Burning VS. Vaporizing

[karam]

Thanks, @karam that’s what I was thinking but you expressed it so much more precisely.
One question—it seems standard practice here to dry down Virginia to almost at the edge of crispy. But I’m doing that, don’t the oils evaporate off and flavor is lost? Wouldn’t packing looser and smoking slower effectively keep the smoke dry enough instead?

Some volatile additives (read, toppings, casings) may lose a bit of punch by their smaller molecules evaporating, but oils don't evaporate due to their chemical structure. They can be both carried, aerosolised, and vaporised. Also don't forget that combustion produces water.

 

[anotherbob]

Or I might like it too much! ? Then I’d have to buy a van and wear sandals... naw, I’m good. ?

only if you hang out with hippies. And trust me there is no reason to do that, unless you want to. And nothing wrong with a van even if it makes you look shady (depending on the van type).

 

[frozenchurchwarden]

This is actually a way that Japanese smokers can "smoke" now. It's a 1/3 cigarette that goes into an electronic vape base and the tobacco is heated up and inhaled.

The theoretically perfect tobacco pipe would use a mechanism similar to this.
People only use fire out of convenience, or at least we did before batteries were a thing.

 

[hairvise]

The theoretically perfect tobacco pipe would use a mechanism similar to this.
People only use fire out of convenience, or at least we did before batteries were a thing.

It probably would be a healthier smoke since you aren’t taking all of these carcinogens in your mouth. And the flavor might even be better. But probably a lot of the pleasure of actually smoking a pipe would be lost. The question is, is that a worthwhile trade off?

 

[hawky454]

I’m the oddball here but I personally get the most flavor when the tobacco is actually burning. Not too hot but I never have to dance with a smoldering pipe that’s just on the edge of going out. I enjoy the flavors tremendously. I get very weak flavors when I let the pipe barely simmer, I get BIG flavors when I smoke the pipe. It’s just how I likes to do it.

 

[hairvise]

I’m the oddball here but I personally get the most flavor when the tobacco is actually burning. Not too hot but I never have to dance with a smoldering pipe that’s just on the edge of going out. I enjoy the flavors tremendously. I get very weak flavors when I let the pipe barely simmer, I get BIG flavors when I smoke the pipe. It’s just how I likes to do it.

I definitely think it makes sense when evaluating a tobacco to try it while sipping it and also to try it having a bit harder to see what works best for that particular tobacco. Do you happen to find certain types of tobacco’s work best when you smoke it harder? Or is that true for all of them?

 

[hawky454]

I definitely think it makes sense when evaluating a tobacco to try it while sipping it and also to try it having a bit harder to see what works best for that particular tobacco. Do you happen to find certain types of tobacco’s work best when you smoke it harder? Or is that true for all of them?

Yeah absolutely. I would still consider my method of smoking to be sipping vs puffing, I sip but I get a good deal of smoke. In short, I like my pipe to be lit, I don’t get better flavors by letting it just barely simmer on the edge of going out, that technique is very unsatisfying for me. If the method brings you the most pleasure, than by all means keep at it, I’m just saying we all have different methods that work best for us but the main mantra on here is to barely let that pipe simmer, that technique just doesn’t work for me. It’s worth experimenting to see what works for you though. I like long, slow, frequent sips. I am however always learning and am happy to try new things to see if I can improve on my method. I enjoying learning and experimenting. I’m always learning myself, not just from the old timers but from the new guys as well. Who knows, maybe I’ll be singing a different tune in a 2, 5, 10 years from now.

 

[bullet08]

I sip, puff, and just let smoke drizzle into my mouth. Gets too boring to do the same thing for over an hour on the porch. Blends taste good to me doesn't really matter how I smoke as long as I don pull like crazy.