Why Can't I Taste Anything ? Please Help a New Smoker

[stringfellow93]

I'm new to this site but I felt like it was worth creating an account.
So I'm very new to pipe smoking, I've tried various differnt blends. I've smoked out of my MM corn cob and my new briar pipe I just got a few days ago but I have the same problem with all of them. I don't feel like I'm getting any flavors while smoking. It's just like smoking...well smoke. I've been using the three step packing method. I don't have to relight my pipe like I use to. So my question is what can I do to get maximum flavor or any out of what I'm smoking? The tobacco I have smells wonderful. I started off smoking differnet flavors of captain black but now I've been smoking some stuff from a local shop of mine and It smells amazing but I'm just not getting any flavors.

 

[canadianbacon]

This is a fairly recent thread discussing your question

http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/tasting-the-smoke
Hopefully this help.

 

[cavendish]

Puff slower, dry your tobacco out a little more, pack nice and loose. What different blends have you tried? Could be that OTC tobacco just doesn't have any taste to it or your smoking it too hot. I had the same problem when I started and I did what I said above and it worked out fine for me. Try it out and see. I'm sure others will chime in as the day goes on.
happy puffing!

 

[cigrmaster]

Welcome to the site string. You will probably have to dry your tobacco more and smoke slower to get flavor out of the blends you are smoking. Also when packing make sure there is some resistance before you light up, too loose or too tight is not good. It should feel like sipping through a straw. Also when you do have to relight, dump your ash, tamp and then re light. You may want to try different blends also. I would suggest getting a tin of Escudo and Dunhill Flake, both should be available at your local b/m. Read up on cube cutting flakes and then give them a whirl, both have a good deal of flavor when smoked properly. Above all, patience is your friend, if you stick with it, you will have that ah ha moment and it will all be worth it.

 

[ghost]

One important thing too that was always my issue when I started out, is when you DO start to get that flavour going avoid the tendency to puff harder chasing it down. It won't make it better. I'm sure the other thread will cover that too...

 

[numbersix]

Welcome to the forums!

Many pipe tobacco blends, and most aromatics don't provide the same flavors we get from the "tin note"

+1 on what roth wrote here. Some aros have little in the flavor department but smell great. That said, many do have flavor, but these can be subtle too. If you're looking for an aromatic (like Captn Black), but want more flavor, check out pipeworks & wilke blends:
www.vtpipes.com
IMHO, they make the very best aros money can buy. For a lesser expensive aros (but still very good) I'd recommend searching for Newminster blends. I like Danish Black and French Champagne personally.
Finally, many people don't smoke aromatics, but other tobacco types like Latakia blends, Virginia blends and many others. These smell like what you might expect from a tobacco and the flavor is pure tobacco - which is great and can be very nuanced. but if you're searching for a cherry flavor, or vanilla, you won't find it there. However, like cigrmaster suggested, you may prefer those too and may want to give them a try.
Good luck and keep posting questions.

 

[snagstangl]

I agree with smoking slow and drying your tobacco, but also take your time. I have heard that you may need to smoke at least an ounce of tobacco to really get used to and appreciate it, the more i smoke the more i think this is true.

 

[judcole]

Pretty good advice so far. I would just add, smoke the best tobacco you can afford.
Welcome aboard.

 

[stringfellow93]

Thanks everyone for the help and ideas so far, Yesterday I tried some flake tobacco and at first I thought it was really harsh but eventually I came to like it. I looking to order some tobacco online that will have a very nice flavor to it. So my next question is when you order some on the internet what is the best or most flavorful one out there? I'm also interested in trying different styles or cuts.

 

[phred]

Welcome to the forums, Stringfellow!
"De gustibus non disputandum" - questions of what's "best" or "most flavorful" are value judgments, and thus highly subjective. What I might consider "best" might make another person gag, and vice versa. The only way to really find out whether a particular blend lives up to the hype is to purchase some and smoke it - and then smoke some more of it, as a single bowlful is rarely a representative sample.
Take a look under the 'Tobacco Talk' forum heading for posts that focus on tobacco, and read through them. Find a few blends that a lot of people like, and see if you can find a local B&M that stocks it, or check the site sponsors for an online vendor that carries it. Most bulk blends can be purchased by the ounce, and most tins come in a 1.5 ounce size that will give you an opportunity to judge for yourself whether it's "best" or "flavorful". Yeah, you'll likely find a few blends that simply don't do it for you - of the ones I've tried, there are a couple that I'll never purchase again, and a few that I'll only likely consider if there's nothing else out there for me to try (like that will happen...). :D As for which ones those are, again - that's a value judgment, and other smokers may taste them differently. After all - they still make cherry blends.

 

[screamsalvation]

As a very new pipe smoker also the best I can say is go slow. If you think you are going slow enough, go slower. I had many of the same issues, I got a leather like taste from some blends which reminded me of some of my favorite cigars but I didn't get much of anything else.
Then one day two weeks ago I was sitting in my garage winding down from a bad day at work. I began listening to some readings of Poe and some violin music and didn't notice that I was sipping on my pipe nice and slowly. Waiting between draws and going ever so slow when I puffed. I blew some smoke out of my nose and it was like I got smacked, I suddenly tasted sweetness with a hint of cherry. I was smoking a local unnamed black cherry blend and I was actually tasting the flavoring, not the tobacco alone.
I also have found that when packing my pipes I try and use the three step process but I put some in, pack lightly and then test draw. I only pack till I start getting the least little bit of resistance, sometimes this is done in two packs of tobacco and sometimes in three or four. This has seemed to help me lately with needing fewer relights and making the bowls last longer since the tobacco isn't burning quick and fast.
I still have a lot to learn like you but these things seemed to help me when I figured them out. Don't worry about relighting, I've been told that if you are starting out and not needing to relight much then you may be smoking too fast and trying to keep things too hot.

 

[fitzy]

Great posts by everyone. I do have to mention that aromatics in general don't have anywhere the strength in taste as they do in smell. Definitely slow down your smoking and smoke cooler. Don't light it too much or puff too hard when lighting as that can affect your taste buds. I see novices do that all the time where they puff like mad trying to get it lit. I tend to just use matches as they burn cooler.
I would recommend you try other blends besides aromatics. Maybe some Virginia blends like Harris recommended.
I also recommend you go get yourself some Frog Morton's Cellar. It's like an aromatic version of a Latakia blend. I think you'll see some interesting flavors there.

 

[stringfellow93]

I've heard nothing but great things about the "Frog Morton's Cellar" I may have to try some. Haven't seen it locally for sale, maybe an online order.

 

[fitzy]

I'm not sure if your in the US or not but smokingpipes.com and pipesandcigars.com are both excellent online retailers and they are generally less expensive than brick & mortar shops.

 

[linkdead]

Using these tips I finally identified a "Spicy" flavor above the normal smoke, tobacco, cigar flavors I've been stuck with. It was with a blend called HH Old Dark Fired and it's my first "favorite" that I plan to stock up on. It burns well and allowed me to smoke slowly with the bowl almost on the verge of going out. I relaxed into it and played with the smoke. I highly recommend it.

 

[sparrowhawk]

Thank you so much! I was wondering what B and M stood for! (still learning these darn abbreviations...).

 

[wayneteipen]

Great thread and responses. One thing I'll add is that exhaling smoke out your nose (snorking) and french inhaling both can enhance the flavors of tobacco. Our sense of taste is very dependent on our sense of smell.

 

[sparrowhawk]

Let me add something I'm surprised hasn't come up: you have yet to develop a pallet for smoking varying flavors of tobacco. It's rather like someone trying an expensive, aged wine--the flavor will go right over his head because he is unused to wine. Same thing with pipe smoking; one must develop a pallet for the many flavors of tobacco before he can really learn the difference. I'm sorry to say this is one reason why many people drop pipe smoking after only a few tries. They pick the cheapest tobacco imaginable (I once tried Middleton's Cherry, and felt like a pit bull had French kissed me) and/or use a cheap pipe (corncobs are not included in this last), get terrible tongue burn or bite, and they immediately stop trying. But this is a special hobby, one that takes a a couple of weeks. So give yourself a little time to get used to a good pipe and quality tobacco. And also remember that these flavors are often very subtle, like a good wine.

 

[boudreaux]

@sparrowhawk -
To see a list of abbreviations (acronyms):
Go here:
You get the link by clicking on "Forums" at the top of the page. When you get there, you will see the link on the right side in orange, just under the listing of your Private Messages.

 

[Dutch Pipe Smoker]

Maybe these posts from my blog can be helpful: Who’s afraid of chemistry? (by Paul) – Part 1. and Who’s afraid of chemistry? (by Paul) – Part 2.