Chamber size vs Tobacco Type?
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Some prefer certain chamber dimensions for different genres, but I find no difference in flavor from one pipe to the other.
To me, it’s more about bowl width than it is whether it’s a large- or small-bowled pipe. Similarly, it’s more about the cut of the tobacco than what the constituent leaf happens to be. For example, a shag cut will fit neatly into a bowl of any size, but a chunky flake might work better in a pot or a similarly wide bowl.
Large or small pipe? I think it’s entirely a question of how long you’re wanting to enjoy your pipe at any given time, not what you’re putting in it. Blend type doesn’t figure into it at all.
Large or small pipe? I think it’s entirely a question of how long you’re wanting to enjoy your pipe at any given time, not what you’re putting in it. Blend type doesn’t figure into it at all.
Yeh, although I do use size as an indicator of what I will like in that pipe, for me it gets even more complicated. Depth to width ratio is more important. I do not like to stove most latakias, so a width to depth ratio of 1x1.25... For example .80" x 1" or less is what I designate as my latakia pipes. However, for my virginia pipes, not all virginias are the same. Some don't stove for shit, and some are so bitey that I prefer wider pipes for them. Virginia #1 and Blackjack are both so bitey, that I prefer really wide pipes, like above .90" wide. I have some over 1" wide. But, for an uncased Virginia, like C&D Virginia Flakes or Opening Night, I will go more for a .70 x 2.25" pipe to really stove the bottom half of the chamber to make for a really sweet smoke. Burleys... I grab my monster pipes. Just large and in charge, like .90" to 1" wide.
There are no hard fast rules. And, I will even break my own rules from time to time. I wouldn't get hung up on it. And, experimenting by trying different dimensions is how I found out that bitey blends do better in wider pipes. Also, I have found that really strong blends don't give me the spins as much if I smoke them in wider bowls.
Aromatics... I haven't found dimensions to make any difference with them, except, I don't want mess up my stacks or toppers with ghosting them with that shit.
There are no hard fast rules. And, I will even break my own rules from time to time. I wouldn't get hung up on it. And, experimenting by trying different dimensions is how I found out that bitey blends do better in wider pipes. Also, I have found that really strong blends don't give me the spins as much if I smoke them in wider bowls.
Aromatics... I haven't found dimensions to make any difference with them, except, I don't want mess up my stacks or toppers with ghosting them with that shit.
pipesmag podcast Ep 273 had some comments about bowl size / blend choices, along the lines of @cosmicfolklore 's observations of stoving what lies below.
When I started smoking pipes, about a lifetime ago, there were widely accepted rules about what chamber shape for what type of tobacco (pipe smokers love rules) which I followed assiduously (pipe smokers like to follow rules assiduously) which proved to be meaningless (pipe smokers like meaninglessness).
I'll smoke just about anything in anything and have an enjoyable smoke. Some blends seem to do better for me in larger chambers, but a great many do just fine in whatever size chamber I use, so it's more a matter of how long a smoke do I want to have.
And there is a matter of chamber geometry and how that effects the burn, but overall, pipe makers do seem to have a handle on how to properly make a pipe, so that is figured in as a part of a pipe's construction.
Which is to say, whatever in whatever, just try out combos and use what works best for you.
I'll smoke just about anything in anything and have an enjoyable smoke. Some blends seem to do better for me in larger chambers, but a great many do just fine in whatever size chamber I use, so it's more a matter of how long a smoke do I want to have.
And there is a matter of chamber geometry and how that effects the burn, but overall, pipe makers do seem to have a handle on how to properly make a pipe, so that is figured in as a part of a pipe's construction.
Which is to say, whatever in whatever, just try out combos and use what works best for you.
Cos,
We’re not gonna see your picture on the next production run of Bud Lite, are we???
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If she drinks Budweiser, who cares. Only a moron would drink that swill.
Don't get stuck on generalities. You have to take it a pipe and a blend at a time.
One working theory I have is that more complex blends, say four or more tobaccos, tend to unfold and show off better in a broader chamber, since more of each tobacco is burning at once and lending its flavor to the taste.
Another working theory I have is that flake/coin/plug/rope blends can work well in smaller chamber pipes because they tend to burn more slowly and deliver full flavor. You can get a full-length smoke in a small chamber. But the flavor with those cuts can be just as good in a larger chamber too.
But, back to my opening, different shape chambers, size pipes, size chambers, etc., can always surprise you. You can get one of those expectational smokes out of a pipe where the blend "shouldn't" work at all. Don't get stuck on rules.
One working theory I have is that more complex blends, say four or more tobaccos, tend to unfold and show off better in a broader chamber, since more of each tobacco is burning at once and lending its flavor to the taste.
Another working theory I have is that flake/coin/plug/rope blends can work well in smaller chamber pipes because they tend to burn more slowly and deliver full flavor. You can get a full-length smoke in a small chamber. But the flavor with those cuts can be just as good in a larger chamber too.
But, back to my opening, different shape chambers, size pipes, size chambers, etc., can always surprise you. You can get one of those expectational smokes out of a pipe where the blend "shouldn't" work at all. Don't get stuck on rules.
“She” is a “He”. Woke yet?
Bud Light, after decades of masterful beer advertising campaigns - has partnered with a Trans Spokesperson, Spokeswoman, take your pick.
Glad you find him/her attractive, BurleyBreath
On edit: And I simply cannot resist this…
But at least at a time when luxury tobacco is under attack from all sides — Budweiser has placed a PipeSmoker on their cans.
I’m comin’ to see ya, BROBS.
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No. I absolutely don't believe it, he said, sarcastically. And to top it off, I've already sent a marriage proposal to the Budweiser people, lacking the lady's address. Will keep you posted on the outcome.“She” is a “He”. Woke yet?
Bud Light, after decades of masterful beer advertising campaigns - has partnered with a Trans Spokesperson, Spokeswoman, take your pick.
Glad you find him/her attractive, BurleyBreath
Back on track with the tobacco thing, here's some further weirdness with me. Anyone here align their strands of tobacco vertically in the bowl? I'm talking about the ones that don't seem to easily rub out, due, in my case, to lack of effort. Works for cigars, i.e. hand-rolled versus machined, so why not pipes? Seems to burn better if I pay a little more attention to the way the bowl is packed. Nothing worse than fighting to keep a bowl lit, only to discover there's a chunk of tobacco lying crosswise across the draft stream. Another argument for fold and stuff, I reckon.
About bowl sizes I have no idea, other than a general sense that big bowls burn better. When using flakes, it's all I can do to make a 3/4" inside diameter work at all. The stuff just doesn't fit in. Why not just rub out flakes more? Because combined with the drying time everyone recommends, excessive rubbing turns the vile weed to dust. Am I being an asshole about this?
I smoke my tobacco in whatever sized pipe I have and don't worry about it.
I do this with partially rubbed out flakes / chunky ready-rubbed mixtures. I do feel that it improves the burn and results in fewer relights, meaning I can focus on smoking slowly and finding the flavor.
