and CH exclusively for a few weeks. You will soon be able to detect their mild flavors and learn to appreciate their wonderful smoking characteristics I'm sure.

 

[reverendsasquatch]

I want to like them because 1-they're old school and 2-I really appreciate the fact that I can go to the local grocery store and find them there!
I will keep puffing them, at least the whole pouch of each. That's a fair shot, I feel. I really posted this to see if others have similar experiences, and also to kinda get my feet wet again on the boards. Been away for several months, and I'm a relatively new member to begin with.

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

Jimiks: How would you think if kentucky fired has the same effects as you described with the Latakia?

 

[JimInks]

Paulie: I have seen a few people say that dark fired Kentucky dulls or wears out their tongue. I think it would depend on how much is present in a blend, and how often and how fast you smoke it. For instance, if you smoked three or four bowls of MacBaren Old Dark Fired in a row without a break in between, I could see the need for a palate refresher. That might even be true for a blend where the dark fired is a condiment, but I think that would depend on your body chemistry, and how much you like dark fired Kentucky.
Everybody has a varying tolerance level for different tobacco varietals. I've seen a few complaints about burleys and black cavendish tearing up the inside of the mouth. I've already mentioned that latakia can dull your tongue. We used to have a member on this forum (Cigrmaster) who got mouth sores and scorched tongue every time he tried to smoke red Virginia. He said it would start just after a few puffs, which frustrated him to no end as he liked the flavor of red Virginia.
I've seen people who smoke strong G&H ropes, plugs and twists, who can't taste much of anything in milder blends. If you are daily smoking something strong like Sam Gawith Black Twist XX, there a fair chance you'll find Stonehaven or an OTC blend bland and flavorless by comparison. Again, I think it boils down to what your preferences are, and what your body chemistry, and tolerance levels allow you to enjoy.

 

[pipeman7]

I find the only drug store type tobacco I can smoke is the sutliff blended Iwan Ries blendsfor when you want to smoke inside around other people.

 

[pipeman7]

I'm smoking some Iwan Reis 3 Star Blue in a full bent Comoy Rover. JimInks, do you consider the IRC blends a step up in quality from the drugstore blends?

 

[JimInks]

I prefer to think of many of them to one degree or another as varying twists on the aromatic and/or semi-aromatic genre. Some, like several of the Three Star blends and Old Colonial would fit in well in any place that sell OTCs. Essentially, it's a very subjective experience based on a particular smoker's preference. Ultimately it just comes down to what you like best and what your individual wont is in regard to smoking.

 

[pipeman7]

I meant more in terms of tobacco quality. What other IRC blends are aromatic with a strong room note? I have Blue, Old Colonial & King's Oriental. Are the IRC blends like the buttered rum one sold as sutliff bulks under a different name? It seems like they would be

 

[mso489]

jiminks makes a good point (as usual) that you can numb down your taste with an unending diet of full-strength blends of various kinds. I've backed off somewhat from high-test blends, enjoying them intermittently, but weaving in some milder non-aros and some select tobacco forward aromatics too. I find this makes the overall experience much more varied and interesting. A stretch of thrill-seeking with Tambolaka and GH rope is a good journey, but not the whole available menu. Just now and then.

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

Thank You for tips Jim,

still and so far blends with aboundance of brighter and red virginias are causing me some mouth irritation which is never the place with Burleys.

 

[JimInks]

You're very welcome, Paul.
Pipeman: It's been quite a while since I smoked IR Buttered Rum, and it used to be different. I don't believe Sutliff made it then. I don't know about how that blend is now. I haven't tried all the Three Star blends, but of the ones I have tried, the Blue has the strongest topping.

 

[hawky454]

So, my supposition is that no one is wrong or right when it comes to discussing what various blends do to them personally.

Well said.

 

[hawky454]

jiminks makes a good point (as usual) that you can numb down your taste with an unending diet of full-strength blends of various kinds.

I used to think the same thing because it’s so commonly parroted in the forums but I’ve come to always smoke at least two pipes at one time, when one pipe gets warm I switch over to the next pipe and I find that smoking a strong blend in one pipe and a subtle blend in the other pipe really helps the flavors POP and I can taste much more subtleties in the mild blend just after switching pipes. The strangest thing is that VaPer’s and VA’s taste so much better after I’ve imediately smoked a heavy Lat blend like Nightcap. I went months trying to avoid Lat because I always heard it dulled your palate... I just don’t want new pipe smokers thinking they need to stay away from Lat in order to enjoy other blends. In the end, do whatever works for you!