Retro-haling

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redpanda

Starting to Get Obsessed
Sep 11, 2015
286
1
First of all,hello everybody i am new here.I have been reading and learning a lot here but never took the time to register til now.My question is regarding retrohaling.I have been smoking pipe on an everyday basis for the last year or so,and when i first started i would often retrohale,but it was like eating the cherry on the pie.Now i had been smoking cigarettes (never really liked them) for years anb an occasional cuban cigar,so i am not new to retrohaling and have always enjoyed doing it from time to time.However,in the last 6-7 months i have noticed that it has become the only way that i can smoke the pipe.It has gone from a rarely practised habit to something which i do every single time i put a lit pipe in my mouth.I do not even open my mouth after taking a puff anymore,and i am quite sure i used to do that in my early days with the pipe.And what is even more,not only this has become the only way for me to smoke but it is also the only way i can actually get a taste of the tobacco.no matter what blend.My tongue seems to have lost quite of its ability to detect flavors.However with all that said,i enjoy smoking the pipe tremendously,but could not help but noticed that.Now i know some of you here gentlemen have been smoking for many years,so does anyone does what i am talking about?Thanks in advance for your opinions and advice.

 
Jan 8, 2013
1,189
3
I tend to do the same. I also find that the best way to get to the flavor is by pushing out through the sinuses. I also do this with cigars. I don't think it is necessarily your tongue losing the ability to detect flavor, but more that you have adjusted your smoking style to maximize flavor. Do some searching around on the forums for "breath smoking", you will find that this process of not even opening the mouth is, in itself, a technique that many people seek to perfect. I worked towards it for about two years, trying to get my cadence down and everything. Finally, after taking a year long break from my pipes, the technique came naturally as soon as I picked them back up.
I still occasionally exhale through my mouth, but it is an intentional process. If I am driving, for example, I can simply set the pipe in my mouth and let it smoke itself these days. One person you might ask directly for info on this is cosmic, he seems to be the resident breath smoking expert. I got a lot of good tips from him in the past. Best of luck, and enjoy!

 

redpanda

Starting to Get Obsessed
Sep 11, 2015
286
1
Fadingdaylight,sounds like we are on the same track...i wasn't aware of "breath smoking" and certainly not aware it is something that people actually struggle to perfect.To me it is more like a sure sign that i am helplessly hooked :))Thanks for replying and happy retrohaling!

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
For folks for whom this is standard practice and part of their tasting a blend, maybe retro-haling is good. Seems like it negates some of the benefits of pipe smoking over cigarettes by re-introducing the whole inhaling process, if not into the lungs, then into the mucus membranes of the nose. I'll leave it to those who already do this to decide, but I sure wouldn't teach or recommend this to new pipe smokers. I think the majority can enjoy pipes smoking without retro-haling.

 

Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
43,248
108,343
Retrohaling or "snorking" with breath smoking is how I always smoke. As for the breath smoking...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0o8Sfg6EH9k&feature=youtube_gdata_player

 

redpanda

Starting to Get Obsessed
Sep 11, 2015
286
1
mso489,you are absolutely right! It is very similar to cigarette smoking but the thing is when I used to smoke cigarettes I did it only once in a while,and now it is all I do.It turns out this is something that some people actually find difficult to do and have to even practice.I am light years away from feeling good about myself for doing it and the reason I started this post was because I am actually a little worried.Although I never inhale smoke in my lungs,it is certainly obvious to me that this change is a result of me wanting to get more and more of that tobacco and nicotine into my system,which can hardly be something we should recommend to others.

 

redpanda

Starting to Get Obsessed
Sep 11, 2015
286
1
chasingembers ,thanks for the link.Very ,very interesting stuff,new for me and definitely worth checking out,i think.Thanks again!!

 

phil67

Lifer
Dec 14, 2013
2,052
7
That's the only way I smoke a pipe... breath smoking, which has more to do with keeping the ember going rather than taste, and retro-haling. If not for retro-haling I'd probably not even bother with pipe smoking.

 

redpanda

Starting to Get Obsessed
Sep 11, 2015
286
1
phil67,thanks for sharing..good to hear,i feel exactly the same way.I'd probably not be smoking it if i couldn,t fill up my brains with the beautiful flavors some blends have to offer! I thought i was going a bit overboard,but it seems i am not alone here:)))Cheers!

 
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