Where to Go from Aromatics?

[Model 29]

Same here. Somoed aromatics for a while, then went to Orientals. Now, the only tobaccos I really like are the OTC,SWR Regular, Half&Half,etc

 

[Tongue-Fried]

I would suggest a simple virginia flake, like newminster no. 400 superior navy flake.

That way you get the experience of a different cut of tobacco, as well as a tobacco forward flavour, with a simple flavour profile. And you experience 'subtle' which you don't get so much with an aromatic.

Also try a balkan/english blend with latakia, for a more complex flavour profile. This could be one of 20+ different options, but I guess I would suggest G.L Pease Westminster as a starting place.

Don't throw away your aromatics! You may just circle back to them.

I was also going to suggest a Virginia flake. I smoke them exclusively (hence my username, lol), and find them very tasty and full of flavor, some sweetish as well: Virginia flakes are also a great segue from aromatics into other tobaccos and blends.

As you suggested Morton, Newminster 400 SNF is my daily smoke, an absolutely wonderful and very inexpensive bulk flake. MacBaren Virginia No. 1 is also a good tobacco, just be careful as it can bite you if smoked too quickly. I’ve found that I prefer the hay-tobacco barn-bread-sweetness taste of the fresh “unaged” bulk versus the aged tins of No. 1, which posed a profile with more dark fruit and mellow flavors… but others may think differently.

My “dessert” tobacco is MacBaren Virginia Flake… mmm. An absolutely wonderful Virginia flake that has a lot of great flavors dancing around as you smoke. I reserve that one as it comes in $15 tins only for 1.75oz, so a bit more expensive.

Sutliff has some good Virginia tobaccos, but I find them to be a little rough around the edges as far as the flavor and smoking experience go, and would be a little bit more difficult for someone unfamiliar with smoking Virginias to get a good smoke out of them. Just my experience. The Newminster and MacBaren Virginias are much smoother and more polish, which makes for an easier and more hassle-free smoking experience.

A non-Virginia tobacco I like is from Sutliff, called “ East-farthing”. This one is an English with light amounts of topping, but the taste is very nice and mellow, not overdone at all. Research that one on tobaccoreviews.com, and see what you think.

 

[Tongue-Fried]

Mac Baren Vanilla flake or loose cut is a good crossroads between Aromatics and Virginia. Yes, it is an aromatic but the Virginia is very forward and the toppings are way more subtle than any Sutliff offerings. Just a suggestion.

I personally found the MacBaren Vanilla Flake was one of those “I opened the tin and smoked once, then gave the rest of the tin away” experiences. Everyone raved about it, and I love a good Virginia, so I gave it a go; but I found that personally the flavor and aroma was very overwhelming and off-putting. Just my opinion of course, but I thought it worth a mention as this IS a discussion after all.