Thoughts on tobacco similar to.... and seeking advice.

[cundiff5535]

I have been gifted a lot of tobacco from friends of the hobby! I have gotten a chance to try a lot so far.
One thing for me is that to really get a good understanding about how I feel about a certain blends etc is that I need to smoke things side by side or back to back.

There have been plenty of tobaccos that I have tried on their own and have walked away thinking, "this is good"... until I smoke it in conjunction with something else. This probably isn't a big deal however, for me once I realize I like something more, I have a hard time going backward as I have picked up a note or characteristic of something that seems off.

A prime example of this is Hu Directors Cut. I liked it on its own... then I smoked Zulu and greatly preferred the Zulu over it. This was a surprise for me since the two have a lot of similarities in terms of the blends. Another one is BA Plum Pudding... I really enjoyed it... but I smoked some Country Squire Cowboy Coffee right before it, and was kind of taken aback as I greatly preferred the Cowboy Coffee.

The last thing I will mention is that some of the blends I have smoked that contain: Black Cavendish, Burley, Cavendish, Latakia give me a odd tingle. Its not tongue bite, but some other feeling of heavy "spice" that I don't love. Does anyone know what this could be? I looked up a handful of blends that I get this from and the above are whats most common... So I am not sure what one it is?

Lastly, I am really enjoying Maple Shadows, Cowboy Coffee, Zulu, HH Dark Fired, and a handful of other Hu blends such as Dark Moor.

Can anyone give me some other suggestions on tobacco that they think would fit into the above pallet profiles?
Looking forward to your thoughts and replies.

 

[Sigmund]

I think you can guide yourself well if you sort out the tobaccos you like and get a better understanding of their genres. For instance, Directors Cut and Zulu have more differences than similarities. Its almost like saying I tried green beans but I like Tomatoes better. They are from quite different genres.

That said, you seem to be enjoying a wide variety of tobaccos…it really comes down to experimenting. Perhaps look at the fun thread nominating the best blends of 2024. Grab a few and smoke them,

 

[dottlejockey]

I agree with @Sigmund that nothing is better than personal experience as a guide. On another note, when tasting different blends back to back, this can have an effect on the pallet and might not be the same experience as smoking something singularly. I've experienced this with tobacco, wine and whisky alike. There are things from each category that is great on its own, but can be diminished (or enhanced) when taken directly after something else.

 

[cundiff5535]

I agree with @Sigmund that nothing is better than personal experience as a guide. On another note, when tasting different blends back to back, this can have an effect on the pallet and might not be the same experience as smoking something singularly. I've experienced this with tobacco, wine and whisky alike. There are things from each category that is great on its own, but can be diminished (or enhanced) when taken directly after something else.

This is valid... Appreciate that thought.

 

[hoipolloiglasgow]

I think the tingle you experience is still tongue bite. You’ll get used to the smoke after doing it for a few months and spicier tobacco won’t be so harsh and edgy. I see you’re already into Latakia blends which is a great place to start as they are typically mild and flavorful. Try Peterson Nightcap. It’s very smooth, mellow, and won’t bite. Really, you should read up on blend/leaf categories and smoke as many blends you can so you can figure out what you enjoy.

 

[jipper]

I would recommend GLP Quiet Nights. IMHO it may be somewhere in between DC and Zulu. I smoke all three regularly. DC has much less smokiness to it, wiht no latakia mentioned. Zulu carries a load of latakia and for me a strong incense note (church), to the point of sour. Quiet Nights lands in a very rich middle ground between the two. I find my tastebuds look forward to quiet nights more than the other two. Quiet nights' flavour goes deeper for me and is the most savory of the three blends, yet the most thoroughly combined set of flavours. Conveys for me both ends of the DC and Zulu spectrum if I can say it in such a way. All three are lovely. But Quiet nights tastes like it has spent more time stewing and mixing together.

 

[Auxsender]

Just smoke as much as you can.
Keep smoking and reading about it and watching videos about it and so on. Also try as many pipes as you can too as the shape, dimensions and material of the pipes all affect how you perceive a tobacco.

You and I have very different preferences so I’m not sure I can make any tobacco recommendations.