Difficulty finding pipe tobacco I dislike

[Ropey]

Awhile back I started a thread asking people to give me names of pipe tobaccos generally recognized as being shite, so I could avoid them. People told me that, unlike many cigars, pipe tobacco generally isn't shite, no matter what kind it is.

I have found this to be true, and it's quite disconcerting to me.

With cigars, probably three out of five new lines I try I can't stand, one I think is ok, and one I like. But with pipe tobacco, I literally haven't found one that I dislike. There are some I like slightly more than others, such as Navy flake, but all are either decent or good to me.

It troubles me because it makes me think my palate is so unrefined that I can't tell the difference between good and bad.

Recently I had to buy the last pouch of ancient, dessicated Captain Black Cherry at a liquor store because I was in a situation where I had a place to smoke and a pipe but no tobacco (never again!) It turned out fine and the girl in whose house I was smoking enjoyed the aroma.

That, to me, is like picking up a Ron Mexico and enjoying it nearly as much as a Padron, which disturbs me greatly.

Is this normal, or should I expect things to change? Why would there be such a tremendous variety in the quality of cigars, but very little in pipe tobacco? I'm not even talking about cigar construction, I'm talking about the flavor and quality of the leaf.

[Nature]

Ahhh, welcome to the joys of piping. :encouragement:

[Emperor Zurg]

It seems the worst pipe tobaccos are usually cheap aromatics. Usually, the thing that makes them bad is lack of taste. However, even a cheap aro smells great when you smoke it, even though it has very little flavor. That can't be said for a Ron Mexico. Cheap cigars have loads of flavor - and all of it bad. I guess I'm saying that the subtlety (is that a word?) of pipe tobacco plays in its favor.

Tongue bite also plays in but some folks don't seem to get bitten by anything. If you're one of those, count yourself lucky.

There are exceptions: I tried C&D Autumn Evening and I hated it. Couldn't even finish the bowl I thought it tasted so bad. However, I've read plenty of commentary from others who would choose AE as a desert island tobacco they like it so much. So I could hardly say that AE was absolute garbage and don't try it. It's fine quality baccy, I just don't care for it. You may fall in love with it.

[Tobias Lutz]

Everyone is different in their tastes, but I've been smoking for 15+ years and I still enjoy about 85-90% of what I try- and I'm not particular when it comes to trying new blends. I enjoy a wide swath of English, Virginia, aromatic, and even Lakeland tobaccos. Different strokes for different folks, but being less "discerning" can put a hurting on the wallet :)

[Lostmason]

For me it's all about the price and packaging. I'm cheap, but not cheap enough to buy those 1 lb bags of Smokers Pride. I like the burley blends the most
and the aros are welcome too. I've tried a few english , viginian and others that I don't really know how to classify that I've enjoyed a lot. I wouldn't worry
that my palate is ruined or bad, I'ld worry that my wallet can take the strain.

[Cool Breeze]

I'm pretty much that way myself, with the only exception being English blends.

I'm in no sense a latakia whore like some seem to be. If a blend has latakia in it, it seems to be the predominant flavor to me. If the blend isn't sweet, I don't want it. It seems to be the one quality that makes me enjoy a lat blend.

Other than that, I'm with you.
I like naturally sweet Virginias and Vapers the best I think, but I can enjoy an aero or a burley blend like CH or PA any time as well.

I'm currently sitting on my balcony smoking a bowl of Sutliff Royal Viking in a cheapo MM Hardwood and enjoying every puff. :)

[JustTroItIn]

At least you are starting to understand why you got the answers you did in your "What are some "crap" pipe tobaccos to avoid?" thread that frustrated you so much. Glad you are enjoying the pipe!

[Branzig]

This kind of seems like Dejavu from another thread you had :p

Joking aside, I can tell the difference in leaf quality in pipe tobacco. For example, the Gawith's Virginia offerings are top top notch. They use a lot of exotic Virginia's, and the flavor profiles are excellent. Much better than your run of the mill Virginia blends. I guess I would consider Samuel Gawith and Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. to be the Davidoff and Padron of the pipe tobacco world.

Also, just like cigars, you will have to refine your palate. I doubt you could pick out much of the Orientals, Turkish, or Va notes in a heavy Balkan blend vs. a stout English yet...it is going to take time. As a matter of fact, if you smoked a highly Oriental blend right now, you may find that it is too zingy or sour.

But going back to what your older thread was all about: When it comes to pipe tobacco, you will find that there are certain profiles you don't like; but overall, the tobacco itself is all pretty good.

[Bruck]

Okay, wait, here it comes... just a minute... OK, I think I've got it.

Pipe tobaccos are all good because they have to be.

There's a wide range of quality in cigars because they have to use up all the tobacco.

What do I win :)

[Desertlifter]

Pipe tobaccos - rarity sometimes notwithstanding - are all pretty cheap, particularly when comparing them to cigars. Even more expensive blends are pretty damn cheap. There is really no way to make a quorum or hesitant pirate level of pipe tobacco that is THAT much cheaper than something by Samuel Gawith. The only "bad" pipe tobaccos that I can think of are RYO tobaccos masquerading as pipe tobacco.

[LandonColby]

Why is that troublesome to you? Because other people might see you as cheap? Because people will know you aren't picky? I guess I don't see the downside of enjoying all your tobacco.

If you really care that much you can always tell people that you like the expensive blends more than OTC blends.

[Ropey]

At least you are starting to understand why you got the answers you did in your "What are some "crap" pipe tobaccos to avoid?" thread that frustrated you so much. Glad you are enjoying the pipe!
At least I learn, right? Might take a little while but eventually things work their way into my noggin ;)

Why is that troublesome to you? Because other people might see you as cheap? Because people will know you aren't picky? I guess I don't see the downside of enjoying all your tobacco.

If you really care that much you can always tell people that you like the expensive blends more than OTC blends.
Just something to get used to I guess.

I wish there were a sticky thread for guys moving from cigars to pipes, 'cause there are some really huge differences between them.

Eg:

-The pipe "high" is completely different and more philosophical.

-You're not looked down upon for smoking flavored stuff.

-You can put a pipe down and come back to it later.

-Different tobaccos have different moisture levels.

-Relights are a normal part of pipe smoking.

-The cost of even the highest-end pipe tobaccos is incredibly reasonable.

Etc.

[Branzig]

I wish there were a sticky thread for guys moving from cigars to pipes, 'cause there are some really huge differences between them.

Eg:

-The pipe "high" is completely different and more philosophical.

-You're not looked down upon for smoking flavored stuff.

-You can put a pipe down and come back to it later.

-Different tobaccos have different moisture levels.

-Relights are a normal part of pipe smoking.

-The cost of even the highest-end pipe tobaccos is incredibly reasonable.

Etc.

Soooooo.....

What you're saying is you want us to make a sticky on all the reasons that pipe smoking is better than cigar smoking?

Yeah. Don't think that will fly. I'm not disagreeing with you. Just don't think it would fly [emoji14]

[LandonColby]

In all fairness, you still have a lot of offerings to sample too. One of the first tobaccos I ever smoked was Dunhill Flake. At the time, all I got out of it were some grassy notes and blistering tongue bite... thought it was over hyped crap just because it had a fancy name brand. But 5 years later I knew how to smoke and respect the tobacco like it should be, and I had also had tons of other virginia flakes to compare it to.
I appreciated flavors that weren't there for me the first time, and savored every flake.

My point...just because you don't see the nuance now doesn't mean you won't in the future. Until then, just enjoy what's in your pipe.

[fastnbulbous]

Since I am still too new to Pipes to know what questions to ask (sort of), this is a good place to start.

I have noticed this so far as well. Everything I have tried I have enjoyed. I have only had about 5-10 bowls so far (they are getting better as I learn to smoke), but I have liked them all. After smoking cigars for a long time, I was wondering the same thing. I am generally not into aromatics when it comes to smoking, but even those that I have had I really enjoyed. I do not think that I have much of a "nuanced flavor taste", but just know what I like when it comes to cigars. So far the pipe tobacco has all been great.

I still love cigars, but can already fell my way leaning towards pipes.

[Haebar]

Generally I try to finish all of my tobaccos in accordance with my dislike for wasting stuff. Even when a tobacco doesn't strike me as good, I keep at it until it is gone or I just can't finish it. Usually by the time I near the end of it, I've come to appreciate it on its own merits. That's what happened with Half & Half; after smoking through a pouch of it, I came to appreciate it.

There have been a few tobaccos that I didn't care for, most of them aromatics. The first one I remember that sticks out in my mind is Mixture No. 76. In the early 70's when I tried it, the soap taste is all that I remember about it. Although I like a good cherry blend, I never much appreciated Paladin Black Cherry. A friend of mine's dad smoked it back when I was in high school so I tried to like it but I didn't take to it. The worst experience was with a pound of a tobacco from the E.A. Carey Company. I had been a member of their tobacco club and had been happy with the tobacco that I had gotten from them in the past. One month I received a pound of tobacco that had way too much flavoring added to it. It was some kind of aromatic glycol stuff that was okay in the proper amounts, but this bag was so moist out of the bag that it just wouldn't dry properly. After burning my tongue too many times, I had to throw it out.