Chamber Diameter

[Chasing Embers]

What makes one pipe make the tobacco smoke and taste better than another?

Other than airflow I've never noticed a difference between one pipe or another other than aesthetics. Different blends taste the same to me in any non ghosted pipe I smoke them in. For me it's like saying macaroni and cheese tastes different if eaten from a bowl rather than a plate.

 

[sablebrush52]

The hard and fast rule with chamber size is that there is no hard and fast rule. The common wisdom was that flakes worked best in tall narrow chambers and that pots were great for complex blends. But, a lot of smokers, including Greg Pease, like how flakes smoke in a pot.

I've smoked all kinds of blends, in all kinds of cuts, in all kinds of chamber shapes, with excellent results.

 

[instymp]

Other than airflow I've never noticed a difference between one pipe or another other than aesthetics. Different blends taste the same to me in any non ghosted pipe I smoke them in. For me it's like saying macaroni and cheese tastes different if eaten from a bowl rather than a plate.

View attachment 68619

It doesn't?

 

[sablebrush52]

What makes one pipe make the tobacco smoke and taste better than another?

Good wood, good drilling, good prep, the smoker's inner fantasy life.

 

[Grangerous]

Good wood, good drilling, good prep, the smoker's inner fantasy life.

Hah! Probably the latter. But I’m gonna go with draw as perhaps having the most profound affect on a particular pipe.

That DM1989 Stanwell would be on the verge of going out. Whenever I “thought” it was out, a few gentle puffs brought it to life and this went on for that entire smoke. I could keep that 1989 Stanwell pipe at a smolder.

Made the tobacco taste great for the duration.

That pipe isn’t large. But it was that year’s Danish Pipe Smoking Championship Pipe. I also bought a 1987 Danish Pipe Smoking Championship Pipe which I have yet to smoke.

Thoughts?

 

[americaman]

I'm generally of the mind that it's technique that makes for a pleasant smoke. However, I have noticed that my pipes with a more narrow chamber smoke rubbed out flakes noticeably better than let's say, a big Savinelli bent pot. Do we think that there's anything to this or am I just crazy?

You are probably correct, and many would agree with you. In fact, I just realized this with my new Jack Howell, which has a chamber diameter of 0.65. I have been smoking a certain popular flake, which I found to be unextraordinary. But in my narrow-chambered Howell it came alive.

Other than that, I have found that one of my Barling EXEXELs with a big chamber smokes other Virginias incredibly well.

So it may come down to the particular flake.

 

[bullet08]

Doesn't really make much difference to me. I enjoy all of 'em.

 

[biz]

My inside micrometer is inaccurate, so everything I smoke now, is not tuned to my bowls. I give up.

 

[Toast]

Indirectly linked to chamber size, my feeling is that the delicacy of the pipe itself plays a role in how I approach it.

I'm almost certainly a little gentler with my smaller pipes than I am with my monsters, though I'm sure they're no better drilled on average.

 

[RainKing]

I don’t think about chamber size personally. Instead, I let the pipe tell me what type of blend it will house. Sounds silly, I know. But I more prefer to separate my pipes and blends based on ascetics alone. Some pipes just scream English, while others just look better for aromatics. Can’t explain it.

 

[Chasing Embers]

But I more prefer to separate my pipes and blends based on aesthetics alone

That's how I do it.

 

[bullet08]

I don’t think about chamber size personally. Instead, I let the pipe tell me what type of blend it will house. Sounds silly, I know. But I more prefer to separate my pipes and blends based on ascetics alone. Some pipes just scream English, while others just look better for aromatics. Can’t explain it.

As good as any other methods. I personally like bulldog and rhdesian for English/Balkan. But on some days, I'll put Va in them.

 

[makhorkasmoker]

I am finding that my very narrowest chambers--1/2 inch or so--bring out a nice sweetness in the burley-oriental blend I usually smoke. In broader chambers I may notice more complexity in the savory flavors of the same blend.

 

[vosBghos]

Ive heard Tall and narrow for VA and Flakes and Shallow and wide For English and Aro over and over and through my own experimentation it seems to be true. If its a Burley blend I just throw it in average pot same with Shags but I just packem tighter.

Thing about Orientals I'm sure its just a weird personal quirk but straight orientals in a small shallow egg just seems right , tried them in others , just not the same...

 

[LudwigB88]

With .75-.80 diameter, do you think it matters what the chamber depth is ? For instance, how about only filling bowl halfway or three quarters ? Do you think that affects the smoke properties ?

 

[Chasing Embers]

Do you think that affects the smoke properties ?

For me, other than smoke duration not at all. Everything is subjective to the individual.

 

[VDL_Piper]

I like a wide bowl, 1” or better as I seem to extract more flavour but managing the ember becomes more important

 

[LudwigB88]

I like a wide bowl, 1” or better as I seem to extract more flavour but managing the ember becomes more important

Do you mean outer or inner diameter ?

 

[Chasing Embers]

A 1"×2" chamber is my preferred but I also like a deeper chamber with the same diameter.

 

[LudwigB88]

A 1"×2" chamber is my preferred but I also like a deeper chamber with the same diameter.

Even for flakes ?