Tasting the tobacco???

[mushjoon]

Ok, I am still a beginner at pipe smoking, I admit that and it is true.
But, I have to say that my nose is highly sensitive that I can smell a hot dog stand from a few blocks away. (no boasting here)
And I do love aromatic blends.. McClelland's Classic Samsun and the famous local tobacconist store of Ann Arbor, MI, Maison Edward's own bulk blends.
However, I see that I still have a long way to go.
Today, I went to the tobacconist's shop and decided to try Dunhill's Flake. I knew that I had to dry them first, but I stuffed them in and lit 'em.
And...... yeah....... nothing very interesting..... I could somehow smell citrus from the blend.... But wait, smell??? Am I tasting the citrus flavor or smelling the flavor???
What am I supposed to do with tasting the tobacco???
And can you guys also give me a suggestion for a good flake tobacco with solid taste, so I would be like "Wow, so this is how Virginian (or Latakia or whatever) tastes like!!!"
The blend that I have in mind is MacBaren's Navy Flake and Samuel Gawith's Full Virginian blend (I actually want to discover Virginian because I only smoked orientals and cavendish...)

 

[lordnoble]

Am I tasting the citrus flavor or smelling the flavor???

Actually, both. Your sense of taste is almost useless without your sense of smell. Your olfactory sense allows you to "taste" things by smelling them. Kinda. Google olfactory sense and I'm sure wikipedia will have the full, concise explanation.
SG FVF (Full Virginia Flake) is just that; a full-flavored, all-Virginia tobacco blend in flake form. McClelland makes a bulk VA Flake, I think, but I can't speak to that. The FVF, on the other hand, is great straight from a freshly opened tin, but if you can let it sit for a year or five it gets even better. The Virginia blend that I couldn't get down with was Mac Baren HH Signature Matured Virginia. It bit like a starving piranha, and scorched my tongue for two days. Hope this helps!
-Jason
P.S.- I moved this to the Pipe Tobacco Discussion sub-forum.

 

[markw4mms]

One other flake that I find very good is Peter Stokkebye Luxury Navy Flake. LNF is a VA/Perique, that has a wonderful taste, and is available in bulk from most etailers, and maybe even your local B&M.

 

[philip]

I see that I still have a long way to go.

I'm sure this is true of many of us. I'm still learning to taste the differences in the tobaccos I smoke. I think it is a skill some of us develop slowly with much practice.

 

[mushjoon]

I learned that Peter Stokkebye has about four famous flake blends: Escudo Navy Flake, Luxury Bullseye, Luxury Navy and Luxury Twist......
What are the differences among these blends??? And how do you smoke coins? Do I prepare them in a same was as I would with flakes?

 

[jpbass]

One other flake that I find very good is Peter Stokkebye Luxury Navy Flake. LNF is a VA/Perique, that has a wonderful taste, and is available in bulk from most etailers, and maybe even your local B&M.

Agree, and my local B&M sells it for only $3.65 and ounce. When they raised their prices recently, I noticed it was one of the few blends that didn't go up.

MacBaren's Navy Flake

I was given a sample of this the day I bought the PS Flake, and I found it to be way too spicy for my taste.

 

[judcole]

SG Best Brown Flake is a little less intense, to my tastes. It is a very nice Virginia flake, and a regular par of my rotation.

And how do you smoke coins?

I used to just stuff 'em in - haven't smoked any in a while. ::

 

[schmitzbitz]

I'm sure this is true of many of us. I'm still learning to taste the differences in the tobaccos I smoke. I think it is a skill some of us develop slowly with much practice.

I wrote a blog post some time back that may help isolate some of the flavours you are tasting. I am a firm believer that half the problem is simply not being able to identify a subtle nuance due to a lack of rhetoric. How many times have you read a review that says "the flavour is so familiar, but I just can't put my finger on it!". I find that keeping a list of flavours handy when writing my notes helps to peg those down.

 

[smokin10smitty]

I've been smoking "nicer" (nicer than OTC) blends for about 2 months now. So I'm still very much a beginner myself, but with every bowl I'm tasting/smelling and experiencing more. It'll come, and if you're like me you'll enjoy stocking up on all the great blends you can find...and acquiring a few ton of pipes.