Benjamin Button
New Member
- Joined
- Jun 6, 2008
- Messages
- 170
I recently read an entry from The Scotch Blog that I think many of you will enjoy.
Scotch Blog: Have Ratings/Tasting Gone to Far?
As I read this I began applying it to my job at a local wine bar, Unwine'd. I often go through each day hearing the latest wine reviews and listening to "wine speak" as much as I care to open my ears. Acting as a bartender/sommelier etc., I am often accosted by guests that will regurgitate the latest reviews from Wine Enthusiast when ordering or trying to impress their knowledge upon their dates/fellow guests/or even myself. A single sip of zinfandel can lead to a 5 minute discourse on the dark fruit aromas, chocolate undertones masked by smokey spices of oak and subtle citrus notes, full bodies this and softness that, blah blah blah. We tend to get ourselves so wrapped up in the education that others have thrust upon us through their reviews/tasting experience that we forget our main purpose; enjoying the finer aspects of wine/whiskey and even tobacco and using it as a vehicle to get lost in the moment.
As you read through that blog entry I am sure you will eventually start to connect experiences reading TobaccoReviews.com and even CigarPass.com. I have read so many reviews and there is always one extreme ("This tobacco is amazingly smooth with absolute ZERO tongue bite and a room note that even a mother would love!") to the next (This tobacco stunk like a diesel truck in a sewage plant and I might as well lit my tongue on fire it bit so bad!") and often those are on the same tobacco. The fact is, everyones palate is different. As you read the blog, you will see it makes sense.
I'm reminded of my time in St. Maarten laying in the crystal clear blue water with not a care in the world watching sea turtles swim beneath me. At that moment I had a Heineken in hand and it tasted like heaven in a bottle. You know what? I hate Heineken. I think it is the nastiest beer I've ever put in my mouth, but at that moment, it could not have been more perfect. The same goes for our experiences with pipe smoking. There is more to our perception of a blend or a brand than what hits our tongue or fills our nose. Imagine lighting a bowl of your favorite blend in a dusty garage on a cold rainy night because your wife says the smoke bothers her and you just had a 30 minute argument about how much time you are wasting smoking your damn pipe and it is a waste of time and money. Now imagine lighting a bowl of your favorite blend on a mild summer evening. The sun is creeping towards the horizon and the soft wind coming off the water near your lake house gently caresses a set of wind chimes. The soft sound of the tobacco crackling in your pipe is only interrupted by a few fish jumping in the glassy water in front of you.
Now, which smoking experience do you think will yield the better review?
Perception of the finer things in life is a lot more dependent not only on our immediate senses, but on those extrasensory bits and pieces we often overlook. Have a blend you tried and really did not enjoy? Go back to that moment and think of how you enjoyed it. Maybe take that experience and try to recreate it but change your surrounding. Usually smoke in the house? On the porch? In the yard? Maybe go for a walk, drive to new place, wake up before the sunrise and see how your perception changes from what it was prior.
My mind is racing with thoughts of wine reviews and experiential enjoyment of the finer aspects of life. Have a moment you are reminded of? Please share it and let me know what you think. Happy (smoke) trails!
-Adam
Scotch Blog: Have Ratings/Tasting Gone to Far?
As I read this I began applying it to my job at a local wine bar, Unwine'd. I often go through each day hearing the latest wine reviews and listening to "wine speak" as much as I care to open my ears. Acting as a bartender/sommelier etc., I am often accosted by guests that will regurgitate the latest reviews from Wine Enthusiast when ordering or trying to impress their knowledge upon their dates/fellow guests/or even myself. A single sip of zinfandel can lead to a 5 minute discourse on the dark fruit aromas, chocolate undertones masked by smokey spices of oak and subtle citrus notes, full bodies this and softness that, blah blah blah. We tend to get ourselves so wrapped up in the education that others have thrust upon us through their reviews/tasting experience that we forget our main purpose; enjoying the finer aspects of wine/whiskey and even tobacco and using it as a vehicle to get lost in the moment.
As you read through that blog entry I am sure you will eventually start to connect experiences reading TobaccoReviews.com and even CigarPass.com. I have read so many reviews and there is always one extreme ("This tobacco is amazingly smooth with absolute ZERO tongue bite and a room note that even a mother would love!") to the next (This tobacco stunk like a diesel truck in a sewage plant and I might as well lit my tongue on fire it bit so bad!") and often those are on the same tobacco. The fact is, everyones palate is different. As you read the blog, you will see it makes sense.
I'm reminded of my time in St. Maarten laying in the crystal clear blue water with not a care in the world watching sea turtles swim beneath me. At that moment I had a Heineken in hand and it tasted like heaven in a bottle. You know what? I hate Heineken. I think it is the nastiest beer I've ever put in my mouth, but at that moment, it could not have been more perfect. The same goes for our experiences with pipe smoking. There is more to our perception of a blend or a brand than what hits our tongue or fills our nose. Imagine lighting a bowl of your favorite blend in a dusty garage on a cold rainy night because your wife says the smoke bothers her and you just had a 30 minute argument about how much time you are wasting smoking your damn pipe and it is a waste of time and money. Now imagine lighting a bowl of your favorite blend on a mild summer evening. The sun is creeping towards the horizon and the soft wind coming off the water near your lake house gently caresses a set of wind chimes. The soft sound of the tobacco crackling in your pipe is only interrupted by a few fish jumping in the glassy water in front of you.
Now, which smoking experience do you think will yield the better review?
Perception of the finer things in life is a lot more dependent not only on our immediate senses, but on those extrasensory bits and pieces we often overlook. Have a blend you tried and really did not enjoy? Go back to that moment and think of how you enjoyed it. Maybe take that experience and try to recreate it but change your surrounding. Usually smoke in the house? On the porch? In the yard? Maybe go for a walk, drive to new place, wake up before the sunrise and see how your perception changes from what it was prior.
My mind is racing with thoughts of wine reviews and experiential enjoyment of the finer aspects of life. Have a moment you are reminded of? Please share it and let me know what you think. Happy (smoke) trails!
-Adam
