Plum Pudding and Tongue Bite

[Worknman]

I tried some plum pudding special reserve and although I like the taste it made my mouth feel like I was chewing on glass. I believe it has something to do with the way I broke it up and packed it. This is the first plug Ive ever dealt with. Its very dense even after breaking it up. I did a gravity fill and light tamp but its not spongy like the finer cuts Im used to. Its consistency in the bowl is more like dried rice, it doesn't squish down. Should I break it up finer than the pic shown?

I feel like the tongue bite is because Im having to puff harder than I usually do, and it took about 5 tries to get it lit. I dried it for about 30 minutes before smoking. Ive smoked other English blends like Quiet Nights and never had tongue bite issues with it.

 

[saintpeter]

I love the stuff, but for me to get the best out of it is a PITA. I break off a piece, crumble it up, pack it in a pipe the night before, give it a charring light and let it set on my table to smoke the next day. No tongue bite and easy lighting. Could probably get the same by just drying it some on a plate. But it sure is tasty!

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

You probably didn't dry it enough. All the relights and steam bit the tongue. That blend also has about every kind of leaf there is, it could be a chemical burn as well.

 

[danimalia]

It's not unusual in my experience for flakes and plugs to require extra lighting attention and plenty of re-lights, but usually once you get them going, you should get plenty of smoke. Since you weren't, it makes me wonder if Hoosier's advice isn't the right way to go. Give it plenty of extra dry time and try again.

 

[alaskanpiper]

Dry more, do an extra charring light or three.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Bone dry, gravity fill, light softly, and smoke slowly.

 

[briarbuda48]

I love the stuff and it can nip me as well. I take it, crumble it up quite a bit and let it sit for an hour or more. Then gravity fill, very lightly tamp, put the smallest crumbs on top and light. Cadence should be slow and sipped.