New Smoker, What am I supposed to taste?

[bentbulldog]

Hello all,

Well somewhat newish. I recently recieved a pipe which belonged to my grandfather. I took it to the pipe shop, had it cleaned and the sales clerk showed me how to pack it and light it using the 3 layer method.

He gave me 3 bowlfuls of the shop blend "Tropical Mist" and I've just finished the last one. I used to smoke cigarettes and some cigars but didn't like it and cigars produced too much smoke and were too strong. I love the feel of the pipe in my hand and I love the smell of the tobacco in the pouch, and it still tastes much better than cigs or cigars. However, when I smoke it, it tastes little like what I would expect.
When my grandfather used to smoke, it always smelled like cookies or a bakery, which I LOVED. I was hoping for a sweet taste but instead, It tasted like smoke. Not quite like a cig or cigar, much better but still, I was expecting some flavor similar to what it smelled like in the pouch. Is this what I am supposed to be tasting?

Also, After I've smoked for about 20 - 30 minutes, it begins to get bitter. I know that moisture builds up and I have pipe cleaners handy but it becomes almost unpleasant. When I'm cleaning the pipe, the pipe stinks with a bitter odor.

I really want to enjoy pipe smoking but is any of this normal? My grandfather always smoked Captain Black White and unfortunatly I never really asked him about pipe smoking.

 

[kilted1]

First off welcome to the Brotherhood of all things pipe and tobacco :cheers:

Try to be patient with it, and slow your smoking pace way down to just often enough to keep the tobacco burning. Pipe smoking is something that you learn with experience, its not as simple an affair as lighting a cigar or cigarette.

Many a pipe smoker had similar experiences as yours, not tasting what was expected by smelling the tobacco mixture. Aromatic mixtures such as the one you tried are notorious for this. Hmmmmmm, this smells like peaches and cream but tastes like smoke and ashes ... I wonder what I did wrong. The truth is you did nothing wrong, and there is nothing wrong with your pipe or the tobacco, it just takes time to train your technique and palette.

Most of our sense 'taste' is actually a sense of smell. As a little exercise, I'd suggest a trip to your spice cupboard. I know this sound goofy, but open up the little spice jars, give them a good wiff, try to predict what they are going to taste like and smell them again. Now take a small taste. Do you notice any differences? While the spice is in your mouth, breath in through your nose, do you notice the additional flavors you are picking up now?

The same thing works with tobacco, yes its going to taste decidedly smokey, that is what it is, however, you will begin to pick up more subtle flavors as you learn.

I'd also recommend that if it does interest you that you lick up a couple of more pipes as when they are smoked frequently, they tend to sour. Tobacco contains a fair amount of oils which build up in the bowl and can get quite rancid (if that is the right word for it) when the pipe itself doesn't have time to rest and dry out. This is particularly true of aromatics which often smoke more 'wet' than non-aromatic tobaccos.

Finally, take a trip to the drugstore/chemists near you and ask for Bioene Mouthwash, you will experience tongue-bite especially as a new pipe smoker, and Biotene heals you up very quickly indeed!

There is a FAQ somewhere on the board designed to answer your questions, but feel free to post your questions to the group as tehy is a couple 1000 years of combined experience here. Check out the Welcome Wagon, I believe the FAQ is in that forum.

Good luck with your new found hobby, may it develop as it has for us into a life long friend!

ipe:

 

[Warwick]

I'd suggest trying a different blend of tobacco. It does sound like you were puffing too fast/hard, which can create bitterness and make it taste ashy, but it also sounds like it may be that the store brand is possibly not all that great. If you like aromatics, you might want to try some from Peterson, such as Sunset Breeze or Gold Blend. They can bite if smoked fast, but are good aromatics.

A useful resource is www.tobaccoreviews.com . Along with the Reviews section on this board, you can get a feel for whether one blend or another might appeal to you before you plunk down your money.

 

[vaperfavour]

here's some good advice; go to smokingpipes.com and order some virginia tobacco. sweet, smells like cookies or bread and ages the best of all tobacco types! smoke slow!

 

[Anonymous]

Welcome to our community. Well, the thing about pipe tobacco is that it is more complex than cigarettes or cigars; ie, there are a wide variety of flavors.

Sounds to me like you are looking for an arromatic by your description. Keep sampling, trying new tobaccos until you find one that fits, and don't give up if you hit a few that just taste terrible to you now (your tastes change over time).

If you have some local shops, most of them will let you sample a bowl full without commiting to buying anything.

I'm not an arro smoker, can anyone suggest something that he may like?

 

[Anonymous]

Oh I got one, try vanilla cavendish. I"m trying to think who may carry it. Maybe Stokkebye has a vanilla flavor.

 

[adauria]

Lots of good advice has already been given here. A lot of us were let down by aromatic (i.e. "non-tobacco flavor added") tobaccos that don't taste like they smell. You could go 2 routes to solve this problem:

- Try a quality aromatic tobacco if you like the idea of flavorings. They will never taste quite like they smell, but some taste pretty close. C&D Autumn Evening smells / tastes like maple syrup, e.g. Dan's Blue Note tastes like... Dan's Blue Note - hard to describe really, but it is a tasty aromatic that reminds me of chocolate cherries and/or tropical fruit. Some other folks here could give you other recommendations for better quality aromatics.

- Try a non-aromatic tobacco and see if you like the taste them. At the risk of oversimplifying, you could try a Virginia tobacco (tend to be naturally sweeter, hotter burning - smoke slowly!), a burley-based tobacco (nutty flavors, more forgiving for faster smoking), and an English tobacco (distinctive smoky flavors that most non-smokers hate due to latakia tobacco). These terms are somewhat fluid / debatable, and different blends can crossover or span categories, but you can find a good list of things to try here: http://www.nocturne.org/jason/aging/touchstones.php in each of the mentioned categories (and many others).

Most smokers here primarily smoke non-aromatic tobaccos, even though many or most of us started out with aromatic tobacco, but there's nothing wrong with sticking with aromatics (even cheap ones!) if you find you like them. For most of us, however, our early experiences with aromatics were similar to yours and prompted us to move on and discover the wider world of quality pipe tobaccos and their natural flavors.

-Andrew

 

[Herzl]

We generally hope we're mainly tasting tobacco in this pursuit. Pipe smoking, or smoking at all may not be for you, nothing wrong with that, smoking kills. Tobacco usually is associated with nicotine, a vasoconstrictor and risk factor for heart disease. Smoking pipe tobacco is associated with an increased risk of mouth, throat, and lung cancer. It can be a habit, nicotine is addictive, and many of us smoke regularly. The rate of delivery of nicotine is a lot faster when inhaled, for example with cigarettes, and it has been theorized that that higher rate of delivery is a factor in the difficulty quitting cigarette smoking compared to pipes and cigars, which seem to be less difficult to quit, or moderate its use. Hookah tobacco is often quite flavored in the ways you're alluding to, but the nicotine delivery is high; it's inhaled, with all those implicit negatives, rather than 'tasted' in the mouth and nose, as is the usual case here.

Perhaps you might read the FAQ, try a couple ounces of Captain Black White based on your grandfather's choice. Puff a while in his footsteps. Consider whether you like the 'taste' of tobacco at all. There are herbal smoking mixtures and oils that don't contain tobacco that may be more to your preference. Perhaps aromatherapy that doesn't involve direct smoking at all is an even better consideration.

Even with aromatics, and there are 'American' versus 'English,' the 'flavoring' is intended to complement rather than necessarily dominate. FireDance Flake from Samuel Gawith ('s description), was 'Developed with one of the U.S.A.'s lady smokers, FireDance is Our Best Brown 6" Flake subtly (my emphasis) flavoured with a combination of Blackberry, Brandy and Vanilla. The smoke is a mild, cool experience with the Blackberry the predominant flavour, the Brandy in the background and rounded off with the Vanilla. A mild and fruity smoke with the strength (again, my emphasis) of Best Brown and a very pleasing room aroma.' [Expect this to deliver some nicotine, and definitely be predominantly tobacco.] My everyday is 1792 which is flavoured with tonquin, but not considered a 'starter' choice due to nicotine, but aromatic nonetheless. There are many other examples. A point is that the terminology can be confusing, because it is, the same terms mean different things to different people.

We all started somewhere, tend to describe it as a journey. Different people have different goals. There is a wide range of tobaccos and tastes, styles and preference. Sometimes someone will strongly dislike something, sometimes find it just 'OK,' sometimes like it enough to smoke it regularly, and once in a while, have an experience that exceeds expectations of satisfaction and fulfillment approaching ecstasy. Those destinations may not be close, or, depending on temperament and sensibilities, may be realized in the comfort of an old well-worn shoe, close to home.

Tastes and goals can change over time. For many, variety is the spice of this life. The sages of experience here have been on that journey a lot longer than you or I, and are a great source of not only information, but inspiration. I find it interesting that the most experienced among us are like the newest, still discovering.

Often, we're either planning what tobacco we're going to try, hawks surveying the countryside for 'candidates,' or trolling like sharks on the far reef for that next pipe to buy. Addictive personalities, OCD, and all that, ... Of course, that doesn't apply to everyone. For some, its one tobacco, one pipe, and that's it.

I made it up that it helps me think; and to prove myself wrong, I think it is a 'finer thing in life,' a small pleasure, one that I want to continue to enjoy. For me, it's a matter of looking forward, rooted in an expanse of time: People have been smoking pipe tobacco for quite a while, all over the world, all types and descriptions. It's up to you, how and what, when. And whether. If you decide you want to smoke pipe tobacco, there's a destination for you.

 

[mark]

hawks surveying the countryside for candidates,,,,,OUTSTANDING !!!

 

[fierymonk]

I know this thread is years old at this point. None the less I want to post a thanks to all of you involved with the discussion in hopes that you'll receive the message.

I'm new to pipe smoking and thus far have enjoyed it immensely. I have an overwhelming amount of questions that are slowly being answered as I make my way through the near endless amount of threads and conversation held here in this incredible community.

Many of my most immediate questions were answered in this conversation save for one point: bentbulldog mentions that after cleaning out his pipe he often gets an acrid smell. (This drives my wife crazy.) I would assume this must be typical as no one seemed to touch on that point?

For a time I was wiping down the tabacco chamber after the smoke with a paper towel and really cleaning out all I could. Recently I've just swabbed it with a pipe cleaner afterward and not fussed over it so much. This seems to cut back on the bitter odor.

Do the rest of you fine gentlemen (and ladies!) find this acrid "after note" to be common?

 

[ruraldean]

I always avoid cleaning my pipes when Mission Control is about as she moans about the smell (which even I find unpleasant), so the answer to your question must be "yes, I do". Always chuck your pipe cleaners straight away too -- they can be silent killers.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Zombie thread!

Yeah, get rid of those spent pipe cleaners. Wretched little things. Just a few in the waste bin will skunk up a room right-quick. I'm probably going to get one of those mini bins with a lid just so I'm not constantly dealing with toxic waste.

I think many of us might have started to clean out the bowls of briar almost to the point of sanitary, but I find they perform much better if left alone, if not simply to use a clean pipe cleaner to soak up excess moisture in the shank and stem, and to dry-dust out the excess ash from the bowl. A little cake buildup over time is a good thing, which is what will happen if you don't get too persnickety about cleaning. A just-smoked pipe then only need be stored in a manner that allows some air drying over a day or two, and you'll be fine.

Hope you keep finding us entertaining and helpful. 8)

 

[fierymonk]

Thank you both very much for the sound advice and reassurance. Luckily I've been smoking outside and the used pipe cleaners have been going straight to the trash bin out back.

And as far as entertainment goes I must say, Kyle, that your post never seem to disappoint. I've been poking around here a bit and your verbose musings always seem to entertain!

 

[Storm_Crow]

1- breathing through your nose will allow you to "taste" the tobacco better.

2- choose a good tobacco. I really cannot recommend drug store aromatics. From what you said, "Christmas Cookie" from Boswells might be just your thing. In general, Boswells, Pipeworks and Wilke, 4noggins, and McClelland all make good aromatics. Planta has also recently come onto my radar. Planta, from my experience has the best smell translating into flavor from my experience though their blends are rather sweet so you've got to like that kind of thing.

3- don't let the tobacco get too hot. Aromatics can get to running a bit hot, and like all tobacco, when it's hot it just tastes like unpleasant steam.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

"Verbose" is a nice way of putting it. :lol: One day I'll shut the hell up, but probably when I'm dead. :mrgreen:

I'm an outdoor smoker, too, but no space on the little apartment patio for too much other than a chair and a barbecue. I do much of the cleaning and nasty-stuff inside, and have to be mindful when I start noticing too much "pipe funk" permeating the place. Fortunately, it's pretty dry where I live, so the moisture issue really isn't one for me.

Enjoy the forum!

 

[J Soshae]

Isn't the smell of a tobacco pouch the deepest most comfortable smell on earth?

I do wish there was a way to emphasize that smokey/leathery smell in a smoking pipe.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

I want soap that smells like Latakia in a leather tobacco pouch. That'd be awesome.

 

[Anonymous]

But you don't want smoke in your apartment.

Go figure that one . . . :scratch:

:face:

 

[Kyle Weiss]

But you don't want smoke in your apartment.

Go figure that one . . . :scratch:

:face:

I love to eat burnt bacon, but don't want my house smelling like that (or cleaning up the particulate mess once it settles), either. :lol:

 

[Anonymous]

But you want it for after-soap aroma ?

:face: