1 Blend Vs 2 Pipes Non-Scientific Test

[shanez]

So the other day I was thoroughly enjoying a bowl of 4 Noggins Three Blind Moose in my Savinelli 106 and was thinking of having a second bowl of something. I decided I enjoyed the Three Blind Moose so much that I would simply have another bowl but this time in another pipe not only to give my Savinelli 106 time to rest/cool down but to see if I, as a noob, could tell much of a difference.
I chose my Johs Rhodesian Churchwarden for the second bowl. The chamber on this pipe is not much different than the first pipe in terms of diameter but it is noticeably deeper and more tapered.
So could I tell any difference? Absolutely. It was a world of difference. I was actually shocked at the difference. The Savinelli produced a more flavorful, sweeter smoke. I now have several more pipes in which to try this blend for comparison and I'm looking forward see the differences.
That day I learned three things:
1) Choice of pipe makes a difference.

2) Don't give up on a tobacco simply because it didn't seem all that great in a particular pipe.

3) When trying a new aromatic, try the Savinelli first.
Maybe someday in the future I'll be able to better predict what chamber size and shape will work better for a particular blend but for now I'm happy just experimentally trying them out.

 

[mso489]

That's an astute observation, with great specificity to make the point. As an aside, I'd say that it isn't the brands but those particular pipes, since I have a number of Johs, but no churchwardens, and the various ones do a good job with a fairly wide range of blends -- English, burley, Virginias, etc. Usually the contrast between different pipes with one blend isn't quite this striking, but I have noticed the same thing. It's just that you have it pinned down to specifics.

 

[olkofri]

What line of Savinelli? It could also be related to the grade of briar.
I'm also wondering whether the second bowl wasn't as enjoyable because your taste buds had become a bit (or a lot) saturated with the flavours.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Is the Savinelli usually used for aromatics? Some ghosting may come into play. Minute differences in packing can affect the flavor of a blend greatly as well.

 

[shanez]

What line of Savinelli? It could also be related to the grade of briar.

I think K. Here it is:

I'm also wondering whether the second bowl wasn't as enjoyable because your taste buds had become a bit (or a lot) saturated with the flavours.

I was wondering the same thing and plan to repeat this test but with the pipes in reverse order. I'll update once I do.

Is the Savinelli usually used for aromatics? Some ghosting may come into play.

The Savinelli was purchased as "lightly smoked" and I've only had about 4 bowls in it so far. I could apply a coffee grounds treatment and repeat this test.

Minute differences in packing can affect the flavor of a blend greatly as well.

I'm still relatively new at this so I'm sure I'm not the most consistent when it comes to packing. Currently, my personal preference/technique is the Frank method but for aromatics (which I don't dry very much) I like to pack the bowl a little "looser" and then adjust with my tamper while smoking. I find I tend to find a "sweet" spot where I get the most/best smoke this way.

 

[carolinachurchwarden]

Very scientific approach. I'll likely be performing the very same such procedure once I fill out my pipe rotation a little more. Currently I use a lot of my cobs, which is fine, but I want to nail it down in the briars I want as well. I have a hard time choosing any other pipe besides my Cobbler at the moment, just because everything tastes so good in it. Also likely because I've spent so much time with it before I acquired any other pipes, I have learned how to pack it the best and how it smokes the best, so it's hard to not choose that one. If I performed this experiment with my Cobbler and a briar, I'm very likely to think the Cobbler smoked it better. Depending on which one you smoke more, that could possibly play a role as well.

 

[tavol]

I've got 4 pot shaped pipes that all have identical dimensions, my aesthetic take on the pot shaped pipes is incredibly narrow, two do fantastic things to English blends where as the other two flatten English blends. I used to find it so surprising that different pipe could smoke the same blend so differently, logically it doesn't make loads of sense but it does add to the pipe smoking adventure.