I thought navy flakes, by definition, are topped with rum, or is rum not considered a topping?
Also, PP an aromatic? I've only had the Special Reserve but, man, I don't remember it being an aromatic (English/Balkan).
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Also, PP an aromatic? I've only had the Special Reserve but, man, I don't remember it being an aromatic (English/Balkan).
I'm sure there's some sort of hygrometer available for determining the moisture content of practically anything nbut ther's no need IMO. I often smoke SPC PP SR straight from the tin. Lighting it is fun but once it's going it's sublime. 10 seconds in the microwave is also good.
Therein lies the rub. There are not 100% agreed upon definitions in the tobacco world (for the most part).
Yeah, I've had problems lighting it, but once its going it's good. I'm majoring in industrial electronics technology so specifics are kinda necessary. If you know of a tool that measures humidity in a object I'd love to get one. That way i can define the numerical value of whats too humid and too not, instead of relying on feel.
Don't inhale. Just keep the smoke in the mouth and just let it go when you think is a good point. What I mentioned is called breath smoking. But don't worry about that now. What I'm saying is there should be so little resistance, you shouldn't have to pull hard on the pipe to get the smoke. If there is no resistance, pipe will almost smoke by itself and all you will have to do is very light pull to get smoke rolling into your mouth. Also, if you set up the pipe this way, you will get plenty of smoke. Pipe will also smoke less hot since you don't have to huff and puff.
I pack my pipes to the resistance of a straw in water. as far as inhaling, I think I not inhale fine, and im quite good at "retro inhaling" i believe its called, i can fill my mouth with smoke, and blow it out my nose, is that what you're calling the breath smoking?
Search "Boveda Butler". If you're looking for an instantaneous reading it's not what you want but you could put it in a jar with your tobacco and monitor it.
Try putting a bowl's worth of the SR on a plate in the microwave for 8-10 seconds to dry it a bit before smoking and see if you like it.
talk about exactly what I was looking for! thank you very much! so with too humid or not humid enough I should leave it open/with a humidor tablet for a day and re-check it right?
I believe they are cased with rum before pressing. (if at all)
topping is on aromatics and applied as a last step.
Don't overthink it. Sure, you can get a hygrometer and whatnot. Eventually, you just go by experience and feel.
I'm a science major too. When I started piping I was having such a hard time with tongue burn that I purchased a digital thermometer to measure all kinds of temperatures—the combustion area in the bowl, the smoke coming in, the different types of flames (butane, nafta, matches, hemp wick)... I eventually gave up on all that and concentrated on hands-on experience and refinement of technique.
Here, have a look at a very good article on tongue bite/burn. There's a section discussing optimal moisture levels and why they're so.
Tongue Bite, by David Peterson
Also: toppings are not the only, er, liquids aromatics are sprayed with. Humectants play a considerable role as well. Some manufacturers really go extreme on the humectants (I'm looking at you Lane), which makes their blends nigh impossible to dry. In my place, at ~45% Relative Humidity, a bowlful of KaDeWe Mischung No. 10 will go bone dry (unsmokable) in an hour, whereas Lane's BCA can sit there for 4 hours and be still moist.
I'm a science major too. When I started piping I was having such a hard time with tongue burn that I purchased a digital thermometer to measure all kinds of temperatures—the combustion area in the bowl, the smoke coming in, the different types of flames (butane, nafta, matches, hemp wick)... I eventually gave up on all that and concentrated on hands-on experience and refinement of technique.
Here, have a look at a very good article on tongue bite/burn. There's a section discussing optimal moisture levels and why they're so.
Tongue Bite, by David Peterson
Also: toppings are not the only, er, liquids aromatics are sprayed with. Humectants play a considerable role as well. Some manufacturers really go extreme on the humectants (I'm looking at you Lane), which makes their blends nigh impossible to dry. In my place, at ~45% Relative Humidity, a bowlful of KaDeWe Mischung No. 10 will go bone dry (unsmokable) in an hour, whereas Lane's BCA can sit there for 4 hours and be still moist.
I'd like a number to go one to develop that experience and feel. as far as tongue bite, personally I've never experienced it. so it's not really a problem I'm looking to fix, just smoking too hot.
The number will be different based on environmental conditions, so we can't provide you with one. There's no one-size-fits-all value. Different components in different blends will affect moisture content and release. You have to conduct your own experiments and come to a personalised value that suits only you.
If you're smoking too hot, some here will tell you that you're not drying it enough (verily, some people seem to dry their tobacco to negative RH values nana [you know who you are]); but you can also smoke too hot if the tobacco is too dry. Smoking outside or indoors? Breeze will also change the burn temperature and rate.
Again, feel free to suit yourself and head over to amazon.com and look for hygrometers. It'd be interesting to read your reports.
I'm not sure it's necessary for pipe tobacco unlike cigars which have almost specific storage and smoking relative humidities.
If I were to be obsessive about it I would start with the hygrometer, an unopened tin of SR, and a large enough mason jar to hold everything.
First place the whole amount of tobacco from the tin and the hygrometer in the mason jar and seal it. This would allow me to obtain a baseline RH. Keep in mind many tins leak so you'd have to do this with a certain quantity of tins to create an average.
Next, through repeated experimentation, I would find at what RH I enjoy the blend most. Starting with higher levels of RH and slowly working my way down to where I prefer it.
This would allow me to keep a jar at, or more likely slightly above, where I prefer the RH for enjoyment.
All of this is a moot point for me as I wouldn't have the patience to do it plus I like the flavor best right out of the tin.
Hi there, I was in a similar pipe situation to yours a few months ago. I highly recommend cobs to start padding the rotation. A tip I have is if you order a few of your favorite shapes from the MM site, in the notes, ask for the "natural finish", sort of like a secret menu MM has supposedly. Your pipes won't come varnished this way and imo this makes a noticeable difference in how well they smoke, and how quickly the porous cob dries out( from outside and inside the bowl, vs just inside).
For briars, I recommend checking out beaterpipes/peterpipes/goodenoughpipes on ebay. Same dude, sells very inexpensive lesser known brands. Research the pipe name on pipedia, and sometimes you can find out they're seconds or a recommend brand. Also highly recommend searching for the thread on inexpensive reputable pipe brands here, it's titled something like "You don't need to pay a lot of money for a good briar pipe", highly informative.
If you have 60 bucks to blow on a new briar, a Savinelli series III will be phenomenal imo and hard to beat. Best of luck!
For briars, I recommend checking out beaterpipes/peterpipes/goodenoughpipes on ebay. Same dude, sells very inexpensive lesser known brands. Research the pipe name on pipedia, and sometimes you can find out they're seconds or a recommend brand. Also highly recommend searching for the thread on inexpensive reputable pipe brands here, it's titled something like "You don't need to pay a lot of money for a good briar pipe", highly informative.
If you have 60 bucks to blow on a new briar, a Savinelli series III will be phenomenal imo and hard to beat. Best of luck!
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