Right now I'm working my way through a local blend that is by majority a virginia blend. It smokes pretty hot, and I'm having trouble keeping it lit, but not having it be blazing hot the whole way through the smoke. Advice?
Trouble with tobacco that smokes hotter
- Thread starter flyinglizard
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Virginia's for me need to be dried out and then smoked VERY slowly. Im quite sensitive to moisture as I tend to puff puff a bit faster than average. Hey I like it!
I think new smokers might steer away from Virginia's and stick to high Burley content tobaccos maybe.
In a nutshell, try drying the tobacco out and slowing down.
I think new smokers might steer away from Virginia's and stick to high Burley content tobaccos maybe.
In a nutshell, try drying the tobacco out and slowing down.
You could try putting the pipe in the freezer, jus kiddin'.
ae1pt makes a good point. Try drying the tobacco really well, and use a wide chambered pipe. Bitey blends tend to mellow out with wide chambers, and I haven't figured out exactly why yet.
Of course, I will also throw in that smoking ssssslllllooooowwwwllllyyy will help tremendously.
edit: hawke beat me to it, but yeh, if you are new to pipes, you might want to develop your skills on other blends before moving on to Virginias. But, they are worth it.
ae1pt makes a good point. Try drying the tobacco really well, and use a wide chambered pipe. Bitey blends tend to mellow out with wide chambers, and I haven't figured out exactly why yet.
Of course, I will also throw in that smoking ssssslllllooooowwwwllllyyy will help tremendously.
edit: hawke beat me to it, but yeh, if you are new to pipes, you might want to develop your skills on other blends before moving on to Virginias. But, they are worth it.
Getting into Virginias is like learning to drive a stick shift. You have to conentrate on your packing and you have to feather your your smoking technique. It won't tolerate a tightly packed bowl with a huffer smoking like a steam locomotive on the other end. It requires a sipping technique (which all blends do IMO) and it's important to get it lit properly and then tend it carefully with your tamper. VA's can deliver some magnificent smoking moments and as you slow down and focus on your smoking, it'll come together.
In response to ae1pt and cosmicfolklore,
the tobacco I believe is a little damp. Any recommendations for drying techniques? I'm currently smoking a slightly bent apple, with a decently sized bowl. Not sure of the measurement, but logic tells me it's enough.
Thanks for all your help, everyone. I just started, and right now I'm wishing the guy at the smoke shop steered me away from virginias.
the tobacco I believe is a little damp. Any recommendations for drying techniques? I'm currently smoking a slightly bent apple, with a decently sized bowl. Not sure of the measurement, but logic tells me it's enough.
Thanks for all your help, everyone. I just started, and right now I'm wishing the guy at the smoke shop steered me away from virginias.
Try drying it really well before giving up. I just lay some out on a tray for a few hours to a full day depending on the dryness, my preference of dryness, and my memory, LOL. I sometimes forget that I've laid some out. But, you'll have to play with the amount of dryness that this blend does best with. Some I like crunchy dry, and some I just want to knock the damp off of before smoking.
With really strong flakes like Old Dark Fired, I will just remove the tin's top and leave it off till I am done with that blend.
My favorite pipe for Virginia #1 and other bitey blends is a huge pot shaped full bent pipe that has a chamber about an inch wide. Like I said, I don't know the chemistry or physics of it, but for some reason it mellows out the blend. For other blends I usually like .6-.75" chamber width.
Also, try not drawing on the pipe at all after you've gotten the pipe lit. Just let the minute fluctuations of your windpipe while breathing draw in minute amounts of smoke. Getting more smoke in your mouth is sort of a waste, as it kills the taste, overloads your taste buds, and your not absorbing anymore nicotine than if you just let it barely trickle into your mouth. In fact, I make the argument that you'll absorb more of the nicotine by smoking as slow as you can over a much longer period of time than huffing it. I think you might enjoy your pipe more if you give that a try. But, there's no hard-fast rules for smoking.
With really strong flakes like Old Dark Fired, I will just remove the tin's top and leave it off till I am done with that blend.
My favorite pipe for Virginia #1 and other bitey blends is a huge pot shaped full bent pipe that has a chamber about an inch wide. Like I said, I don't know the chemistry or physics of it, but for some reason it mellows out the blend. For other blends I usually like .6-.75" chamber width.
Also, try not drawing on the pipe at all after you've gotten the pipe lit. Just let the minute fluctuations of your windpipe while breathing draw in minute amounts of smoke. Getting more smoke in your mouth is sort of a waste, as it kills the taste, overloads your taste buds, and your not absorbing anymore nicotine than if you just let it barely trickle into your mouth. In fact, I make the argument that you'll absorb more of the nicotine by smoking as slow as you can over a much longer period of time than huffing it. I think you might enjoy your pipe more if you give that a try. But, there's no hard-fast rules for smoking.
Hot smoking is usually, mostly, caused by the smoker but there are other considerations.
Wet tobacco especially when the smoker is trying too hard to keep it lit.
Additives, such as casings (aromatic), propylene glycol and top sauces.
Type of tobacco. Latakia smokes cooler than Virginia.
Tobacco (most) should be tacky but not moist to the touch. As noted by others, allowing your blend to dry might help (the charring light taste will be more aggressive though).
You might also ask your tobacconist for a cool smoking blend (non-aromatic and perhaps based on Orientals and Latakia) to understand your heat problem better.
Good luck.
Wet tobacco especially when the smoker is trying too hard to keep it lit.
Additives, such as casings (aromatic), propylene glycol and top sauces.
Type of tobacco. Latakia smokes cooler than Virginia.
Tobacco (most) should be tacky but not moist to the touch. As noted by others, allowing your blend to dry might help (the charring light taste will be more aggressive though).
You might also ask your tobacconist for a cool smoking blend (non-aromatic and perhaps based on Orientals and Latakia) to understand your heat problem better.
Good luck.
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