lingering hop flavor

I am looking at hop rhizomes for this spring and have settled on Northern Brewer mostly because I like the fact that it doesn't linger on the tongue.  It has a sharp bitter but then it's gone.  Other hops I've tried tend, mostly noble, to linger on the tongue.  I'd like a spicy, flavorful hop to plant along with my NB but don't know which have the linger I don't like as much.  I'm looking at Sterling but have never used it in a brew.
Can anyone help me decide?  I live in Western Nevada, growing zone 7b so almost any hop should grow here.

Charles

Northern Brewer tend to have a long, lingering bitterness, along with a dry hay to raw wood character.

Noble hops aren't known for lingering bitterness, but are known for the spicy quality you described as liking. Noble varieties are the original 4 used in brewing: Hallertauer Mittelfruh, Tettnanger, Czech Saaz and Spalt.

So, I'm confused about what exactly is lingering? Grassy, maybe? Herbal or Grapefruit?

Sterling is a solid substitute for Saaz, one of the Noble varieties. You'll get a floral and lightly peppery quality from it. Willamette and Goldings are also solid aromatic varieties.