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Post by Legend Lover on Feb 14, 2018 18:48:22 GMT -5
So Jim asked me to share my pipe-smoking experiences. This won't take long...
Let's go back 35 or so years - an elderly neighbour smoked a pipe and the smell was fantastic. I've always been on the lookout for that tobacco, but I've only smelled it about 3 times in the last 35 years. I THINK it's Condor Blended (previously called mild), but I've noticed that a room note smells vastly different if I'm the one smoking than if I'm a passive smoker - strange.
3 years ago I bought a basket pipe and some St. Bruno (thinking that this was the tobacco he used). I looked on Youtube and watched a ton of videos on how to smoke a pipe...result - tasted like smoke.
What was I supposed to taste - who knows? I tried a few more times and almost gave up. Biggest problem was the gurgling which soured the taste. I've since realised I'm a drooler cos my cobbit shire gurgles and it's a corn cob but it's also the only pipe without a filter (except for my first basket pipe).
I then bought a sample pack. Out of that, Peterson's Old Dublin stood out as being different. I also liked MacBaren Cube. It smelled awesome. But taste - still just like I put my head in a log fire - but with the cube, I could taste some of the sweetness.
I'm not sure I really get the taste thing. I try to keep the tobacco only just lit and I snork etc. but what works for me is smelling the smoke as I exhale. This will mean some smoke goes into my lungs, but at least I get some of the 'taste' through the olfactory senses. Cube, Orange Dream and aromatics like that make a difference, but I do like a bit of latakia too - so I try to vary my tobaccos. Problem is the choice is limited in the UK.
My biggest mistake was not lighting the tobacco enough. I thought that once there was smoke, it's lit. It was only until I noticed that spreading the ash around to form a uniform ash layer after the charring light and then really lighting the tobacco that there was enough energy to keep the tobacco burning throughout the bowl.
Anyway, enough none-sense...I'm enjoying whatever it is I do and it helps me relax and contemplate life.
If anyone has anything of their own initial experiences to share, please do. I'd be keen to know what to look out for.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 14, 2018 18:55:14 GMT -5
My first six months were hit and miss for flavor, though I have smoked pipes on and off for 45 years. I still have yet the perfect solution for neutralizing the flavor from one pipe to the next. That and my health meant that I was not even able to get flavor from a strong aro. It took me smoking mostly straight burleys like Five Brothers, Carter Hall, Sir Walter Raleigh, etc before I could go back and get the flavor out of a cavendish. I do advise you to make sure you're taking your stem off and cleaning both parts separately. I double up a pipe cleaner to clean out the stummel. You are not necessarily the fault of the gurgle. Straight pipes help a lot.
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Post by Dramatwist on Feb 14, 2018 18:57:49 GMT -5
So Jim asked me to share my pipe-smoking experiences. This won't take long... Let's go back 35 or so years - an elderly neighbour smoked a pipe and the smell was fantastic. I've always been on the lookout for that tobacco, but I've only smelled it about 3 times in the last 35 years. I THINK it's Condor Blended (previously called mild), but I've noticed that a room note smells vastly different if I'm the one smoking than if I'm a passive smoker - strange. 3 years ago I bought a basket pipe and some St. Bruno (thinking that this was the tobacco he used). I looked on Youtube and watched a ton of videos on how to smoke a pipe...result - tasted like smoke. What was I supposed to taste - who knows? I tried a few more times and almost gave up. Biggest problem was the gurgling which soured the taste. I've since realised I'm a drooler cos my cobbit shire gurgles and it's a corn cob but it's also the only pipe without a filter (except for my first basket pipe). I then bought a sample pack. Out of that, Peterson's Old Dublin stood out as being different. I also liked MacBaren Cube. It smelled awesome. But taste - still just like I put my head in a log fire - but with the cube, I could taste some of the sweetness. I'm not sure I really get the taste thing. I try to keep the tobacco only just lit and I snork etc. but what works for me is smelling the smoke as I exhale. This will mean some smoke goes into my lungs, but at least I get some of the 'taste' through the olfactory senses. Cube, Orange Dream and aromatics like that make a difference, but I do like a bit of latakia too - so I try to vary my tobaccos. Problem is the choice is limited in the UK. My biggest mistake was not lighting the tobacco enough. I thought that once there was smoke, it's lit. It was only until I noticed that spreading the ash around to form a uniform ash layer after the charring light and then really lighting the tobacco that there was enough energy to keep the tobacco burning throughout the bowl. Anyway, enough none-sense...I'm enjoying whatever it is I do and it helps me relax and contemplate life. If anyone has anything of their own initial experiences to share, please do. I'd be keen to know what to look out for. Thanks for that, LL. |
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Post by Legend Lover on Feb 14, 2018 19:08:32 GMT -5
My first six months were hit and miss for flavor, though I have smoked pipes on and off for 45 years. I still have yet the perfect solution for neutralizing the flavor from one pipe to the next. That and my health meant that I was not even able to get flavor from a strong aro. It took me smoking mostly straight burleys like Five Brothers, Carter Hall, Sir Walter Raleigh, etc before I could go back and get the flavor out of a cavendish. I do advise you to make sure you're taking your stem off and cleaning both parts separately. I double up a pipe cleaner to clean out the stummel. You are not necessarily the fault of the gurgle. Straight pipes help a lot. Good advice, Thanks. I do remove the stem and clean it first before cleaning the shank after every use. I also double up the pipe cleaner for the bowl. I think to me smoke just tastes like smoke. The smell is distinguishable. It does help that I like the smell of smoke. |
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Post by briarpipenyc on Feb 16, 2018 6:32:09 GMT -5
LL-
You are not alone. Biggest disappointment for me, ever, was when I first started with pipe-smoking....and I realized that the tobacco tastes nothing like what others might smell. Both the smoker, and passive sniffers experience the tobacco aroma differently. It's too bad the twain shall never meet.
I'm like you. I taste very little but "smoke". No figs, no berries, no cherries, no toasted caramel cookies....just smoke. Forget about pipe smoking when you have a stuffed nose or if you just sucked on a cough-drop. It's horrible.
Honestly, I like smoking outside, in a mild breeze. The smoke leaves the pipe, and blows away from your face, eyes, and nose, but once in a while the smoke blows back into your nostrils, and you get a good fragrant whiff of your own fumes. Then, I can really get to smell my own smoke like others smell it.
Try different blends. Clear and refresh your taste buds by sipping on a (sweet) drink. Little sips of coffee, water, tea, soda, spirits, etc. can help you enjoy the flavors of your own tobaccos. Don't give up too soon. It takes time. Keep the tobacco smoldering, but also cool. Hot, smoldering, steamy tobacco, is what to avoid. No taste.
Good luck.
Frank
NYC
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Post by briarpipenyc on Feb 16, 2018 6:47:34 GMT -5
LL...
PS.... You mentioned "gurgling"...the bane of all pipe-smokers!
Run some pipe cleaners down the stem of your pipes, and, do it often. A gurgling tongue-washing from the rank, steamy, sour, tarry liquids, and disgusting saliva, will quickly ruin any smoke. Pipe cleaners are cheap insurance against this taste-bud poison.
Frank
NYC
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Post by trailboss on Feb 16, 2018 6:56:43 GMT -5
Welcome to the forum LL!
True, but conversely, if you dry it out too much, it won't pack properly, tobacco dust can clog the airway, and it will be like smoking a furnace....Proper moisture content varies so much from blend to blend, but it doesn't take too long to figure out which way you need to go. For removing moisture from moist flakes, 10 seconds on a paper towel in the microwave is just about right for me. I find that method a lot more consistent with laying it out to dry and forgetting about it only to have it dried out, or wind blown if outside.
Same here, I can occasionally get a hint of what others say they taste in their reviews, grassy, citrus, molasses, etc...but nowhere near what others say they can detect.
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Post by Legend Lover on Feb 16, 2018 7:48:24 GMT -5
Thanks Frank and Charlie. I'm glad I'm not alone in my non-detection of flavours. I often watch Youtube videos and see people saying, "there's definitely burley in there...". I'm thinking - wow, how? That will come with time, cos one thing is for sure... I can certainly detect latakia!
I've used a pipe cleaner to sort out gurgle, that's when I realised that I must drool, cos in my cobbit, when the pipe cleaner got halfway down the stem the gurgle stopped and the cleaner was sodden. I had short cleaners so I could only get it about half way down. So I'm pretty sure in some instances it's not my technique (it still might be), but it might be more to the drool. With the Legend and the Country Gentleman there's no gurgle. I always put that down to it being a cob, but then, so is the Shire and it DOES gurgle. Hence my conclusion that perhaps the filter helps to catch my drool and keep the gurgle at bay.
What helps for me with respect to the taste is having a pint of milk along with the pipe. It seems to keep the tongue free from biting and, for me, mixes well with the smoke. YMMV
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Post by trailboss on Feb 16, 2018 7:57:19 GMT -5
Speaking of briar and Meerschaum, if the drilling isn't right on where it comes into the bowl, and the drilling is high...that septic pit acts like a septic pit, and you will have a gurgler, something to keep in mind to ask when buying estates or new, and one to consider whether a seller has an "all sales are final" demand without you being able to see the inside of the bowl. On Cobs, The stem comes in quite a bit higher and you do have that pit underneath, but I am guessing that somehow with a cob it is different...I haven't seen a lot of people talk about gurgling cobs....  |
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Post by Legend Lover on Feb 16, 2018 7:59:53 GMT -5
interesting you mentioned that. With my basket pipe (my first one) it did look like the draught hole was high so I made some pipe mud and re-shaped the bottom of the bowl. It did help quite a bit, but my thinking is that maybe that fixed the pipe-related gurgling. The other gurgling was LL-related.
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