Recommendations for Moving Away from Aromatics.

[drrock]

Hello! I've been quite content for the past 15+ years to smoke my aromatics, but lately they just don't taste the same. It seems like my taste is changing and I'd like to find some other tobaccos to enjoy.

In an old Uhles pipe brochure, Jack Uhle wrote:



For me, this has actually been great advice!

 

[FLDRD]

In an old Uhles pipe brochure, Jack Uhle wrote:

View attachment 250814

For me, this has actually been great advice!

When that happens to me for any blend or style, I always have a "baseline" that I go back to for "re-setting" the palate. That would be a different one for each person, but I have my lowest common denominator that I go back to specifically for that purpose.

 

[RookieGuy80]

I would point you to some of Sutliff's codger matches. Something like a Field and Stream or Revelation or Ready Rub or if you can find a ounce or two of Prince Albert. Pouches of Sir Walter Raleigh are fairly available. They are technically aromatics, but it's more tobacco and ___ than a cloying aromatic. They are fairly mild both in flavor and nicotine.

 

[Sam Gamgee]

Update:

I met up with a good friend of mine for pipes and conversation the other night and he gave me this tin. I would have never bought this because after all these years of pipe-smoking I still don't understand the terminology ("Red," "Red Flake" - or even "Flake," "Virginia," etc.). But, wow, this stuff is really good. Once I figured out how to rub it down and get it to fit into my pipe, it made for a truly excellent smoke. My wife said "it doesn't smell good," so I suppose I did move strictly out of the aromatic world with this one. What a fun and tasty foray into terra incognita! Here it is, pictured with my grandfather's old Willard (my favorite pipe):




In other news, and I hope I don't embarrass this fellow, but let me just prove to you (as if you needed it) that the pipe-smoking world is made up of the best folks: Servant King sent me this nice sampler recently based on this thread. Just take a look at this treasure trove of delights! So far I've only smoked a bit of the Mac Baren Vanilla, and I loved it! I don't smoke all that much and this stash will last me till the end of the year easily. I was able to send him a little bit of Stokkebye's Nougat in response (that's all I had on-hand). What a great group of folks we have here!

 

[Gimlet]

Hello! I've been quite content for the past 15+ years to smoke my aromatics, but lately they just don't taste the same. It seems like my taste is changing and I'd like to find some other tobaccos to enjoy.

To give you a hint of my palate, at least thus far, I have thoroughly enjoyed Captain Black Gold, Carter Hall, and Stokkebye's Nougat. I just got a new shipment of the Nougat and it's doing absolutely nothing for me. Not only does it not taste very good, it actually tastes bad. Maybe I got a bad batch?

Based on my past choices and how I enjoyed them, can you recommend some non-aromatics that I can move into? My taste longs for the hints of coffee, cocoa/chocolate, raisin, and almost "earthy" (dare I say soil-like?) flavors that I used to get from smoking these blends. I always enjoyed how those flavors would linger in my mouth for an hour or so after my pipe was done. Those sensations are exactly what I am after. Lately all I'm getting is a burned after taste.

Years ago I was trying all kinds of tobaccos in tins (Blue Note, Presbyterian, Frog Morton) and I didn't like anything about any of them. They were way too strong and the flavors were just too harsh. My mind still remembers those experiences and based on my memory I don't think I'd like them any better today. I have never understood the terms for different tobaccos and had no idea what I was buying. I think it's those black tobaccos that I dislike so much. I don't know the proper name for those.

Are there some "in-between" blends, something with the flavors I've descried that somewhat lends itself to aromatics while also ranging into new territory?

Thanks in advance for your recommendations.

Try GH's Best Brown unscented flake. It's burley and virginia but don't let that put you off if you're wary of burleys. I was experimenting with Kendal flakes the first time I tried it, having got tired of overly sweet top-dressed tobaccos which I'd started off with.

Best Brown was a bit of a revelation. Took to it instantly with the first bowl. Woody, nutty, creamy with a natural earthy sweetness and a lovely almost wood bark scent coming from the bowl. Zero bite, slow burning and cool with a character that changes subtly as you work your way down the bowl - as do most Kendal flakes, I find.
It's a sort of back to basics tobacco that relies on quality rather than throwing too many confusing flavours on top of each other.

I also love Samuel Gawiths 1792 flake which is much stronger and rich in tonquin. You'd think Best Brown would be bland after that but somehow it's not. It's almost like a palette cleanser.

 

[Merton]

A moderately priced sampling opportunity lies in the variety of Amphora blends. You can try a very good Virginia, a burley, Kentucky, original blend, full aroma (an aromatic but despite the name not overwhelming) and others without breaking the bank. They are all good blends in and of themselves and provide a starting point for exploring other blends that might interest you.

 

[hoipolloiglasgow]

Quality Englishes, even the lighter ones, are an acquired taste. 10 years ago when I tried Blackhouse or Squadron Leader, I didn't care for them at all. Now I love them. Of course, tastes change, but it takes several bowls of a blend to really appreciate it. I recommend, Gawith and Hoggarth Bob's Chocolate Flake. I liked it even when I was just into aromatics years ago. It has 8% latakia in it and is a good intro into fuller tobaccos as its only a semi aromatic. You may not enjoy Lakelands though. If you want to get into an earthy, herbaceous blend that's light, I recommend McConnell's Oriental. It's a Balkan, but a great intro into Englishes. That one got me into Englishes and I still smoke it to this day in the mornings. I still smoke Blue Note from time to time as well as a few other limited number of aromatics, but only on occasion. I think once your palette adjusts to the fuller flavor of tobacco, then you'll be able to pick up on the raisins, figs, earthy, cocoa flavors that naturally occur in tobacco.

 

[ParkitoATL]

To give you a hint of my palate, at least thus far, I have thoroughly enjoyed Captain Black Gold, Carter Hall, and Stokkebye's Nougat. I just got a new shipment of the Nougat and it's doing absolutely nothing for me. Not only does it not taste very good, it actually tastes bad. Maybe I got a bad batch?

I smoke a lot of Stokkebye blends and love them all, except for Nougat. I tried and tried but that one bit me over and over again for some reason.

One PS blend really adore is 301 Natural Dutch Cavendish. It's a nice, sweet and fruity Virginia with some Burley content to give it some pop. Very enjoyable smoke on the lighter end of the spectrum.

Similar to that is the PS1 Classic Natural Pipe Tobacco, which is the same Virginia as 301 NDC but with a much smaller amount of Burley, plus it has a very creamy topping, judiciously applied. I'm not crazy about the bag note but dang if it doesn't smoke as smooth as silk. The topping is just enough to fill in the gaps without being distinctly "aromatic." Really an enjoyable bowl.

I get what you are saying about some blends being too aggressive. I moved away from cigars for that same reason, so the trend is lighter but more flavor for me. PS blends really work the trick, esp those mentioned above, Luxury Twist Flake, and English Luxury, which is very light on the Latakia. I can retrohale any of these blends all night long without blowing up me nostrils.

 

[Sam Gamgee]

I smoke a lot of Stokkebye blends and love them all, except for Nougat. I tried and tried but that one bit me over and over again for some reason.

One PS blend really adore is 301 Natural Dutch Cavendish. It's a nice, sweet and fruity Virginia with some Burley content to give it some pop. Very enjoyable smoke on the lighter end of the spectrum.

Similar to that is the PS1 Classic Natural Pipe Tobacco, which is the same Virginia as 301 NDC but with a much smaller amount of Burley, plus it has a very creamy topping, judiciously applied. I'm not crazy about the bag note but dang if it doesn't smoke as smooth as silk. The topping is just enough to fill in the gaps without being distinctly "aromatic." Really an enjoyable bowl.

I get what you are saying about some blends being too aggressive. I moved away from cigars for that same reason, so the trend is lighter but more flavor for me. PS blends really work the trick, esp those mentioned above, Luxury Twist Flake, and English Luxury, which is very light on the Latakia. I can retrohale any of these blends all night long without blowing up me nostrils.

Thanks, man. Very helpful. All recommendations noted!

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

Enjoying some Wilke Palmer at the moment - highly recommend - get a sample pack and experiment with a couple others from @John Brandt!

 

[AppalachianPipe92]

Unscented G&H blends. Likely topped C&D blends (Exhausted Rooster, String Duster, etc). There's many.
These are tobacco-dominant blends with just enough flavor to keep the aro-lovers interested.
Also another vote for all things Country Squire and Watch City.

 

[metalheadycigarguy]

Lots of good recommendations in this thread. When I started out, I was only smoking aromatics and after a while I needed something different. I just took the plunge and jumped into English and Virginia blends, and just started trying different blends. I now mostly smoke English and Virginia blends, and rarely smoke aromatics. I would suggest just start exploring.

Here are a few recommendations:
Seattle Pipe Club - Mississippi River
Seattle Pipe Club - Plum Pudding
Mac Baren - HH Latakia Flake
Davidoff - Flake Medallions
Dunhill (Peterson) - Early Morning Pipe
Dunhill (Peterson) - Flake
Sameul Gawith - Perfection
Sameul Gawith - Skiff Mixture
Sameul Gawith - Squadron Leader
Cornell & Diehl - Pirate Kake
Cornell & Diehl - Star of the East
GL Pease - Chelsea Morning
GL Pease - Quiet Nights
GL Pease - Gas Light
Peter Stokkebye - Balkan Supreme
Peter Stokkebye - Luxury Bullseye Flake
Esoterica - Penzance
Esoterica - Margate
Esoterica - Pembroke

Have fun exploring and sampling new blends.

 

[mso489]

For just one suggestion, Peterson (formerly Dunhill) Mixture 965 usually pleases people and is available in a tin or as a good bulk match. Obviously, the options are vast.

 

[The Amish Tyrant]

I don't recall is Mixture 79 has been suggested. However, I would consider it a crossover blend between burley/codger and aromatics (due to the licorice, anise, root beer flavors).

Other codger blends (Half and Half, Prince Albert, SWR or SWRA) would also be decent crossover suggestions due to the the various toppings.

Perhaps @AroEnglish can suggest some aro-english blends if he hasn't already.

However, it looks like @Servant King got you set up to figure out your preferences (nice work sir). Enjoy.

 

[Servant King]

Update:

In other news, and I hope I don't embarrass this fellow, but let me just prove to you (as if you needed it) that the pipe-smoking world is made up of the best folks: Servant King sent me this nice sampler recently based on this thread. Just take a look at this treasure trove of delights! So far I've only smoked a bit of the Mac Baren Vanilla, and I loved it! I don't smoke all that much and this stash will last me till the end of the year easily. I was able to send him a little bit of Stokkebye's Nougat in response (that's all I had on-hand). What a great group of folks we have here!

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Only thing I'm embarrassed about is my illegible chicken scratch being revealed to the public. Oh, and my atrocious taste in pipe tobacco blends, of course.

Like I told you in PM, I've been the beneficiary of this forum and its members' generosity for going on three years now, so when I get a chance to give back in a way that I'm capable of (i.e. by way of the way-the-hell-too-many blends I have on hand), I'm happy to do it. And I'm digging the Nougat, by the way.

Enjoy 'em in good health, my friend!

 

[AroEnglish]

I don't recall is Mixture 79 has been suggested. However, I would consider it a crossover blend between burley/codger and aromatics (due to the licorice, anise, root beer flavors).

Other codger blends (Half and Half, Prince Albert, SWR or SWRA) would also be decent crossover suggestions due to the the various toppings.

Perhaps @AroEnglish can suggest some aro-english blends if he hasn't already.

However, it looks like @Servant King got you set up to figure out your preferences (nice work sir). Enjoy.

Sillem’s Black: some people consider this an aro still so it might be a good starting point.

HGL: Another English crossover that’s quite light.

Constellation: A sweet, light English.

 

[RookieGuy80]

Check out Sutliff J4 Burley if you get the chance. It's a very light and mild tobacco flavored tobacco with a tiny bit of cocoa in the background.

 

[ParkitoATL]

Check out Sutliff J4 Burley if you get the chance. It's a very light and mild tobacco flavored tobacco with a tiny bit of cocoa in the background.

That is a good one that is currently lost in the back of the cabinet! Very tasty burley blend. I find that much more agreeable than Ready Rub Match.

 

[kcghost]

Ton of choices offered here give a few of them a chance. Sooner or later you will find one to your liking.

 

[Sam Gamgee]

Figured I'd chime in with an update. I've smoked quite a bit of the samples that Servant King sent me. The Mac Baren Vanilla Roll Cake is probably the best tobacco I've ever smoked. I was a little intimidated with the process of rubbing it out and getting it ready to smoke - that actually made me hold off on it for a while. But I got around to it over the weekend and was blown away. I looked it up and it's pretty pricey, but I think I'll splurge around the holidays and get myself some!