Have My Tastebuds Changed, or Has Frog Morton On The Town?

Wow, it's amazing what some time off from the pipe does to the taste buds. I gave up pipe smoking about 5 years ago when I was busy moving house and I sold off my pipes and tobacco, always with the intention of taking up the art again after things settled down a bit. Well, it took quite a bit longer than I expected, but recently I've picked up a couple of pipes and a few blends and have begun my pipe smoking journey once again. Well, I popped a tin of 2016 FMOTT last night and boy was I surprised how different it was from what I remembered. I remembered this one as having a very sweet, almost marshmallow type of taste, which I always assumed was from the basma. However, while I still find the blend mellow and smooth, I don't really taste that strong marshmallowly goodness I remember. I don't imagine the Froggy has changed (although it seems a bit less sticky than I remember, so I wonder if they have eased up on the pg or whatever keeps it moist), so I guess my taste buds have changed. Kind of fun, really. Like beginning a journey you know you are going to love the second time around.

Nobody likes a quitter. Nice to have you back! :D

Shame on you for selling off your stash though. Imagine if you still had a cellar full of Virginia flake, now with 5 years on it. :pipe:

Probably both. And welcome back to this arcane little corner of the world.

Regarding tastes, mine change from week to week, so I can imagine what 5 years would do.

The blend may have evolved somewhat. It's the blender's persistent challenge to maintain a flavor profile with tobacco crops that are never quite exactly the same year after year. But it's probably more your palate that's changed.

I've noticed that diet can also affect how the tobacco tastes, especially the most recent meal.