Aging MacBaren Virginia No. 1: Tongue Bite?

[dog_park_piper]

I bought a little too much of MacBaren Virginia No. 1 if it's going to bite forever like it does today. Short of perfecting my technique, which is happening, and drying it, which I certainly do until it's crispy, how much will age impact the bite it can give?

1 year?
3 years?
5 years?

 

[Elric]

It's measured in half-life if that's any indication.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I've read many complaints of it and other Mac Baren blends biting but after going through most of their offerings, I've not found one that does. Try drying it out overnight and see if that helps.

 

[Morrison Jeremiah]

Stick with perfecting your technique.
It's the answer to all pipe smoking evils.
I can't think of any problem that technique does not overcome.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

No amount of aging is going to solve the issue of tongue bite. Work on the technique. Or it could be this blend chemically doesn't agree with you and has little to nothing to do with technique. The drier you keep the tobacco and slower you smoke, the less chance for steam/moisture, the less chance of bite.

 

[hawky454]

If it’s a chemical burn you are referring to, age will not tame it, many times it gets worse as it’s aged in my experience. Chemical burn can be overcome though, you literally just have to push through the pain and your mouth will eventually acclimate to it. Is Virginia No. 1 worth all that though? That’s up to you to decide.

I think it’s a chemistry issue, some people have no problem with it, some do. Chemical burn has nothing to do with technique, no matter how cool the smoke is, it will devour your mouth but again if the blend is worth it, you can acclimate, it just takes some fortitude.

 

[spicy_boiii]

One aspect of technique that did the trick for me that doesn't seem to be mentioned often:

Where is the stem pointed when you draw(sip) from the pipe? Is it pointed at the front of your tongue, the middle? Is it pointed at the roof of your mouth? Into open space inside your mouth? Do you clench or hold the pipe up to your mouth?

If the answer to the earlier questions is yes, then that could be your culprit. Drying your tobacco, drawing evenly and lightly, intaking additional air with the smoke, and ensuring the Airway of your pipe is appropriate without turbulence/issue are all secondary concerns, from most to least important IMO.

 

[romaso]

VA#1 is a very light Virginia and I think some people puff too fast trying to get more flavor out of it. Chugging a Hamm's won't make it taste like an IPA. They're different beasts.

Go slow and enjoy it for what it is. Maybe you don't like something that light, so you can always use it for mixing.

 

[DanWil84]

I tried it once in my very very early (I'm still a baby compared to the smoking grandpa's) pipe adventures. It stung like sticking your tongue in a wasp nest bashing the nest with a baseball bat. If I understood the comments correctly it can sting faster because of the honey like casing, so you really have to smoke this on the verge of going out. Drying it might work, but the casing stays. I don't think aging will calm the casing down, but I never experimented with it. If you want to smoke full Virginia's there are better offerings.

 

[dog_park_piper]

True stuff ya'll said.

For Virginia, I'm getting into 3 Sails from Daughters & Ryan. It's just solid tobacco leaf.

 

[Chasing Embers]

It's just solid tobacco leaf.

Wait until you try to smoke liquid tobacco leaf.

 

[Servant King]

Take it from this novice here...it's all about technique and dry time. When I first started, I was smoking goopy aromatics straight out of the tin, with no clue about technique. Yet I was shocked at how often I was getting tongue bite, which is a little like being surprised when a politician lies. Once I gave the smoking ritual some serious thought and worked on my technique, the problem started to go away. I rarely have it anymore. Proper drying time (especially for aros) took it to the next level, but without the technique, you can dry your leaf for three days and have the same problem as if you smoked Molto Dolce right out of the can. It takes time to improve technique, and constant adjustments, which can be difficult when you're just trying to sit down and enjoy a bowl without thinking about it. In some ways, it reminds me of learning how to play golf as a kid. You've seriously got like a dozen different things to remember at once, and as soon as you've got one part down, you forget another, and boom, your 3-wood shot skips along the ground and goes 80 yards. But back to pipe smoking...it's a delicate balance between being mindful of technique, and emptying your mind of all distractions and enjoying your smoke. Very, very delicate.

So get out there and try not to screw up! (sorry, that was my paternal grandfather speaking!)

 

[BROBS]

I tried it once in my very very early (I'm still a baby compared to the smoking grandpa's) pipe adventures. It stung like sticking your tongue in a wasp nest bashing the nest with a baseball bat. If I understood the comments correctly it can sting faster because of the honey like casing, so you really have to smoke this on the verge of going out. Drying it might work, but the casing stays. I don't think aging will calm the casing down, but I never experimented with it. If you want to smoke full Virginia's there are better offerings.

It does I have some 2014 and it’s gentle gentle. As stated above the flavor is very light so I think people go after it looking for more that isn’t there.

 

[BROBS]

boom, your 3-wood shot skips along the ground and goes 80 yards.

You mean I’m supposed
To be better than that now?!
?

 

[anotherbob]

sip it

 

[BROBS]

Don’t rip it

sip it

 

[btp79]

Slow down. That's about it lol

 

[Grangerous]

Never bothered me. I think it’s bland. But never tongue bite. Mine is jarred from 2010.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

It does I have some 2014 and it’s gentle gentle. As stated above the flavor is very light so I think people go after it looking for more that isn’t there.

This. I fall into this trap occasionally when the flavor is good but the blend is really mild.

 

[mingc]

I have some MB Va No. 1 that I bought no later than 2010. That blend, Three Castles and John Aylesbury Latakia Blend bit me like crazy. I doubt it was technique because they all bit on first puff. And I had already been smoking pipes for a few year before I tried any of them. And what differences in technique are there anyway that you don't try when you have a bitey bowlful? You try it slow and you try it fast, and hotter and cooler. Drier or wetter. It ain't rocket science.

I put them all away and smoked the Va No. 1 and the JA Latakia Blend for the first time again a couple or so years ago. Now, they no longer bit, though I can still fill a tingle. I don't know if it's because of aging, changes in mouth chemistry or both. I've not tried the Three Castles again. So, yeah, time does change things. By the way, to me and contrary to its name, JA Latakia Blend seems to have barely any latakia and is Va forward.