Tasting different tobaccos

[flat4driven]

As much as I enjoy smoking a pipe, I could never really pick out specific tastes. I can tell the difference between smoky, sweet, smooth and rough, but other than that I'm at a loss. I've tried aromatics (both cheap and premium), Virginia's, Burley's, etc. and I just cant find these flavors that everyone mentions. So, I need some advice. What can I do differently to get more flavor out of a blend?

 

[wallbright]

I have the same problem. I can only smell the differences but the subtle tastes remain a mystery. Hopefully someone can help us out.

 

[pstlpkr]

I have the same difficulty in discerning the more subtle flavors.

I have had some success in this endeavor in the last 4 or 5 months.

The improvement in taste discernment came about as a result of the following.

I simply tried puffing my pipe and releasing the smoke through my nose. (no inhaling)

Since the sense of taste is so closely related/dependent on the sense of smell, I made a connection, although tenuous.
I'm still no connoisseur but I can now taste some of those more elusive flavors.

 

[cortezattic]

While our preferences are very subjective, I think most folks taste things in a pretty similar way.

What differs among us is the inclination parse-out flavors and put our impressions into words.

For example, most everybody has eaten a Big Mac™, but few of us, I think, have actually thought

about the flavor complex involved. In tobacco tasting I struggle with this process, and I've had little

success beyond identifying categories like: herbal, floral, fruity, nutty, soapy, grassy, citrous, etc.

I think the real skill involved is not in making one's palate more sophisticated, but rather, one's vocabulary.

 

[cortezattic]

ps. Riding a bicycle is easy, describing what you're going through to accomplish the act is rather involved.

 

[igloo]

What Cortez said .

 

[fred]

Beyond the subjective qualities of flavor awareness there is another factor

that is often overlooked. These Pipes we smoke are incinerators that loose

their efficiency with use, as the accumulations of past smokes become resident

in them. A clean Pipe will deliver a sweeter smoke and the clarity of the

smoking experience increases with the degree of maintenance the Pipe gets. This

is easily seen in Meerschaums and Clays, who will not impart a taste to the

smoke unless they have not been cleaned. It also applies to Briar. A good example

is the dedication of a Pipe to Latakia blends. If the Pipe is not well maintained,

then after use, all the smoke will taste like is Latakia.

 

[spacecowboy57]

I personally have been able to pick out some subtle flavors in some of my tobaccos, but i find it easier in certain situations. first off, I find that it is easier to taste more subtle notes with my clay tavern pipe. I'm not sure why, but i think it may be due in part to the length of the pipe which allows for a cooler smoke, or perhaps that it doesn't absorb flavors from other smokes. I find that drinking something with my smoke wets my tounge and makes certain tastes more prominant. Sometimes smoking is hit or miss with my taste, but i think these two suggestions make tasting your tobaccos' qualities a bit easier most of the time.

 

[chuckw]

Here is Bob's article on dedicating pipes to tobacco's. I think you will find it quite helpful.
http://pipesmagazine.com/python/pipe-smoking/dedicating-tobacco-pipes-to-pipe-tobacco-blends/

 

[cortezattic]

Per Fred, pipes are

incinerators that loose their efficiency with use, as the accumulations of past smokes become resident

I could not agree more. There's a constant interplay among different tobaccos sharing the same pipe,

and that's a good reason not only to keep the pipes clean, but also to dedicate a pipe to a certain tobacco genre, at least.

Some of us avoid the issue entirely by not ever venturing too far afield of our preferred tobaccos, like sticking

mainly to Va.'s and Vapers, for example, so we don't have to remember which pipe to use.

 

[mrbrandybuck]

I have noticed that the cooler the smoke the easier it is to discern different flavors from the tobacco. If you have a tough time appreciating the flavors try smoking slower to try and keep the smoke cool. Smoking out of a pipe with a long stem also helps keep the temperature of the smoke down. Pipes such as Churchwardens are good for this reason.

 

[wallbright]

I suppose it is like with cigars but with the added variable of previous tobacco smoked in the pipe. It took me a year of cigar smoking, one or more a day, to be able to taste the subtle flavors that cigar aficionados were talking about. Now that I don't smoke cigars nearly as much I cannot taste the subtle flavors as much.

 

[spacecowboy57]

yeah, i definitely agree. I hadn't really noticed before, but i automatically inhale through my nose as i draw smoke into my mouth, and trying it without inhaling through my nose, i notice that i lose alot of the aromas.