Nose Fatigue

[Bananacaravanadium]

I had been looking forward to trying John Cotton’s Double Pressed Virginia for quite a while; it had sit in a jar for about 7 weeks before I got around to smoking it. When I did, I was disappointed to discover I just couldn’t enjoy it. I’m going to set it aside and revisit it in a few months but one of the things I didn’t like about it was something I hadn’t experienced with a blend before:
The taste alone was flavorless with a tart sensation; however, my nose could pick up the breadiness and sweetness so the taste/smell combination was not bad. I don’t mind using my nose and typically do to experience a blend, but by the end of this bowl my schnoz was dried and too smoked out because without using it was just a bad experience and I needed the smell to enhance the lackluster taste.

In anticipation of a couple of questions: I don’t think it was the pipe; VA’s usually sing in this one and it was cleaned thoroughly only about a week before smoking this blend. I smoked three bowls over this over the course of about a week; nothing else went in this pipe between those three attempts. My tongue can taste fine… had religious experiences the night before with Old Gowrie and the night after with Nightcap (again, each in different pipes of course).

Anyone else get nose fatigue from some blends?

 

[verporchting]

It happens. Take a break from smoking for a couple days and all should be fine.

 

[Roach1]

Yeah a break might help. Ihad this earlier from too many aros.

 

[kcghost]

Every once in a while, you need to take a break from your pipe. Shouldn't take more than two or three days.

 

[burleybreath]

I could never switch hit. If I've been smoking aromatics or latakia or any other enhanced flavor tobacco, I can't just jump to a straight Virginia or burley and expect to taste much. The flavor is as elusive as that of tea for me, and it takes a half dozen bowls in a row to appreciate what it is. Frankly, the first few bowls taste like crap pretty worthless.

The advice given above is good, though. It happens. What you could do is go two weeks without smoking. Then everything tastes good. (Done when I get a cold. Self-inflicted torture, but it really works great.)

 

[proteus]

Definitely agree with timing the tobacco choice. Mornings start with a light VA moving to Oriental or periques afternoon and by evening go to the heavier lat or aro blends. Something along those lines. You have to know the tobacco in your line up to string them together.

 

[Sacred_summit]

I have never had this with my nose. I like the Idea above about starting with milder tobacco in the morning and increasing the strength throughout the day. That is a pretty good Idea!

 

[anotherbob]

Wait isn't that the brand that brags about being super mellow. I've heard similar complaints about the current iteration of John Cotton before.

 

[anotherbob]

Oh and no nose fatigue but I don't retrohale except for the occasional wisp that just decides that it's going to leave that way.

 

[Bananacaravanadium]

Thanks everyone. I’ll give this blend another try varying my rest time. This hasn’t really been an issue in the past so I assumed it was the blend but maybe it is my smoking rotation.

Since about the beginning of March, I’ve been rotating through an English, Aromatic, VA-based (usually a Va/Per) then straight VA as I’m exploring a bunch of blends. I pick one tobacco for each blend type then go through that rotation 3 times, sticking to the order. I usually just smoke once per day at the end of the day (twice or thrice on weekend days). This has been a good setup to keep the palate functioning well, but you all may be right that for some reason it failed me. I just didn’t think it was my palate because I had good experiences before and after the bad one; also having a good experience at the moment with some Waccamaw. But I will try your advice. Thank you!

 

[Bananacaravanadium]

Oh and no nose fatigue but I don't retrohale except for the occasional wisp that just decides that it's going to leave that way.

That is my typical too; only felt forced to use my nose the whole smoke because it was unpleasant otherwise. Turns out it was still unpleasant in the end.