Room Note Importance

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NomadOrb

(Nomadorb)
Feb 20, 2020
1,673
13,652
SoCal
So, I usually smoke outside or in my car. Occasionally when it's really cold, I'll smoke inside by a window.

Lucky for me, my wife thinks pretty much all pipe tobacco smells like incense when being smoked, and doesn't have an issue with it. Because of this, I never really put much thought into how I smell because of my pipe. Her nose is really the only nose I care about.

Well, a couple of days ago, I had an interesting interaction with a client. She saw me pull up with a pipe in my mouth, and when I went to speak to her, she told me how her father used to smoke a pipe and she absolutely loved the smell of the tobacco he smoked.

She was not so pleased with what I was smoking in my car, which was GL Pease Embarcadero. So it got me thinking if it would be worth the sacrifice to smoke something more boring but with a more pleasing aroma to the non-smoker. I work with new people all the time, and i don't necessarily want to offend anyone, but I also don't really care that much :LOL:.

Thoughts?
 
Embarcadero has a very pleasing room note. That person just has no taste. Everyone is going to have their own different perspectives on this, but I say fuck 'em all, and just smoke what you want.

I've had people come up to me while I was smoking Virginias, burleys, or Latakias and tell me that it reminded them of their grandpa, even though I am pretty sure that their grandpas would only have had access to OTCs. But, Virginias smell much better than cigarette tobaccos, even if Virginias are the main ingredient. Anything made for the pipe is going to be pleasing, and some people will just have no taste in aromas. YMMV
 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,459
I go mostly for the tobacco flavor, so I go for lightly flavored aromatics or non-aromatics. I'd go mostly toward pleasing your wife on the room note front. Dealing with the public is always tricky -- some people are asthmatic, chemically sensitive, have other respiratory problems, have anti-smoking issues, and so on.

I recently discovered under my stack of tins, pouches, jars, and tubs, a jelly jar with some Lane Limited HGL, an English aromatic (so-called). I lit it up and it was surprising good for a refugee sample. Immediately my wife spoke up from the other room, "Are you smoking an aromatic tobacco?" She sounded genuinely pleased.
 

NomadOrb

(Nomadorb)
Feb 20, 2020
1,673
13,652
SoCal
Embarcadero has a very pleasing room note. That person just has no taste. Everyone is going to have their own different perspectives on this, but I say fuck 'em all, and just smoke what you want.

I've had people come up to me while I was smoking Virginias, burleys, or Latakias and tell me that it reminded them of their grandpa, even though I am pretty sure that their grandpas would only have had access to OTCs. But, Virginias smell much better than cigarette tobaccos, even if Virginias are the main ingredient. Anything made for the pipe is going to be pleasing, and some people will just have no taste in aromas. YMMV
I figure the vast majority will find it unoffensive at the least. I've been in this line of work for 4 years and this is the first time someone has said something negative about the smell. I've had people comment that it smells nice, but they don't know exactly what they are smelling.

And I agree with you, Embarcadero smells fantastic, I love the way my car smells when I come back to it.
 

HawkeyeLinus

Lifer
Oct 16, 2020
5,603
41,079
Iowa
I smoke outdoors, mostly on my deck, or in the garage 99% of the time. Sometimes in my vehicle, wife doesn't care, windows and/or roof always open when I do, even alone.

If I was in my car with someone in a business or friend context I'd ask if they minded and if not, wouldn't worry about the aroma. If they object to the pipe, I wouldn't light it. If they indicated it was bothersome after initially saying they didn't mind, I wouldn't do it again.

I rarely have folks along for a ride and have a pipe handy --- it's for longer trips.

Just me.
 

NomadOrb

(Nomadorb)
Feb 20, 2020
1,673
13,652
SoCal
Depends on who you wish to please, you or the general public? I smoke for my own selfish pleasure.
I'm a pretty selfish guy, if you aren't family, I usually could care less. But with business in mind, people get offended by any little thing these days, have to be careful.

I work a physical job, and I'm in attics and crawlspace often, so I figured the pipe smoke smelled better than the dirt and grime I'm in.
 
Feb 12, 2022
3,450
47,869
31
North Georgia mountains.
I'm pretty lucky in this category. My wife appreciates all my VA blends and let's me smoke in the house. It caused her to develop am interest in tin notes and room notes. Now she wants to smell anything I'm packing and then gives me feedback on the roommate. Virginia flakes and Burley blends are her favorites.
But luckily, she'll tolerate any blend i smoke. But if she's in the room with me, I do try to cater to what she likes.
 

TheWhale13

Part of the Furniture Now
Aug 12, 2021
803
3,417
Sweden
A lot of people nowadays seem to hate the smell of tobacco, not because of how it actually smells but because of some psychological situation. Tobacco smells pretty good, which is probably why it was discovered as the largest addiction ever, maybe. If you are going to smoke around people that don't like tobacco, then something aromatic is probably the way to go? But to people who enjoy (or don't hate) the smell of tobacco, then some light Virginia blends or burley might smell good enough to them. But I don't know, I love the smell of cigarettes, which most seem to dislike.
 

K.E. Powell

Part of the Furniture Now
Aug 20, 2022
506
1,828
37
West Virginia
I'm single and live by myself, so room note is not a major issue for me. I love the smell of tobacco, but I do crack a window and turn on the air filter when smoking indoors, which is often this time of year.

That being said, my mom and I had a conversation about my great uncle, Dory, and she told me he was a pipe smoker. He had this ritual where, after completing his chores on the form and tending the horses, he would go inside and smoke a pipeful while resting on his chair and watching TV. He also kept his tobacco in a jar on top the lamp stand next to his chair. It took me a while to get mom to remember the brand he smoked, but I'm pretty sure it was Half and Half. Back then, if memory serves, H&H had deertongue in it. Next time my mom visits, I'm going to smoke a blend with deertongue in it and see if it spurs any memories.
 
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Reactions: Reggie and NomadOrb
Jan 30, 2020
1,908
6,312
New Jersey
A lot of people nowadays seem to hate the smell of tobacco, not because of how it actually smells but because of some psychological situation. Tobacco smells pretty good, which is probably why it was discovered as the largest addiction ever, maybe. If you are going to smoke around people that don't like tobacco, then something aromatic is probably the way to go? But to people who enjoy (or don't hate) the smell of tobacco, then some light Virginia blends or burley might smell good enough to them. But I don't know, I love the smell of cigarettes, which most seem to dislike.
Like the person who coughs from the visual of a tobacco product and doesn’t even realize it’s not lit. Can’t help themselves.
 

karam

Lifer
Feb 2, 2019
2,369
9,079
Basel, Switzerland
I smoke only outdoors, pipes, cigars or cigarettes. I really don’t like the smell of second hand or old smoke, doesn’t matter who is smoking it, including myself. Especially won’t allow anyone to smoke in my car, my dad used to chain smoke - and we did a lot of driving when I was a kid - aways hated it.

I am visiting my native Greece, it’s snowy and pretty cold for Athens, I actually stopped and had a cigarette outside the car (mother’s car) as she hates it too.

Re: business, clients are important, I bet some people will look at tobacco smell clinging to a vendor just as badly as someone turning up in dirty clothes. Even when working from home I’ll put a shirt on for client calls, which happen every day, so I just end up in a shirt even if I am in shorts below.

Re: those brainwashed morons who pretend to have a coughing fit near a cigarette outside, or the other psychos who start sneezing the moment one opens a window or turns the AC on, I just pity them.
 

OzPiper

Lifer
Nov 30, 2020
5,851
31,141
71
Sydney, Australia
I smoke on my own mostly and occasionally with a mate.
Always outdoors.
So I/we tend to please myself/ourselves what I/we smoke.

My wife is intolerant of smoke, so she busies herself elsewhere in the house or garden.
Win, win 😁

Very occasionally when I smoke around others (there are VERY few public places you can do that in Oz :()
I choose a blend with a pleasant room note, so as not to offend.