Bowl Shape or Briar, Which Has a Greater Effect On a Smoke?

[numbersix]

I thought I'd pose this question with the group after reading futureman's post:

Finally! Found a Pipe For Capstan Blue

http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/finally-found-a-pipe-for-capstan-blue
I've heard some pipesmokers say that the shape of the bowl can dictate a tobacco's flavor, and I can buy into that idea to an extent; but generally speaking, I can't see it having that much of an effect on the quality of a smoke.
On the other hand, I do have a Pete Aran (briar) that smokes fairly bland, with no sweetness that my other briars impart. And I find it does well with a sugary VA, as opposed to anything else.
So I suppose I find myself in the briar camp. What do our esteemed members here have to say about it?

 

[papipeguy]

I don't believe that the two can be completely divorced from one another. However, depth and width of a bowl can affect the smoking characteristics of certain blends. That being said, if the briar is inferior then that likely negates any or most of the benefit of the bowl dimensions.

 

[salewis]

There is no question in my mind that the quality of the briar has everything to do with the quality of the smoke. I have always thought that the size of the bowl, while somewhat important, has been blown out of proportion and I personally do not think that the size or shape of the bowl for each classification of tobacco is very important since so many pipe smokers break the conventional wisdom with what they think are very good results.

 

[cigrmaster]

If the briar is no good, no aspects of shape or size or technique will make it a good smoker. If you have good briar then the shape and size of a pipe will have a dramatic effect on the quality of the smoke. When I smoked English blends I found that larger pipes with deep bowls gave the many ingredients of an English blend time to open up and shine. When I smoke my flakes I like smaller bowls that are not too deep and not too wide which concentrates the flavors. Dublins smoke my flakes great because of the conical shaped bowl. Rhodesians seem to concentrate the flavor due to the top being somewhat enclosed. My Apples do great because of the thicker walls and the shorter bowl depth. Now of course there are other variables like stem design that does have an effect on the smoking quality of a pipe. Also the fact of how cool a pipe will smoke has an effect, the cooler it smokes the better the flavors. Now all of this means nothing if technique is poor. No matter how great a pipe is or how conducive a shape is, if you hot box your pipe and smoke like a chimney, the flavors will be lost.
I have seen a dramatic up tick in my enjoyment of my flakes over the last year and a half due to the pipes I have been buying. I now buy pipes that I think will smoke my flakes the best, I disregard looks to a point, going for shape, size and smoking properties first and foremost.

 

[craig94yj]

I am no way qualified to share an opinion with credit, however in the cigar world if you take two cigars with identical filler, binder and wrapper, and the only difference being ring gauge and length, you will have the same ingredients with different draw and flavor profiles. I would imagine that physics would impart similar rules to pipes. Thoughts???

 

[mso489]

I think the shape affects the way a given tobacco burns, hence has the most overt effect. It's been said a wide bowl

gives the most resonance to complex blends, and I've found it to be true. But the briar has a role to play. Some pipes

smoke more evenly, cooler, and with fewer relights. However, I do not think that these smoking qualities necessarily

relate to price. Some quite inexpensive briar pipes compete with any priced pipe, and some select and expensive briars

don't live up to expectations.

 

[cigrmaster]

craig, wrapper to filler ratio's on cigars makes a huge difference in flavors, which is why I always preferred thinner cigars like Lanceros and Lonsdales. The physics on pipes is much more complicated due to so many different variables, i.e quality of briar, mfg, shape, size, stem design.
mso, price does not always determine how a pipe performs, but chances of getting a better smoker are higher when dealing with a quality mfg or artisan. The beauty of the estate market is that you do not have to spend a fortune to get a great smoker.

 

[papipeguy]

Re cigars. I prefer a 50 ring and always cut the entire head off the cigar. I find the bigger ring size with the open draw brings more flavor than if a punch is used. A smaller ring gauge concentrates the smoke if that's what you want. It's all matter of tastes.

 

[bobpnm]

Great post Six! I have been thinking about age and how that affects the smoking quality of briar. I have a Kaywoodie made in the late 40s or early 50s. It is a superb smoker and light as a cob. I have four Pre-Republic Petersons that I can say the same about. I have a Dr. Grabow that I think was made in the 50s. Probably not the same quality briar as used to make the others. After so many years, it smokes like a dream.
As far as shape, wine drinkers, brandy drinkers and scotch drinkers know that shape of the glass affects the experience.

 

[pipestud]

Take two pipes of identical size and shape. Pipe A is a pipe boasting quality, well cured briar that is further enhanced by a talented pipe maker's ability to nail the drilling and compliment the wood with an equally well put together and comfortable stem.
Pipe B is a pipe made from cheap grade briar with short cuts taken in the curing method, made by a machine and not drilled with care, matched to a piece of acrylic or vulcanite stem blank that has been quickly shaped and fitted.
Put the same tobacco in both. I don't care what the components of the tobacco or the cut is, pipe A wins 99 times out of 100.
Just my take,
Pipestud

 

[numbersix]

Thanks for the feedback fellows. So far, it seems we're mostly in agreement.

Some pipes

smoke more evenly, cooler, and with fewer relights.

Yes, I have a few briars that are heads and shoulders above my others in that regard. They smoke almost without effort. Two are older briar and one is from 2001 (a Dunhill, so the briar could actually be quite old anyway). The one consistent aspect with all three is that the briar is light, much lighter than my others in comparable size.
I assume this lightness is due to both the briar and the curing methods used.

 

[northernneil]

It sounds like quality briar is the key. My question, can you tell if a pipe is quality briar by looking at it?

 

[rigmedic1]

It has been my experience though that 2 identical pipes from the same manufacturer do not always give the identical smoking experience. Too many variables, such as packing, ambient air, time of day, phases of the moon, etc., always come into play. And some tobaccos I have smoke wonderfully in radically different pipes. Matching the pipe to the tobacco has much more than size and shape as a factor.

 

[av8scuba]

With my small sampling of pipes I've owned, I would tend to agree with PipeStud. But I would also agree that packing and conditions can render different experiences from the same pipe/tobacco combination.

 

[sablebrush52]

What I'm taking away from reading this thread is that it's not so much about bowl shape as the shape, or proportions of the chamber.

Here's a link to an interesting article that deals with this:

http://www.apassionforpipes.com/neills-blog/2010/10/31/how-and-why-chamber-geometry-impacts-tobacco-flavor.html

As for the question of the affect that briar has on tobacco performance, here's an interesting article on the subject by Fred Hanna:

http://www.greatnorthernpipeclub.org/Myth.htm

I'm outta here before the shillelaghs reach my head...