For me I started out smoking aromatics, and then transitioned to English/Balken, Virginia, and some Burley blends. I found that I just enjoy those blends over aromatics, but I still smoke some aromatics from time to time. For me I keep certain aromatics on hand for those times that I want to enjoy an aromatic. I know the ones I like and primarily stick to those, but I'm not so snobbish to not try something if it sounds good.
You're about the same as me. I had't come across the term aromatics until I came onto this forum. I knew that some blends were pure tobacco and some were cased with added flavourings. All I knew was some I liked and some I did not.
To my tastes, some casings enhance the tobacco flavour like seasoning without fighting it, and others taste artificial and mask the tobacco taste. I like the former, the latter not so much.
I'm not much of a fan of vanilla and fruit flavours, though there are some I've enjoyed because they were good quality, smoked well and had a complexity that changed through the bowl. Generally I'm not keen on anything too bright and candy sweet. But that's just me.
At the end of the day it's all subjective and down to our individual taste buds. It's not worth getting sucked down the rabbit hole of what's an aro and what isn't. If you like it, smoke it. If you don't, smoke something else. No one has to justify their choices to anyone else.
