Smoke with or without a filter
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Most of my pipes are non-filtered and I enjoy them as such......however this past year I purchased some Savinelli's with the 9mm balsa filter (which I had never used) and on blends that tend to smoke wet they absorb a great deal of the moisture, on some harsh or hot blends that I have set aside .....I have retried with the filter and found them to be smoother.....and I actually enjoy them. The Savs have become my favorites. I now have 5 w/balsa systems. Just one man's take - maybe something to try - I was not impressed years ago with the paper kind. Happy Piping!
I have a 9mm Rattray's that I enjoy. I dont always use the filters, but I have found that they cut back the bite on alot of aros. They generally need changing every 4-5 bowls.
I have one filtered MM cob and a Dr. Grabow. All my other pipes are unfiltered, even my Savenellis -- an Oscar Lucite prince, a
churchwarden 601, and two unfinished pipes decades old, an elegant slim straight billiard and a 404 zulu/yacht. I would rather
smoke a milder tobacco, in general, than tame a harsh tobacco with a filter, but I occasionally do, for example, when a tobacco
gets more bite as it dries. For whatever reason, I don't seem to have a lot of moisture problems in smoking, so that isn't an issue
for me. I change my filters about every three smokes. I understand all of the 6mm filters -- balsa, Dr. Grabow, and Medico -- are
interchangeable in pipes.
churchwarden 601, and two unfinished pipes decades old, an elegant slim straight billiard and a 404 zulu/yacht. I would rather
smoke a milder tobacco, in general, than tame a harsh tobacco with a filter, but I occasionally do, for example, when a tobacco
gets more bite as it dries. For whatever reason, I don't seem to have a lot of moisture problems in smoking, so that isn't an issue
for me. I change my filters about every three smokes. I understand all of the 6mm filters -- balsa, Dr. Grabow, and Medico -- are
interchangeable in pipes.
I change the filter in my savinelli's and Big Ben's every 2 or 3 bowls. Filters are cheap so doesn't bother me. I have several non filtered pipes I enjoy as well.
I will use filtered pipes (or Pete system pipes) when driving because I am a wet smoker. Trying to run a pipe cleaner through a pipe on a highway is probably the equivalent to drinking a six pack and getting behind the wheel as far as affecting my driving skills.
I go both ways. I always use the balsa filters in my Sav because it cuts down on moisture, gunk and reduces tongue bite. It also doesn't affect the flavor in any way.
I use charcoal and paper filters in my Grabows and cobs. They do affect the flavor, but they also make a lot of aromatics or harsh blends palatable. It's probably no coincidence that those pipes had their heyday when aromatics became the tobaccos of choice for American pipe smokers.
I sometimes use Denocitea pipe crystals. A lot of people despite the very idea of them, but I've really come to like them. There are a lot of virginias I couldn't smoke at all until I tried them. They do a LOT toward reducing bite, and they create an air pocket at the bottom of the bowl (like the "Frank method" of packing shoots for).
Everybody has a different opinion, though.
I use charcoal and paper filters in my Grabows and cobs. They do affect the flavor, but they also make a lot of aromatics or harsh blends palatable. It's probably no coincidence that those pipes had their heyday when aromatics became the tobaccos of choice for American pipe smokers.
I sometimes use Denocitea pipe crystals. A lot of people despite the very idea of them, but I've really come to like them. There are a lot of virginias I couldn't smoke at all until I tried them. They do a LOT toward reducing bite, and they create an air pocket at the bottom of the bowl (like the "Frank method" of packing shoots for).
Everybody has a different opinion, though.
I use my filter pipes with filters mostly for smoking aromatics. They definitely cut down on the moisture and dont affect the flavor enough for me to take note. A lot of people dislike filters based on the idea of a filter without really trying them or understanding what they do.
Like Doc, it depends on the pipe...I use filters in my MM cobs and a few others....it will also depend on the tobacco...some tobaccos that are too peppery I like a filter...it's all about personal experimentation and preference...
I gave no filter a try for a few bowls, for now I am a filter user.
One thing I noticed is that I can "taste" the lighter. Does anyone else notice this?
For me it was a show stopper.
One thing I noticed is that I can "taste" the lighter. Does anyone else notice this?
For me it was a show stopper.
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