Blend Style to Minimize Gurgle in a Gurgle Prone Pipe

[txsasquatch]

As my pipe collection has grown I've begun to dedicate pipes to blend styles (e.g. Virginia flakes, Vapers, English, etc.). I have a Nording straight brandy that has so far been dedicated to Virginia flakes, but it isn't smoking as well as I would like. I usually smoke outside in the garage and it is very humid here. I think the combination of hotter burning Virginias, high humidity, and the pipe are the primary contributing factors to a gurgling experience. I'm going to try this pipe with another style, but I'm curious what may work best to reduce the gurgling and improve the smoking experience. Do you think Vapers (bayou morning is my go to), burley (haunted bookshop), English (nightcap), or English/Balkan (Larry's Blend) would be the best bet?

 

[mso489]

Any tobacco that comes fairly dry might help, of whatever genre. For example, Five Brothers or Semois come very dry. Drying more standard blends with some moisture might help, but many still retain quite a bit of moisture.

 

[stoker]

The pipe may need some more break in time. You can run a pipe cleaner down it during the smoke to remove gurgle. Usually, if I have a gurgle, once with a pipe cleaner take care of it for the entire bowl. ymmv. Agree also, dry tobacco as MSO489 mentions may help.

 

[pipestud]

Actually, while a more dry tobacco can help, it can also be a big gurgle maker. Certain blends, dry or not, contain properties that, combined with the heat, produce a lot of steam (which, of course, is hotter than dry heat). txsasquatch, I actually suspect (judging from the blends you say that you are smoking), that the pipe is the culprit rather than the tobacco. Some pipes, due to the quality (or, lack thereof), of the briar, or poor engineering, will gurgle like a baby.

 

[txsasquatch]

Thanks all. I'm going to give bayou morning a go next. Since it is a vaper it won't be as extreme of a change from Virginias like a jump to an English would be. I almost never need to use a pipe cleaner mid smoke, but this pipe or pipe & blend combo certainly requires it. It has helped with the gurgle some for sure. Here's to hoping that it just needs more breaking in or a different blend. I'd hate for it to be a more permanent design flaw.
To clarify, the blends listed have not been smoked in this pipe yet. So far it has only seen FVF and Sutliff Virginia Slices. FVF is well documented as having a lot of moisture, but the slices aren't as bad. I do let these dry a bit, or a lot in the case of FVF, before smoking, but maybe I should try to dry them out even more.

 

[didimauw]

I've been using my tobacco as a humidity tester. These days it's been so humid, that all of my smokes have been wet, my pipes gurgle, and my tobacco is moist and when I leave it out to dry, it becomes more moist...argh

 

[mikestanley]

IN my experience, a gurgler does to with most blends, regardless. Often times, the fix is pretty simple. A bit wider airway, a cleaned out stem air way. A check of where the airway enters the bowl, etc.
Mike S.

 

[jpmcwjr]

I've been using my tobacco as a humidity tester. These days it's been so humid, that all of my smokes have been wet, my pipes gurgle, and my tobacco is moist and when I leave it out to dry, it becomes more moist...argh

Southerner? In any event, your recourse is to an oven or microwave. I prefer the latter, much quicker. Dry no more than a couple of bowlfuls at a time until you get used to the process. If you overdo it, mix in some of the damp stuff, mix and let be for an hour in a baggie.

 

[jpmcwjr]

IN my experience, a gurgler does to with most blends, regardless. Often times, the fix is pretty simple. A bit wider airway, a cleaned out stem air way. A check of where the airway enters the bowl, etc.

None of my 60-70 pipes is, per se, a gurgler. If I get a gurgle, it's invariably what Mike says or tobacco that went in too wet, or if I pull too fast and hard.

 

[shutterbugg]

I call a gurgler a pitch-pipe. Because if it gurgles I pitch it.