Why the big love with English blends? Smell is terrible

[toobfreak]

Why the big love with English blends? Smell is terrible

If you've smelled a few different english blends and think they all smell bad then I got to wonder why you are smoking then? If you've got to pour syrup or heavy casings all over your weed to make it smell agreeable then maybe pipe smoking isn't really for you? Before you give up on english blends altogether, maybe just try something with a different balance; sometimes what smells bad to you today might eventually come to smell great to you 6 months from now.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Don't forget that aromatics are the too selling pipe tobacco. Without them, our little hobby would go the way of the dinosaur. I haven't found a genre that I don't like, but even blends that don't taste like tobacco have their place.

 

[catjockey]

I don't get why there is this image that you are a 'real' pipe smoker only when you've upgraded from aromatics?

I'll stick to aromatics, bye bye English!

I know what people mean, but I do find it funny how English blends are not considered an aromatic. It kind of implies that aros have an additional non-tobacco flavor, but English is just good 'ol pure tobacco. Latikia is as flavored and aromatic as it gets, IMO. As far as 'upgrading', I think that ties into the fact that most beginner pipe smokers start with OTC aros, and then discover the world of tinned tobacco a bit later. To each their own when it comes to tastes. You will find multiple pipers with sophisticated palates that load an OTC blend into a $400+ pipe multiple times per week, because they like the taste and flavor.
Look at coffee (or plenty of other things). I think coffee with added sugar and cream is horrible tasting, but others find my black coffee horrible. My suggestion (not that you were asking for it, lol) is to keep an open mind. Nobody took a sip of whiskey/scotch/other hard liquor for the very first time (probably as a teen or in early twenties) and thought, "Wow! Forget the alcohol, the taste of this stuff is sublime! Is there a way to make whiskey without alcohol so I can guzzle a 16 oz glass full multiple times per day because this stuff tastes like Kool-Aid?" It took me a good tin or two of English blends to appreciate them, and actually crave them at times.
You can find a wide range of flavor profiles amongst tobaccos labeled as English. All you can say for certain (you can say whatever you want and I am not arguing, lol, this is just for illustrating my point) is that you don't seem to like Dunhill SM. Don't be afraid to revisit English blends in the future. You can also 'graduate' from aros into VaPers and VAs, too, so don't forget about trying that genre of tobacco, either, even if English truly is not your thing ...

 

[toobfreak]

True, aros are the lion's share of the market. But in most cases, all you are smelling and tasting is the topping, not the tobacco. English blends don't smell bad, they just don't smell sweet, fruity or whatever. Latakia is a strong, smoky aroma, but that is its point. Latakia is Latakia, but not all English has Latakia in it. Aros are a good place to start, a good thing to smoke socially. Some people never feel the need to smoke anything else while other's tastes change over time and they want stronger blends, at least as a switch off and change of pace. It helps the taste buds a lot to change channels once in a while.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

 

[stvalentine]

:rofl: : My words, Michael! :rofl:

 

[jpmcwjr]

If you want somethin' pretty to sniff, get a sachet of lavender or such. If you want something that tastes great, smoke something you can't sniff!
(Or something like that!)
Regards, enjoy, all!

 

[unkleyoda]

Aromatics are to fruity mixed drinks as English blends are to whiskey rocks/neat.

 

[dottiewarden]

@Cosmic
Too funny! I near pissed myself. Best laugh attack in ages!

 

[andrew]

I smoke aro's like Erinmore flake, bob's chocolate flake, Royal Yacht, but call me crazy, I just like the taste of tobacco.

 

[jvnshr]

I don't get why there is this image that you are a 'real' pipe smoker only when you've upgraded from aromatics?

Who says that ?

 

[perdurabo]

Smoking aromatics, my observations, are like smoking cheap Flavored Cigars. Not all aromatics are like this, but the vast majority that I've smoked come down of the side of cheap flavored cigars. I realize this more as I smoke them in the morning and move to something like GLP Temple Bar after lunch, the sugars from the aromatic have to enhance the tobacco, not hog the show.
English in the winter. That's a great motto. .

 

[pipeman84]

Hi guys

Since starting this thread I finished a tin of Old Dublin and am half way through one of Dunhill Standard Mixture. I really like Latakia now. Ordered some more English blends like Ashton, R.McConnell, Gawith, Solani to explore.

@jvnshr that's the impression I got from forums and watching YouTube videos

 

[dottiewarden]

@jvnshr that's the impression I got from forums and watching YouTube videos

Same here.
Before I had even smoked my first bowl I was an convinced that aromatics were crap and I decided to not even consider them. Inevitably, other pipe smokers would offer me a bowl of something sweet and I'm glad they did, as it helped open my eyes to the endless possibilities when it comes to pipe smoking. By getting into aros later on in the journey I had time to develop my much needed pipe smoking skills before moving into aromatics which I believe require some skill to avoid tongue burn.

 

[iamn8]

You're only a 'real' pipe smoker when you've upgraded from aromatics.

 

[scrumpyjack]

I'm a big fan of heavy kick you in the face English blends but not all the time. I enjoy Latakia a lot, and most of what I smoke contains it in some amount. However, I like "English Aromatics" a lot as well. Shortcut to Mushrooms, Sillems Black, and HGL all hit the spot when I am in the mood. Not all Aromatics are created equal in my opinion. However to me, a real pipe smoker is a person who smokes a pipe. Smoke what you like, but I encourage you to expand your palate by trying different things.

 

[whitesands77]

Glad you came around to the English blends... part of the fun is discovering what you like.

 

[aimlesswanderer]

Know why there's so many different blends? Because there's that many different tastes in pipe tobacco. Personally, if I can keep it lit, I'll smoke it. If I can't keep it lit, I'll smoke it tomorrow.

 

[jvnshr]

@jvnshr that's the impression I got from forums and watching YouTube videos

Same here.

Pipeman84 and Dottiewarden, you are a real pipe smoker when you start smoking a pipe. Nobody can be judged for what they are smoking, well unless it is illegal

 

[colorduke]

I tried blends with Latakia in them years ago,not my cup of tea.Recently started trying C&D blends with lat in them and there a little more tolerable now.