Pipe size/shape VS. Blend/cut tobacco

[danielplainview]

Do certain pipe shapes and or sizes work better with certain blends of tobacco, or specific cuts of tobacco? Plug, cake, flake, etc. I'm asking because I've been smoking a lot of Sutliff No. 5, and I smoked it in my 320 last night and wow, the flavor was much more pronounced than when using some of my other pipes.

 

[griffonwing]

I would love to see a chart that shows "optimal" smoking for pipes/tobacco.

 

[griffonwing]

Thats a good start! Thanks!

 

[pipefish]

for Latakia blends I use pot shapes and for Va's and VaPers I use narrow and conical shapes

+1 rsuninv
This has been discussed in a a few threads, and from what I remember most people suggest that English blends be smoked in larger, wider bowl and VA/VaPers in a smaller, narrow bowl. Not sure as to why the recommendation for Englishes, but I think VA/VaPers smoke better in smaller bowls as to limit tongue bite….I think…please correct me if I'm misinformed.
Not sure if there is a recommended bowl size for aromatics.

 

[phil67]

Not sure if there is a recommended bowl size for aromatics.

Any size toilet bowl. :wink:

 

[danielplainview]

What type of bowl would you gents recommend for flakes?

 

[mustanggt]

Small. Group 3-4 for flakes work best for me.

 

[phil67]

I’ve never been big on fold & stuff with flakes as it never seems to burn uniformly for me and I find it to be a waste of tobacco at times. But, that’s just my experience with them so I always rub them out. However, whether it be flake or plug (actually the same thing when you end up slicing it) I find that narrow bowls work best due to the tobacco being compressed and the ensuing expansion as it burns and wider bowls don’t seem to work out quite as well when that happens. However, I’m in no way shape or form anal retentive about the whole matter and it more often than not it all works out quite well no matter what pipe I grab. Then again, I don’t have a hell of a lot of pipes to choose from so that comes into the equation. But, even if I did I seriously doubt that I would be overly conscious about the whole matter. Grab a pipe, stuff it... smoke it. Smoking a pipe was never intended to be all that complicated as some insist on doing. As the old adage goes: It’s not rocket science. :wink:

 

[newbroom]

I have the impression that my flake tobacco burns best either cut in proper length to put into a more chimney like bowl, or folded and stuffed into one, if the flake works out that way...not a wide bowl. Leaving some space for expansion, and just puffing enough to keep the flake burning. It works in any taller bowl, but I tend to use those with a smaller circumference.

An Escudo coin rubbed out would be almost sacrilege. They burn so readily and yet so nice and slowly.

 

[escioe]

I think VA/VaPers smoke better in smaller bowls as to limit tongue bite….I think…please correct me if I'm misinformed.

In general I think this is true, but I also love burning a bowl of Full Virginia Flake, or Dark Star, or Union Square, or whatever VA flake out of this super wide Comoy pot I've got. Greg Pease mentioned that he likes Virginias out of a similarly-proportioned GBD pot, so I figured I'd try it. You just have to make sure you've got an even burn, but because I rub out my flakes, that's less of an issue for me than for a folder and stuffer.
I also think that individual wood and non-quantifiable pipe/tobacco synergy is a thing, so while I may tend to observe the guidelines of small bowls for Virginias and bigger bowls for latakia, I've had plenty of happy experiences outside those recommendations.