Chasing an Experience, Am I Just New?

[yanoJL]

I'm about a month into this new hobby. I started with a basket briar and a few house blends from a local B&M. I enjoyed it enough right from the start, so I made a few more purchases online. I bought a Savinelli, a Peterson system, and a few tins of tobacco, including Peterson's Nightcap.

When I opened the Nightcap, I was immediately put off by the tin note. I didn't like the smell at all. But still, I loaded a bowl and started sipping, being extra careful to smoke slowly and gently.

And it was magical!

I was amazed at how delicious this tobacco tasted. So I started trying the different tobaccos and different pipes. But pallet fatigue set in pretty quickly, and a couple rookie mistakes left my tongue rough. So I've tried to slow down, limiting the number of bowls I'll have in a day, and making sure I space my smokes out by several hours.

But, I am still finding it difficult to recreate that first experience with Nightcap. Subsequent smokes do not seem nearly as flavorful or satisfying, even though I sip slowly and smoke as cool/dry as I can, and try pallet cleansing tricks I've read about online.

So what's the deal, does it take time for the tongue and pallet to adjust? Am I not supposed to have more than one bowl a day, a week?

I really want to taste the tobacco like I did that first time. But I'm just not getting that same level of flavor. Hmmm.

Any suggestions?

 

[verporchting]

Welcome to the madness!

Smoking a pipe is an amazing thing and it can be incredibly relaxing or equally frustrating depending on about a million factors.

I wouldn’t chase a particular “magical moment” too zealously - such moments can and do happen, but trying to force them will lead to frustration. So much depends on your frame of mind, the surroundings, the company, the tobacco, and a million other things.

My advice is to simply enjoy the experience from beginning to end, regardless of the pipe or tobacco - for what it is, to the best of your ability. If it’s not working out any given day, set the pipe down and try again later. If you feel like a second or third pipe go for it.

One day you may enjoy a blend but find the next day you want something completely different, that’s okay.

Your tastes might change over the seasons or years, that’s okay too.

Bottom line = don’t overthink it and try to just enjoy as much of the experience as you can as often as you can. Hard to go wrong that way.

Enjoy!

 

[yanoJL]

Welcome to the madness!

...

Bottom line = don’t overthink it and try to just enjoy as much of the experience as you can as often as you can. Hard to go wrong that way.

Enjoy!

Thank you! You are correct, I am overthinking this.
Earlier today I made lunch. I let the lettuce air dry for a few minutes, then rubbed it out before putting it on a sandwich.

 

[bullet08]

Fresh tin of Latakia blend has extra "kick". Soon, it mellows out. But it should still be sharp for a day or so. Try Pirate Kake. It has ton of Latakia. Also, don't dry Latakia blend too much. Just shy of being dried should be good. Rotate your blends and try not to smoke Lat blend back to back, that might help notice it more.

 

[OzPiper]

It's a bit like cooking
You may have cooked the same dish numerous times.
Sublime once, most times good and occasionally bleh !

Same recipe, same ingredients, same equipment, same person at the stove.
Different days, different set of (variable) circumstances.
Even professional chefs have difficulty hitting perfection consistently


Me - I'm satisfied with "good".
And savour "sublime" when it happens.
But I don't chase after it.
That way I am rarely disappointed

 

[kschatey]

I say try some other stuff and then go back to the Nighhtcap. See what happens.

 

[Ahi Ka]

Consider taking a few days to a week break from smoking. I know this can be a daunting prospect especially with the excitement of a new hobby. Also, what do you do to clean your pipes?

 

[yanoJL]

Consider taking a few days to a week break from smoking. I know this can be a daunting prospect especially with the excitement of a new hobby. Also, what do you do to clean your pipes?

I have purchased a few pipes, so I have a rotation that enables me to "rest" each one in between uses. After each session, when the pipe is cool, I separate the parts, run a pipe cleaner trough the stem, clean the tenon with a microfiber cloth, swab a pipe cleaner around the inside of the mortise, and through the draft hole into the bottom of the chamber. Then I bend the pipe cleaner into a horseshow shape and use that to swap any moisture from the inside of the chamber (I saw Muttnchop Piper recommend this on YouTube, so I have been doing that after each use as well).

Then I let it air dry.

Once I hit 10+ uses with a pipe, I use Pipemaster's Clean & Cure (sparingly) according to the directions. Then that pipe gets 24-hour (at least) drying time. I have only done this a couple of times as my pipes are still pretty new (no estates). Everclear is not legal in my state (California) so I opted for the store-bought solution.

But yeah, I might need to take a break. I got a little ambitious there, and maybe went to the well too many times. Like you said, it's hard to abstain with the excitement of a new hobby. Lady Latakia keeps calling my name.

 

[Ahi Ka]

Sounds like you got a good system bro. I remember in the early days when I got into smoking multiple bowls per day (I had been smoking one evening a week or so for almost a decade prior) I got burnt hard and had palette fatigue for 2 weeks to a month. I feel if I rested it would have run it’s course quicker.

Also just go smoke some haunted bookshop. After a few bowls of that shit you’ll learnt to appreciate the current “meh” of nightcap.

(I’m allowed to say that cos I love burley)

 

[anotherbob]

time that's what helps. You just keep smoking and trying to get it down and then one day it's real easy and you can enjoy tobacco in ways that seemed unpossible before.

 

[SBC]

It's fairly common for guys here to report the rarity (but rare reality) of a "nirvana"-like bowl.

It happened to me a couple of weeks ago (for the first time in I don't know how long, maybe a year) -- I was trying my first bowl of Marlin Flake. I'd never had it before.

My psyche and senses were both blown away. I sunk into a state of palpable well-being that I *rarely* feel. And the flavors were perfect in ways I didn't remember ever experiencing before.

I told my wife that I'd just discovered my new favorite tobacco.

A couple days later, when I went to try it again... no joy. In fact, from that bowl, I wouldn't even put it on a list of go-tos. What happened?

Then I tried again ... nope.

I don't know what happened that one time, but apparently I was mistaken -- I had not just discovered my new favorite tobacco.

You can't control the magic. But I will say that it seems more common (still rare) after a break from smoking.
Don't chase diminishing returns... in anything. That's how we get unsatisfied addicts and idolaters.

 

[fireground_piper]

It's fairly common for guys here to report the rarity (but rare reality) of a "nirvana"-like bowl.

It happened to me a couple of weeks ago (for the first time in I don't know how long, maybe a year) -- I was trying my first bowl of Marlin Flake. I'd never had it before.

My psyche and senses were both blown away. I sunk into a state of palpable well-being that I *rarely* feel. And the flavors were perfect in ways I didn't remember ever experiencing before.

I told my wife that I'd just discovered my new favorite tobacco.

A couple days later, when I went to try it again... no joy. In fact, from that bowl, I wouldn't even put it on a list of go-tos. What happened?

Then I tried again ... nope.

I don't know what happened that one time, but apparently I was mistaken -- I had not just discovered my new favorite tobacco.

You can't control the magic. But I will say that it seems more common (still rare) after a break from smoking.
Don't chase diminishing returns... in anything. That's how we get unsatisfied addicts and idolaters.

Agreed with this. Sometimes everything just clicks to a different level even if I’m using the same pipe and tobacco combinations I have used a number of times before.

 

[mso489]

The advice I give new pipe smokers, that longstanding members have heard many time before, is to buy only small quantities of blends for a year or three, while you learn about blends and what you like. One tin, a pouch, or an ounce or two in bulk is plenty. I wouldn't stock up on anything. If you like something, just buy another small quantity, and if you don't like something, jar it and try it in a year.

So, what happened to the magic you experienced with Nightcap? You're still learning the blend. The first bowl was exciting, and you got it just right. Now you're learning more about it, and that takes time. As you know, it's an English blend. I'd also try more or less all Virginia and all burley blends, since those are the most often used "base" tobaccos, making up the largest proportion of most blends. Take your time. Focus on your enjoyment. Don't try to do this all at once.

 

[sablebrush52]

When I take a break from smoking for a coupe of weeks, that first bowl has incredible flavor. Stop smoking for a week or two, then load up your magic blend and enjoy.

This topic came up on my weekly ZOOM call. The participants are all long term pipe smokers, some very well known in the piping community, and I mentioned this to them and all of them, all of them, agreed and said that they had the same experiences after taking a hiatus from smoking.

 

[kcghost]

The original Nightcap was simply one of the greatest English tobaccos ever produced.

 

[anotherbob]

It's fairly common for guys here to report the rarity (but rare reality) of a "nirvana"-like bowl.

It happened to me a couple of weeks ago (for the first time in I don't know how long, maybe a year) -- I was trying my first bowl of Marlin Flake. I'd never had it before.

My psyche and senses were both blown away. I sunk into a state of palpable well-being that I *rarely* feel. And the flavors were perfect in ways I didn't remember ever experiencing before.

I told my wife that I'd just discovered my new favorite tobacco.

A couple days later, when I went to try it again... no joy. In fact, from that bowl, I wouldn't even put it on a list of go-tos. What happened?

Then I tried again ... nope.

I don't know what happened that one time, but apparently I was mistaken -- I had not just discovered my new favorite tobacco.

You can't control the magic. But I will say that it seems more common (still rare) after a break from smoking.
Don't chase diminishing returns... in anything. That's how we get unsatisfied addicts and idolaters.

It's funny to me it reminds me of a story that I forget the specifics of. But three men see the sacred something at the center of existence (that's the detail I forget, could be nirvana, heaven, or some culturally different but similar concept). The first guy went mad and hated life afterwards it was so dull now and kept chasing it. The second one also went mad afraid of what he had seen it was too much and lived in terror. The third guy felt lucky to see it and his life went on with just a slight but significant extra zing to it. I kind of feel like the nirvana smoke is like that. Some people chase it and then also chase away the fun of pipe smoking. I don't think it frightens anybody, but who knows. But I've found a little bit of the shine does seem to stick around. That if you don't chase it and just appreciate it as something that happens and can happen and at best can sorta be cultivated, that the smokes afterwards are just a little bit better.

 

[anotherbob]

When I take a break from smoking for a coupe of weeks, that first bowl has incredible flavor. Stop smoking for a week or two, then load up your magic blend and enjoy.

This topic came up on my weekly ZOOM call. The participants are all long term pipe smokers, some very well known in the piping community, and I mentioned this to them and all of them, all of them, agreed and said that they had the same experiences after taking a hiatus from smoking.

I don't smoke most weekends. Because I don't want the pipe to ever be a ho hum everyday experience. I want it to always be at least a little luxurious.

 

[frozenchurchwarden]

I'm about a month into this new hobby. I started with a basket briar and a few house blends from a local B&M. I enjoyed it enough right from the start, so I made a few more purchases online. I bought a Savinelli, a Peterson system, and a few tins of tobacco, including Peterson's Nightcap.

When I opened the Nightcap, I was immediately put off by the tin note. I didn't like the smell at all. But still, I loaded a bowl and started sipping, being extra careful to smoke slowly and gently.

And it was magical!

I was amazed at how delicious this tobacco tasted. So I started trying the different tobaccos and different pipes. But pallet fatigue set in pretty quickly, and a couple rookie mistakes left my tongue rough. So I've tried to slow down, limiting the number of bowls I'll have in a day, and making sure I space my smokes out by several hours.

But, I am still finding it difficult to recreate that first experience with Nightcap. Subsequent smokes do not seem nearly as flavorful or satisfying, even though I sip slowly and smoke as cool/dry as I can, and try pallet cleansing tricks I've read about online.

So what's the deal, does it take time for the tongue and pallet to adjust? Am I not supposed to have more than one bowl a day, a week?

I really want to taste the tobacco like I did that first time. But I'm just not getting that same level of flavor. Hmmm.

Any suggestions?

Try re-hydrating your Nightcap. Enlgish blends taste different dry vs. moist.

 

[OverMountain]

Thinking in quasi experiment mode…it’s hard to nail down those “eureka” moments.

For a dependent variable of “pipe nirvana” we desire to measure, there are so many independent variables that affect the experience making it hard to control for.

Tobacco selection, moisture content, environmental conditions, packing, physiological factors, technique….even trying to control all these variables except for the one you try to manipulate leads to a condition known as “way too much work for me to just enjoy this pipe”.

I don’t have an answer for you. My agreement with the universe right now is “I like doing this….let’s see what happens”.

Unscientific, but for me, realistic.

(it gets better with time)

 

[bullet08]

I mean, pipe smoking is great. But it's not exactly an earth shattering expensive. There's sex. Have lot of sex and you won't think too much about pipe smoking. Oh! By the way, don't have pipe after sex. She might think you forgot about her and you might end up smoking more pipes than you ought to.