Do I have to get my mouth palate use to all this new kind of smoke?

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marine33

Starting to Get Obsessed
May 11, 2014
223
0
I have just started out on pipes. About a week and half. I bought some OTC cherry blend and yuck 1st time smoking pipe. Then I went to B&M and bought some good house blend. I could tell a big difference but now I want to order some Frog Morton and try as I have heard great things from this. If you follow my other posts you can tell that I have hard time keeping lit (getting better) I am getting a better taste overall but when will I be able to truly enjoy nothing but this true flavor that I'm chasing. I think I might be trying too hard and getting tounge bite. I am trying to SIP like I'm hearing but I have really no one to mentor me so I'm doing all myself. If you read this post and think someone could help please tell them about this post so that they will respond. I know some say you have to condition your palate. I don't want to place an order and smoke it all wrong and be turned off all together but I just wanna jump in and get what I am chasing....that 1st time when it's not just warm some what cherry taste but ...OH MAN!!! I am really looking forward to the pipe show when it comes to Columbus. So I can finally meet some of you and pick your brain and have you show me what I'm doing wrong!! And also to THANK a lot of you. I'm going from smoking ciggs to cutting down with a e cigg. I'm smoking a Cobb now and I get more flavor from the E cig than I do with the pipe. So will it come? Hope I explained this and thank you all.

Marine33------Richard

 

cortezattic

Lifer
Nov 19, 2009
15,147
7,637
Chicago, IL
Somewhat of a non sequitur, but I just saw a TV commercial for a beverage called Snapple. They said a taste bud lives for only 10 days.

Does that mean you can totally reboot your sense of taste by laying off for 10 days?

 

lostandfound

Part of the Furniture Now
Sep 30, 2011
924
44
Marine33, Yes. You do. Not only does it take time to master pipe smoking, so that the flavors your're meant to experience are the ones you actually experience, but it takes time to understand what those flavors are, and what kind of tobaccos deliver them. Once you figure out the "how-to" part, and you kind of "get" what it is you're sensing, you can begin to detect the subtle differences in similar blends, and eventually- stockpile the crap outta those blends which subtle differences you appreciate most. Or you, you can go on an insane spree of attempting to smoke at least one tin of every tobacco out there.

 

andrew

Lifer
Feb 13, 2013
3,042
400
You need to burn the crap out your mouth a few times, let it heal, and like a callous you'll become a full fledged pipe smoker. This is my experience. After that if you're still getting burnt, you're using improper technique.

 

marine33

Starting to Get Obsessed
May 11, 2014
223
0
Thank you all. When you all first started did it just taste like warm smoke? I mean it is getting better every bowl but I can't wait til I truly get the taste. Does that make sense? So should I hold off on my order and keep with the house blends? I guess I'm hearing so much good stuff on Frog Morton That I was hoping I can't lose and that I'll get what I'm looking for right away. Thank you all again.

 

kendodan

Starting to Get Obsessed
Oct 22, 2013
168
0
I would also like to say, do not compare it to an E-cig. I don't think you will ever get the same "sweet" flavor as an E-cig from a pipe. A big part of flavor for a pipe smoker is the actual flavor from the tobacco. So a good high quality tobacco will definitely help you discover your palate. Not to knock OTC blends, I have an OTC blend that I really like.

 

marine33

Starting to Get Obsessed
May 11, 2014
223
0
Ok thank you kendodan. I read how everyone posts on great tobaccos and I live it through them then when I try to experience it I'm let down and I'm hoping it's cause I'm doing it wrong or I just have to keep doing and will eventually get it. Hope that makes sence.

 

lostandfound

Part of the Furniture Now
Sep 30, 2011
924
44
Yeah dude, when I first started, I definitely only tasted warm smoke. Granted, this "warm smoke" was a little different from "that" warm smoke, but generally, it was all just warm smoke.
Pick a tobacco (Preferably a Virginia flake, because that's my personal favorite), and stick with it. Use it as a compass, a learning device. Once you figure it out, move on. My first non-drug store tobacco was MacBaren's Virginia #1- a broken flake. Just about as plain of a Virginia as you can get. I smoked this exclusively for almost a year, and one day it just dawned on me... I know how to smoke a pipe now. 8O 8)
Ok thank you kendodan. I read how everyone posts on great tobaccos and I live it through them then when I try to experience it I'm let down and I'm hoping it's cause I'm doing it wrong or I just have to keep doing and will eventually get it
Brosef, this was so totally me for the longest time. I remember reading the forums constantly, tobacco reviews constantly, and longing for the day that I knew what the f#$% these guys were talking about.

 

Strike Anywhere

Can't Leave
Nov 9, 2011
368
83
Richard, you've mentioned you tried an OTC cherry blend and something from your B&M. What is the blend purchased from the B&M?

 

Strike Anywhere

Can't Leave
Nov 9, 2011
368
83
Also, like someone else said, e-cig and the pipe are two different worlds. I've only tried an e-cig once and it was like inhaling a Starburst. Smoking a pipe is nothing like that.

 

marine33

Starting to Get Obsessed
May 11, 2014
223
0
Thanks lostandfound I'm glad that others had just warm smoke at first. There is hope for me yet!! Lol

TAB I went to smokershaven here in Columbus Ohio and picked up 1oz of smokershaven roundtable. I told them my prob and they gave me that and I have to say it was a big difference and I am happy I guess more because it had more flavor now I just have to loose the warm smoke and just have the pleasure if that makes sence!! Thank you again guys

 

lordnoble

Lifer
Jul 13, 2010
2,677
14
To reitererate with others that replied earlier, you WILL have to "suffer" through this part to get where you want to be. It's like riding a bike. The first time you do it, it takes a lot of concentration and you'll make mistakes. You won't be riding with no-hands until you've ridden around a while. The taste you're searching for is that no-hands. Basically, you'll have to get to a point where you aren't overly thinking about the act of smoking a pipe before you can enjoy it the way you want to.
Additionally, I had no one to mentor me. I learned on my own. Of course, the members here helped me immensely and it made my learning curve easier, but everyone learns what works best for them.
As for the relight issue, you need to stop thinking of a pipe as a cigarette in a wooden bowl. Smoking a pipe requires at least some relights usually. Sure there are guys who can do it, but it isn't easy, and personally I don't find it enjoyable to spend so much concentration on keeping my pipe lit. I'm not saying that you should be relighting 20 times per bowl, but a few is completely acceptable and should really be expected.
Hope this helps!
-Jason

 

marine33

Starting to Get Obsessed
May 11, 2014
223
0
Thank you lordnoble, people on here have helped me out alot. Also lets say I have a full bowl I smoke it for 20 min or so then 2 hrs later I want to fire it up again do I need to get the TOP ash off the new unsmoked or just light the ash? How do I do that? Also should I ever smoke more that one bowl a day? I only have the one pipe (cob) now but I want to smoke more and everyone says let it rest. I guess I just wanna smoke and build that residue up because it seems like every bowl taste better.

 

phred

Lifer
Dec 11, 2012
1,754
4
Starting with your original question on flavor, it will come. Over the past few weeks, I've been focusing on using up some blends that I'm less fond of so that I have some room to add new tobaccos that I want to try, so I've been smoking a fair bit of stuff that's not necessarily as flavorful as some of my preferred blends - but last night, I pulled out my jar of Daybreak (a Hearth & Home blend intended to remind one of Early Morning Pipe, if I remember correctly) and WOW - it was like rediscovering Latakia blends all over again. So, yeah - if you're not necessarily getting the flavor you're looking for, or the flavors you're hearing others rave about, it could be a combination of an inexperienced palate and blander blends. Don't worry too much, and don't over think it - tobacco flavors are highly variable, and if you haven't found one that you really like yet, keep looking.
As for multiple bowls and resting, you'll get a fair bit of conflicting advice on that one. Generally, resting a pipe is more of an issue with briar. I'll smoke maybe 2 bowls back to back in a given pipe, but that's about it - and I let that pipe rest a day for each bowl as a general rule of thumb. This is mostly because I only smoke outdoors, or at the B&M, so I usually don't have more than an hour or two available for sitting (or walking) and smoking before I have to do some other chore or run an errand. Others will smoke the same pipe all day - and this seems to be especially true for cobs, which are a little more forgiving than briars when it comes to overheating, resting, mixing blends, ghosting, or smoking too fast, packing too tightly or too loosely, or not having a regular cadence. This is another reason that so many folks on these forums recommend cobs for beginners - it's almost like having training wheels, because you can get a decent smoke out of a cob even if your technique needs work, but you'll enjoy the process of learning proper technique while you're learning perhaps just a little more... Plus, cobs are cheap, so it's much more economical to get a pipe for each day (or even more than one) if you're an all-day smoker.
As for letting a pipe go out and relighting it later, I think some folks refer to this as DGT - Delayed Gratification Technique. Some will do this after an initial charring light, others will set down a pipe if interrupted and then pick it back up later. I haven't had much luck with this myself, as the flavors tend to be a little bitter for my taste after sitting around, so I usually just finish the bowl initially, or clear it out if I can't finish a bowl for some reason. Your mileage may vary.

 

rmbittner

Lifer
Dec 12, 2012
2,759
1,994
Marine:
First, welcome to the hobby!
"lets say I have a full bowl I smoke it for 20 min or so then 2 hrs later I want to fire it up again do I need to get the TOP ash off the new unsmoked or just light the ash? How do I do that?"
Tamp lightly -- using a store-bought tamper or, if you're stuck, the head of a common nail -- and just relight. Don't toss the ash; it will help to keep the tobacco underneath burning somewhat cooler. ("Burning" and "cool" are relative terms, here! :) )
"Also should I ever smoke more that one bowl a day?"
You should smoke as many bowls a day as you want to. I typically smoke 3-5 bowls a day in the same pipe. However, I DO then allow that pipe to rest for at least a week before smoking it again. (And because I have a number of pipes in my rotation, they often get rested for much longer than a week.) If you see yourself smoking multiple bowls a day, seven days a week, then I would recommend that you have at least 7 pipes so they can each get rested for a week. But this, to me, is the ideal situation; some folks have smoked the same pipe day-in and day-out for years without having any issues with the pipe. But I do think a pipe will have a tendency to go "sour" if it isn't allowed to dry out occasionally. But if you do choose to smoke the same pipe multiple times a day, multiple days a week, then I'd highly recommend running a pipe cleaner through after every bowl, to draw out the moisture and keep things as clean as possible.
I also think the "let it rest" mantra applies much more to briar pipes than cobs. A cob isn't likely to stay with you the rest of your life, whereas a briar, well taken care of, will likely outlive you. So caring for that briar becomes more important. (To me, a cob is a disposable pipe or a training pipe. But I know lots of folks here would strongly disagree with me about that!)
Bob

 

numbersix

Lifer
Jul 27, 2012
5,449
53
Excellent advice all way 'round. I will only add to be very patient, watch a lot of pipe smoking videos and also sample as many tobaccos as you can afford. Aromatics (which I enjoy) rarely taste like they smell, so some of your difficulties with taste may be coming from your expectations.
There's a learning curve and as much as you may want to shorten that curve, still takes time and practice (but it's worth it!) Good luck. :puffy:

 

settersbrace

Lifer
Mar 20, 2014
1,565
5
Great advice above. I'd add that IMO you've yet to have experienced what many call that first, trancendent smoking experience. This will come as you perfect your packing technique, your smoking cadence, etc. As it comes together at some point with the right tobacco, you will taste and savor what's going on with your pipe and that will become the moment that "you get it". You'll suddenly realize what so many of us are talking about as we all strive to get the "perfect smoke". IMO there is nothing that compares to good pipe tobacco being smoked in a favorite pipe. For me that can be a $300 briar or a $6 cob. Order your FM and try it using as much of the knowledge gained here on the forums and stay with it. It'll come.
Welcome aboard!

 

marine33

Starting to Get Obsessed
May 11, 2014
223
0
Thank you to each and everyone of you. The knowledge you all poses is amazing and the way you make newcomers like myself is unbelievable. I have learned so much from you all and will continue for sure. Thank you again to responding to my posts and im sure ill have more. Thanks for making me feel welcomed. I will eventually get this fourm down and will send most of you all friend requests and pics but in the mean time please feel free to send me requests as well. Until next time...........Marine33

 

unholy1

Might Stick Around
May 4, 2014
70
0
Pipes - and cigars, coffee, whiskey, beer, etc. for that matter - are learned. Once technique is solid, the palate gains experience with every bowl. You begin to notice things that you did not previously. This has been my experience.

 
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