Jeremiah, when I first started not long ago I purchased a blend from each type of tobacco to try out... just to see where my tastes are. This link is a great place to start...
http://agingfaq.nocturne.org/touchstones.php
What I did was get a tin each of:
VA - Old Gowrie
Va/Per - Haddo's Delight
English - Wesminster
Burley - Haunted Bookshop
I got all four of these, popped them all open (stuck them in jars to keep them fresh), and smoked them. I also got some cheap cobs and marked each with a sharpie on the bottom - B for Burley, L for latakia (english), V for VA. That way I knew there was no cross contamination of tastes when smoking. This also meant I didn't have to worry about breaking in my pipe to enjoy the full flavor of the blend.
I kept notes on each one, and on each bowl - to see how my tastes changed. You'd be surprised how differently a blend can taste depending on how it's packed, the pace you smoke it, and at least for me the time of day.
The above blends helped me get my head around what each type of leaf tastes like and what it does in a blend. I had left out the balkans and orientals in my initial purchase to save on money, which have turned out to be my favorites. So if you can't seem to find something you really get into, don't give up and keep trying stuff.
And if you're smoking aromatics, the flavor is going to be mild (at least from my experience). I haven't found an aro that has the full body to it that I enjoy.
Once you have an idea of what you like, then start exploring more blends in that family and reading the reviews of them here and at tobaccoreviews. Another thing I like to do is to go to smokingpipes.com and pull up a blend I like. At the bottom of the page it will say something like "customers who buy this tend to also smoke..." and will have a list of some other blends.
Hope that helps a little. Keep asking questions if you need more help!
