Any Advice? Killer Tongue Bite

[SpookedPiper]

Great advice above!!

I have found that over stuffing the chamber to get the longest smoke time out if my pipe caused all sorts of tongue bite. Also, too many relights were affecting me due to the extra hot smoke. If I notice slight sting i will place the stem at an angle while you relight as it will change the direction of the smoke so it's not directly on my tongue. This also helps.
If your driving with the window open and there's also more air forced down the chamber causing it to burn hotter.

Drinking while smoking definitely helps with tongue bite as well. I prefer water but that's up to you...

 

[Tennessee Dave]

Don't tamp too hard. Just use the weight of the tamper. Slow down to the point that the pipe almost goes out. No penalty for relights.

 

[saltedplug]

A member says that his practice of slow smoking is not to take any draws but to hold the pipe to his lips, and as he breaths the subtle affect that breathing has will affect both a "draw" and "breathing" back into the pipe.

This would have helped me because my draws were 5-10 times more vigorous, and I actively did suck smoke through the stem.

I just couldn't slow down, but I could have learned to not suck smoke at all.

 

[ssjones]

Store your lighter for the time being, and use matches.

 

[tjsgarden]

Driving can cause stress or anxiousness. If you sip harder or at a faster rate while driving, the smoke will get hotter and there will be an increased risk of tongue bite.

 

[boston]

Could be technique. Could be the tobacco (i.e. VA etc..) or the pipe, or your body saying "hey...can we choose another pastime"? Kinda like certain foods. Some people dig peppers and other people get stomach upset from them. Point is, maybe the pipe isn't for you (I know... sacrilegious...)?

 

[PipeIT]

@python How about a Sticky for a post like this?

This is a common problem, rather then people needing to make posts, just Sticky something for everyone to follow. ?

 

[finnian3]

Tongue bite is indeed the bane of smokers. Seeing that bite is related to PH, wouldn't OJ help cut it down? I usually have coffee with my pipe which helps with bite, but I need to slow my roll.

 

[quentincompson7]

From time to time, I feel like I get "tongue burn" from some smokes. Not sure if it's the same thing or steam from chasing flavor or what, but it's terrible. I am trying to pay mouch closer attention now to blend, wet/dry level, packing, and pace.

 

[Wolfox6]

Hi there, let me add my 2 cents on this as it was a problem for me in my younger days.

Does your pipe start to gurgle?

Slowing down on your puffing is hard sometimes when you are trucking along to work. Increased puff frequency = increased heat. Then as the air in the stem and bottom of the bowl cool, this allows for condensation. It's worse in cold weather.

The warm moist smoke rolls over your tongue depositing the various nuances of the tobacco on it, plus nicotine. Thats why Virginias are so prone to this issue...higher nicotine content and the switch to burley is smoother, which has less. Only thing is, Burley is less flavorful, generally. What to do?

You can: use a pipe that takes a filter, helps to absorb moisture, but mutes the tobacco... slow down on the puffing (of course), use a different pipe, with a vertical grain or a thicker briar to increase the time time takes for heat to migrate through. A longer pipe also has helped. I would be surprised if anyone could get tongue bit with a church warden!

Another thing I've learned is that if the pipe is broken in well, and a cake buildup is done properly from the bottom up, this helps insulate it. you'll get a better smoking experience anyway.

Hope I could help

 

[anotherbob]

Hi there, let me add my 2 cents on this as it was a problem for me in my younger days.

Does your pipe start to gurgle?

Slowing down on your puffing is hard sometimes when you are trucking along to work. Increased puff frequency = increased heat. Then as the air in the stem and bottom of the bowl cool, this allows for condensation. It's worse in cold weather.

The warm moist smoke rolls over your tongue depositing the various nuances of the tobacco on it, plus nicotine. Thats why Virginias are so prone to this issue...higher nicotine content and the switch to burley is smoother, which has less. Only thing is, Burley is less flavorful, generally. What to do?

You can: use a pipe that takes a filter, helps to absorb moisture, but mutes the tobacco... slow down on the puffing (of course), use a different pipe, with a vertical grain or a thicker briar to increase the time time takes for heat to migrate through. A longer pipe also has helped. I would be surprised if anyone could get tongue bit with a church warden!

Another thing I've learned is that if the pipe is broken in well, and a cake buildup is done properly from the bottom up, this helps insulate it. you'll get a better smoking experience anyway.

Hope I could help

I have noticed that burly does bite less. If I over smoke it it more losses flavor then bites. It can bite but for me but only if I am smoking when the wind is scary.

 

[RainKing]

I would agree with smoking slower. I would also add that tongue/stem position can be key. Something long time smokers probably take for granted. Try to make sure the stem isn’t pointed directly at you tongue. Instead perhaps try creating an as big of space inside your mouth as you can, with the stem landing somewhere in the middle of that void. Now, when you slowly puff, the smoke enters the entire cavity offering a much more pleasant experience. This was actually the idea behind Peterson’s P-Lip, but honestly can work with any pipe.

 

[anotherbob]

I would agree with smoking slower. I would also add that tongue/stem position can be key. Something long time smokers probably take for granted. Try to make sure the stem isn’t pointed directly at you tongue. Instead perhaps try creating an as big of space inside your mouth as you can, with the stem landing somewhere in the middle of that void. Now, when you slowly puff, the smoke enters the entire cavity offering a much more pleasant experience. This was actually the idea behind Peterson’s P-Lip, but honestly can work with any pipe.

yes. I find it helps to kiss the stem instead of putting it into the mouth. Just press the button onto your lips.

 

[cigrmaster]

Hi there, let me add my 2 cents on this as it was a problem for me in my younger days.

Does your pipe start to gurgle?

Slowing down on your puffing is hard sometimes when you are trucking along to work. Increased puff frequency = increased heat. Then as the air in the stem and bottom of the bowl cool, this allows for condensation. It's worse in cold weather.

The warm moist smoke rolls over your tongue depositing the various nuances of the tobacco on it, plus nicotine. Thats why Virginias are so prone to this issue...higher nicotine content and the switch to burley is smoother, which has less. Only thing is, Burley is less flavorful, generally. What to do?

You can: use a pipe that takes a filter, helps to absorb moisture, but mutes the tobacco... slow down on the puffing (of course), use a different pipe, with a vertical grain or a thicker briar to increase the time time takes for heat to migrate through. A longer pipe also has helped. I would be surprised if anyone could get tongue bit with a church warden!

Another thing I've learned is that if the pipe is broken in well, and a cake buildup is done properly from the bottom up, this helps insulate it. you'll get a better smoking experience anyway.

Hope I could help

I respectfully disagree about the problem being Virginia's. I have 22 different straight Virginia blends almost all are flakes. I have dark Virginia's, light Virginia's, and others and the only ones that scorch my tongue are the reds. We all have different ph levels, so it could be just one virginia, or it could be two. It could be the speed, you smoke, it could be the pipes you smoke. Pipes that smoke wet will bite. If you have a pipe that has a 4.0-4.5 inside shank dimension, chances are it will smoke dry and not wet which will burn you.
Finding the right Virginia's can me a chore, but for my money it is worth the trouble. Maybe find a Virginia/Perique blend or a Virginia/Kentucky or Burley.
Maybe try Orlik Dark Strong Kentucky, it never burned me. One of the easiest smokes I ever got my hands on was Astleys no 109 Medium Virginia. I have been smoking it over 20 years and never a bite. There are so many different possibilities it takes time to find the right combo.
Capstan Blue Flake is as soft a straight Virginia as you will fins and they are not hard to find. If you can find Fribourg & Treyer Cut Virginia Plug, grab it and crank it up. It is hard to find.

 

[ebnash]

See some of jiminks reviews. If he says no chance of bite, you can take that to the bank!

I have the utmost respect for Jim and his recommendations, and have had great conversations with him, but I do disagree with this statement. The man has a buffalo leather tongue after all his years of smoking and this does not apply to people like me who only smoke 1 or 2 bowls a day and sometimes go weeks without smoking when life is furious.

I think there has been a lot of good advice on this thread. Experimentation is key with everyone because we all have different chemistry, methods, and tastes. For me this took a really long time because of my frequency of smoking. I used cringe when people would tell me I need to run a quick 10-15 bowls to break-in a pipe because that might take me a month depending on how many pipes I have an how often I smoke.

Now I just let the pipe tell me what it likes to smoke and if it turns of that none of my tobacco's shine in a specific pipe, it gets put up until I'm sick of it taking up space and then it gets donated or sold.

But my main message is experimentation instead of beating your head against the same wall over and over, hoping one day it won't be in your way.

 

[mso489]

Much good advice here already. I'd just add, tongue bite and chemical burn seemed reduced or eliminated when I smoked mostly non-aromatics. You still have to sip, not puff, etc. But no flavorings seemed to go a lot better for me.

 

[Richmond B. Funkenhouser]

I hate to say it again, but I have to..


YOU GOTTA SMOKE THROUGH THE PAIN!

 

[cersono]

It would be a good idea to see an endocrinologist. It's what I have had for several years: all of a sudden killer tongue bite whatever blends or smoking techniques. Right after I started to take thyroxine hormone the bite had almost gone.

 

[jimz]

EDIT: Fixed Capitalization in Title (See Rule 9)

So I always have a smoke on my way into work which is a 40 min drive.

Problems I got is wicked tongue bite. I've tried tamping more. Tamping less, drying tobacco.

Still get it. Anyone got any advice?

from the other various method i have read , put a small amount of honey in your tongue ,some say it works wonders . just my 2 cents , hope it helps

 

[Worknman]

I feel like the majority of my tongue burn comes from trying to relight tobacco towards the bottom of the bowl that doesn't want to be relit. Its too moist at that point, time to dump it and move on.