Still smoking too hot after all this time - advice requested

andya27 · Dec 15, 2014

So I'm taking yet another week or two off from smoking. Yet again I burned the roof of my mouth. The pepperoni pizza didn't help any. But the pipe smoking was the main culprit.
When I smoke my fishtails I tend to get tongue-bite. When I smoke my P-lips I have to watch out or I can singe the roof of my mouth. I smoke slowly. I sip. I do not go for copious amounts of smoke. I let the pipe go out. If it's evening and I can see the red embers glowing, I stop smoking until the tobacco cools down. Not sure what more I can do to smoke cooler than I already am. Very frustrating.
If any of you have had similar experiences and figured out how to resolve it, please let me know.
Thanks.

freakiefrog · Dec 15, 2014

What are you smoking, i.e. VaPer, English, Aro ect.

andya27 · Dec 15, 2014

I tend to use copious amounts of biotene: as toothpaste, mouthwash, and spray. I chew gum with xylitol.
I smoke a wide variety of tobaccos: Virginias, English blends, Burleys - the occasional aro. I do find that orientals and perique can be a bit worse for me, so I tend to steer clear.
I just may go back to Orlik Golden Sliced for a while. And of course there's always Prince Albert for a burley. Those are about as mild a smoke as I have along with several Lane aros.

morton · Dec 15, 2014

+1 freakie
Its possible that the tobacco you are smoking is not right for your body chemistry. Other forum members report being unable to tolerate certain tobaccos, red virginia or perique being the two most often mentioned. If we knew what you were smoking, we might have a better handle on what is happening.

morton · Dec 15, 2014

Sorry, didn't type fast enough! :D

freakiefrog · Dec 15, 2014

The thing I find to help is to keep my mouth hydrated. No Soda or tea or coffee just water if I start to getting a little bit of mouth bite or dry mouth I get a bit mouthful of water let it soak into the tissue. This has really helped me.

andya27 · Dec 15, 2014

The thing I find to help is to keep my mouth hydrated. No Soda or tea or coffee just water if I start to getting a little bit of mouth bite or dry mouth I get a bit mouthful of water let it soak into the tissue. This has really helped me.

Excellent idea. I have been drinking tea while smoking, and tea is an astringent. I love tea, but not enough to keep doing this to my mouth. I'll try the water approach and see if that's helpful.
Of course, as I smoke outdoors and during the winter water freezes rather quickly in Northeast Ohio, I may not be doing that much smoking anyway. Which will give my mouth plenty of time to heal for the spring.
But I'll try the water approach and nix the tea.
Thanks for the suggestion.

pitchfork · Dec 15, 2014

I just may go back to Orlik Golden Sliced for a while. And of course there's always Prince Albert for a burley. Those are about as mild a smoke as I have along with several Lane aros.

I don't know what else you're smoking, but these in particular don't agree with my mouth. What other kinds of burleys are you smoking? For me, burleys are the most gentle on my palate, even if they happen to taste somewhat "harsh" as burleys sometimes do. I think for me at least it has to do with the added sugars and other agents used in processing. MacBaren tobaccos, for example, I just don't smoke because of the burn/bite.
However, if you're burning your mouth with every single thing you smoke, then it's probably not the particular tobaccos.

freakiefrog · Dec 15, 2014

Ah..Well see I'm in Mississippi so for us the winters aren't really that bad. I have noticed to that humidity can increase or decrease how dry my mouth gets.

shaintiques · Dec 15, 2014

When I see posts like this I always wonder if a guy really is sipping. I say that because when I sip I rarely have a big glowing cherry in my bowl. The coals are there they just don"t glow. A glowing cherry generally comes from puffing or smoking too fast, or not packing the tobacco tightly enough. Something else that is important is to give your mouth a break. Letting it heal is just as important as how you are smoknig. And watch what you eat, if you have scalded your mouth on pizza or whatever it will affect your smoke. I'm actually really careful to not burn my mouth or eat anything that will tear up my mouth such as potatoe chips or coarse cereals. As those sore spots will get irritated by the smoke.

andya27 · Dec 15, 2014

As for Burleys, I have some fairly strong ones other than Prince Albert. Aged Burley Flake, Old Dark Fired, Irish Flake - Solani Silver Flake.
I like strong flavored tobacco.

shaintiques · Dec 15, 2014

it doesn't sound like tobacco choice to me, but rather technique and rest. I can't smoke all day everyday. Mouth gets chalky and needs a break. And I'm doing it right. I rarely get bite, but not everyone can smoke all day, different body chemistry etc. So rest your pipes and your mouth and keep taking those long slow sips.

pitchfork · Dec 15, 2014

Aged Burley Flake and Irish Flake are ones I smoke often and never have a burn/bite problem. Both smoke cool and mild for me -- full flavor, but mild in terms of how they treat my mouth tissues. If these are giving you fits, too, it probably really is about technique. I almost gave up during my first couple of months after taking up the pipe, but I learned to smoke more carefully and I also opened up the draft on my Peterson, which also helped, as it had a very tight draw.
The only other factor besides technique is how frequently you smoke. If you're smoking more than once a day, that could be the main culprit, especially if you are still learning to smoke carefully. I agree with shaintiques about the glow in the bowl. The only time my ash glows is after a relight -- and I usually attempt to avoid that if possible.
Don't worry, though. Most of us have been through this.

andya27 · Dec 15, 2014

You know - I smoke in spurts. I will go a week without smoking, and then smoke twice or three times a day for a few days. Perhaps that is the biggest issue.
So here's the plan. After my mouth heals - and really heals, I'm going to smoke no more than once per day and no more than two or three times per week. Then see how I'm doing.
I do not find any relationship between strong flavor tobacco and heat of the smoke. If anything, an inverse relationship. Some of my strongest tobaccos seem to be the mildest on my mouth.
But I like the idea of only one smoke per day. Rest a few days. And drink water and not tea.
I'll see how that works. Maybe next week...or the week after..I'm letting my mouth really rest.

darthcider · Dec 15, 2014

I found bite got better when I did something else at the same time, which took my mind off of the whole smoking process.

Concentrating on smoking "properly" stopped being an issue and just happened.

Don't know if that might help you.

andya27 · Dec 15, 2014

I found bite got better when I did something else at the same time, which took my mind off of the whole smoking process.

Concentrating on smoking "properly" stopped being an issue and just happened.

Don't know if that might help you.

I would love to be able to smoke in the house while working, etc. But I have to smoke outdoors. When it's this cold, even reading isn't fun outdoors. Perhaps walking the neighborhood. But I agree, I smoke slower when I'm doing something other than just smoking. Thanks!

pitchfork · Dec 15, 2014

So here's the plan. After my mouth heals - and really heals, I'm going to smoke no more than once per day and no more than two or three times per week. Then see how I'm doing.

That sounds like a solid plan. If you're still having problems, it's possible that smoking just isn't compatible with your body chemistry or whatever. But I expect you'll get the hang of it before too long.

boilermakerandy · Dec 15, 2014

When I see posts like this I always wonder if a guy really is sipping. I say that because when I sip I rarely have a big glowing cherry in my bowl. The coals are there they just don"t glow. A glowing cherry generally comes from puffing or smoking too fast, or not packing the tobacco tightly enough.

I agree completely. The only time there is a glowing ember in the bowl is when I light up. If you are getting a glowing cherry and then have to slow down when you notice it you are going too fast. My sipping produces little noticeable smoke actually (much less than smoking a cigarette would), so little that my wife allows me to smoke in the house. Out of courtesy I light up in the garage to avoid the big clouds of smoke in the house but I do relight in the house with a match.

andya27 · Dec 15, 2014

I agree completely. The only time there is a glowing ember in the bowl is when I light up. If you are getting a glowing cherry and then have to slow down when you notice it you are going too fast. My sipping produces little noticeable smoke actually (less than a cigarette), so little that my wife allows me to smoke in the house. Out of courtesy I light up in the garage to avoid the big clouds of smoke in the house but I do relight in the house with a match.

Interesting. There's no way I could smoke in the house and not let it be known. That's pretty amazing. I'll have to rethink this entirely. Perhaps I am just plain smoking too hot/fast.

zanthipal · Dec 15, 2014

What I find works for me is to not only draw smoke thru the pipe, but pull in some fresh air at the same time by not having your lips sealed on the bit. This is harder to do with p-lips, works best with fishtails. I find I get more flavor, and zero burn, if I pull in some air on most puffs. I also find that I don't slobber down into the pipe so I never really get a gurgle.

Still smoking too hot after all this time - advice requested

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