Thanks to the wealth of information in this forum, as well as through some trial and error, I have been able to diagnose two dumb things and one common issue that I need to address as a new pipe smoker (~2 months):
Dumb Thing #1 – Lighting too hard. I was so busy with packing and cadence, I let myself rush over this step in the process. I’ve been sucking the flame so hard into the bowl, it’s a wonder it didn’t shoot through the stem. This is probably a big reason for the tongue and lip bite I’ve had since yesterday afternoon’s smoke. It was a mistake to gloss over this step. There’s more to it than just negligently introducing flame to tobacco.
Dumb Thing # 2 - Stem placement. I kept putting the stem too far into my mouth, even if only by a half inch. That put it closer to my tongue, therefore easier to get burn/bite. I should slap myself for this one.
Common Issue: Cadence. Not a new or unique issue, of course. I know I need to go slow, and I thought I was going slow. But this gem of a post from cosmicfolklore written 5 ½ years ago sheds a lot of light on what “slow smoking” really is. I encourage anyone new to pipe smoking to read his post and the responses. He included some deeper reasoning beyond the standard “smoke slow to get more taste and prevent tongue bite” advice. Maybe after working on this more, I will be able to internalize a better cadence and be able to smoke the pipe while doing activities. For now, if I’m doing something else while smoking, my cadence gets too fast, even while consciously trying variations on the breathing method.
After letting my tongue and lip bite heal for a few days (nasty metallic taste), I'll be able to put these three things together for improved smoking.
Thanks to everyone here who has posted words of wisdom on the site, in many cases for many years. If you see a “Like” on an old post, it may be me, lurking in the archives.
Dumb Thing #1 – Lighting too hard. I was so busy with packing and cadence, I let myself rush over this step in the process. I’ve been sucking the flame so hard into the bowl, it’s a wonder it didn’t shoot through the stem. This is probably a big reason for the tongue and lip bite I’ve had since yesterday afternoon’s smoke. It was a mistake to gloss over this step. There’s more to it than just negligently introducing flame to tobacco.
Dumb Thing # 2 - Stem placement. I kept putting the stem too far into my mouth, even if only by a half inch. That put it closer to my tongue, therefore easier to get burn/bite. I should slap myself for this one.
Common Issue: Cadence. Not a new or unique issue, of course. I know I need to go slow, and I thought I was going slow. But this gem of a post from cosmicfolklore written 5 ½ years ago sheds a lot of light on what “slow smoking” really is. I encourage anyone new to pipe smoking to read his post and the responses. He included some deeper reasoning beyond the standard “smoke slow to get more taste and prevent tongue bite” advice. Maybe after working on this more, I will be able to internalize a better cadence and be able to smoke the pipe while doing activities. For now, if I’m doing something else while smoking, my cadence gets too fast, even while consciously trying variations on the breathing method.
After letting my tongue and lip bite heal for a few days (nasty metallic taste), I'll be able to put these three things together for improved smoking.
Thanks to everyone here who has posted words of wisdom on the site, in many cases for many years. If you see a “Like” on an old post, it may be me, lurking in the archives.
