Best pipe shape for.......

[Perique]

As the title suggests:
what do you think is the best pipe shape for a pipe dedicated to aromatics?
How about English blends?
Flakes?
VaPers?
Or is the pipe shape to tobacco suitability a myth?

 

[mp31guitar]

I have been smoking Altadis Blue Note in a GBD Lovat and the taste to me is amazing. Better that the other pipes I have smoked it in. Uncle A traded me a stanwell for two meerchaums and one seems had been dedicated to english blends. I smoked some english in it and have enjoyed it. I am beginng to have a taste for english blends.

 

[bootlegbonvivant]

While some shapes do tend to go well with some blends better than others, I think it has more to do with the wood and engineering of the pipe.
I have some pipes that just take to certain kinds of blends better than others and some have been the same shape.

 

[matchstickman]

While some shapes do tend to go well with some blends better than others, I think it has more to do with the wood and engineering of the pipe

I second Bootleg on this one. To me, a lot of a tobaccos burning ability and how it relates to certain bowl styles/sizes is dependent largely on the cut of the tobacco. A coarse cut tobacco that is in very small pieces (like Half and Half or a lot of Cornell and Diehl blend that arent flake cut) tend to burn well in just about anything. Ribbon cut/shag cut/broken flake cut is generally the same, will burn well in a bowl small or large. Full flake cuts (packed using the fold and stuff method) generally DONT burn well in a big bowl for the simple fact that 1) it would take forever to smoke and 2) you could never keep the stuff lit steadily. A lot of it depends on the moisture content of the tobacco as well. Its hard to keep a wet tobacco lit in any pipe, where as a drier blend will burn a little better.

 

[romeowood]

Hm...where's that can of worms picture when you need it?

I've come to join the school of thought that prefers to say "Yes" to all other schools of thought, to some degree. The basic engineering of the pipe chamber and draught channel certainly dictate the basic physics of how a given pipe will smoke differently than another--Neill Archer Roan covers the topic of thermodynamics succinctly in his blog A Passion for Pipes, for example. Beyond that, though, are the mysterious and circumstantial dynamics of the content and character of the wood itself, which Greg Pease recently touched upon right here, as well as this past month's Ask G.L. Pease column. Greg goes on to mention some of the many other variables that determine smoking characteristics--not the least influential of which are the smoker's body chemistry at the moment and climatic conditions prevalent in the area (I personally had a sublime flake smoking experience with an uncharacteristically large and straight lovat while sitting on my roof during hurricane Irene...who knew?). I would also hazard to add to this growing list of variables your own personal style of smoking, often influenced consciously or subconsciously by the pipes you favor as well as the tobaccos; e.g., in the midst of a week spent smoking aromatics in small filter pipes, the same technique with a certain Balkan blend in a large-bowled meer left yours truly supine on the linoleum, staring at the ceiling. So, you see, the answer ultimately boils down to...look, a bird!

Having gotten all those caveats out of the way, I do favor my straight Virginias in tallish conical chambers, aromatics in smaller chambers of varying sizes (often dependent on what kind of flavor profile I want to pull out of a familiar blend), English blends in straight-sided chambers like standard group 5 or larger billiards, et cetera. And of course there are outliers in the herd as well--those rogue pipes that lead the herd with their ability to smoke anything stuffed in them, and the moody stragglers that are fickle even with well-worn standbys.

Hope that helped some :puffpipe:

 

[spartan]

Romeowood has a good thing going. The fact that a certain shape of pipe is 100% better than another for tobbaco #A is totally up to the individual. It's all preference. You can take an "expert's" word for something, but if you think that burning grass you clipped from your lawn a better smoke than any tobacco leaf, then all the experts are crazy according to you.
People will say certain toby smokes better in a larger bowl, deeper, smaller, wider, shorter, etc. but unti you try ALL the different varients you'll never know what you prefer the most.
In summary, back to your post, a complete myth (in my opinion). There could be truth to it. But I havn't experienced it yet. Myth-bust it yourself and never FULLY rely on anyone's personal opinion. which is what this all is. MY opinion. ::

 

[asteroid1]

I think the best pipe regardless of shape for aromatics is any system pipe (Falcon, Peterson, Savinelli, etc.) with a moisture trap to remove/hold the excess moisture caused by the chemicals in aromatics.

 

[scotrob]

Preference for pipe shape is such a subjective thing. It would not occur to me to match the shape to the blend....I would match the shape to my mood that day or perhaps to the environment (e.g. bents are easier for out and about or working, straights/billiards better for relaxing where you can use a hand to steady it if necessary)....and of course shape preference changes over time too, as you grow and mature as a pipe smoker.

 

[olderthandirt]

Very succinct thumbnail of this oft discussed topic romeowood.

While pipe shape will certainly have influence on the chamber shape, the latter is what I too have found to be the most telling as far as how a given blend will perform. Also, a blends cut seems to be more of a factor than constituent tobacco
Always outliers to be sure, for me those tend to be a cob. Everything smokes well for me in a cob.

Aside from that, tallish and narrow, conical bottomed chambers for folded flake, width equal to depth, usually around 3/4", for wide ribbon and the shag cuts go in the small guys.
Of course this is simply what works for me, YMMV.

 

[Perique]

Interesting topic. Hours of googling on this subject has yielded a ton of conflicting information. I suppose,as suggested above, I'll just have to experiment. My main concern, however, is aromatics. I would prefer to not share a pipe between aros and English blends. Any suggestions/opinions on a preferred shape for aromatics to point me in the right direction? I'm going to dedicate a pile to aros for certain due to ghosting and goop concerns.

 

[romeowood]

Any suggestions/opinions on a preferred shape for aromatics to point me in the right direction?

Well here's where a lot of subjectivity comes into play, both concerning your smoking style (cadence, condition, and cut, let's say), and your smoking implements.

Cobs and aromatics seem to be universally agreeable.

For my own smoking, which most often includes a rather steady cadence, a relaxed (if not entirely distracted) and indoors condition, and most often a properly-dried ribbon or shag cut, I enjoy smallish (group 2-3), conical chamber filtered pipes--Medico Jet Streams are my beloved, as well as a few various other billiard types; the larger percentage have decidedly conical chambers. If I really want to settle in for a longer smoke, during which I concentrate more on the smoke than whatever else I may be doing (posting on PM.com, for example), I gravitate toward a couple Savinelli bent billiards--one with a balsa filter, one without, both with deep but fairly narrow (~3/4") straight-sided chambers. The flavor of the same blend in a small conical bowl as opposed to a larger straight-sided bowl are not just discernible but pronounced. Of course, as noted above, there are so many more factors that can come into play--smoking outside yields a more muted flavor that will capture mainly the highlights and sweeter notes, and sometimes push sour notes too much to the fore. Smoking Peterson's Summertime 2010 in the dead dry heat of Houston, Tejas was a different animal entirely than in the early autumn chill in my apartment. A large bowl after a steak dinner didn't satisfy at all, while a quick bowl with some gin and tonics on the roof in Bombay was soul-swelling.

In short, the only really useful answer to give you would be to experiment on your own, and not worry overmuch about ghosting as you seek the perfect combination for your arsenal. Just be assured that when you find the right fit, it will be sublime.

 

[brass]

Bummer. This is why I elected to use plastic food grade bail jars. I don't know if they're suitable for 5 or 10 year storage but they've kept tobacco fresh for me for at least a year.
http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=23436&catid=604
PET Wonder Jars with Bail Lids

PET clear food grade plastic jars with PETG bail lids complete with a stainless lock. The answer to many storage needs when exposure to air or moisture is harmful to your storage inventory. Virtually impervious to normal bumps, cracks and breaks of similar glass storage systems. Designed with flap stoppers so they are stackable and store in less space.

 

[brass]

Deleted

 

[tarak]

I've really been shifting. My preference WAS:
English- bulldog/rhodesian
Virginia- Large Dublin
Vaper- Large Dublin
However, of late I've been enjoying things better in smaller bowls- I'm loving small apple shapes and billiards that aren't too tall. Not sure what that is about.

 

[maxpeters]

I honestly can't detect a difference in pipe shape with tobacco type smoked. To me it all taste the same regardless of pipe shape. Neither am I bothered by smoking aromatics and english in the same pipe. I may be fortunate to have such dulled taste buds. The only flavor that I can detect that fouls a pipe is anise or liquorice. Don't like it at all. Well, that and the Lakeland perfumy flavors.