I have been thinking on this topic as of late while smoking and contemplating what troubles might arise for new adopters of our noble hobby. Here are some of my thoughts.
Tongue bite can be caused by a few different things: Chemical disagreements between a blend and your mouth, blend moisture, and poor technique. We can't do much about the first; the second is usually an easy fix; but what about the third?
In my estimation, poor technique (for the most part) stems from some sort of unfounded paranoia about a pipe going out. If the fear of a relight isn't the culprit, generally it's puffing too aggressively to either generate an "acceptable" volume of smoke, or an "acceptable" degree of flavor. Any of these is folly, and leads to a vicious cycle of heat, discomfort and disappointment.
The story goes something like this: A beginner lights his or her pipe, puffs for a bit, and eventually the pipe begins to go out. Not wanting the pipe to go out, the smoker puffs more aggressively. Tongue bite starts to set-in. The pipe goes out and the beginner relights, probably more and more aggressively as he or she gets frustrated. Repeat until tongue falls out of mouth.
This is happening because as a pipe begins to go out, only part of the ember remains lit. Aggressive puffing causes the small portion of tobacco that IS lit to burn too hot. You may get the desired volume of smoke for a time, but from a smaller portion of the tobacco burning - it is overheated and you are receiving hot smoke.
Once you begin to burn your tongue by oversmoking, there really is no going back if you continue the cycle of poor technique. Relights get hotter and hotter as the bowl goes on, and the tobacco is burnt unevenly. No flavor will you ever encounter.
As such, my advice for beginners is this:
1. Light accurately, tamp, true-light softly - puff slowly.
2. If you're not getting the volume of smoke you desire and believe it is because your ember is fading, touch your pipe with a lighter or match gently, even BEFORE it has gone out.
3. If/when your pipe goes out, take a moment to think before torching it again. How does your mouth feel right now? Does it need a rest or a beverage? Do I need to let some saliva build up in my mouth to sooth some of this heat?
4. Tobacco that is being burnt by a flame directly (in my opinion), doesn’t taste great. On relights, puff while lighting as needed, but get that smoke out of your mouth as quickly as you can because that aggressive over-burnt taste can linger. Once the pipe is lit properly, then start sipping and tasting.
5. The catch-22 is, relights are when a lot of tongue bite can happen. Don’t be afraid of them, but rest before relighting if you need to or relight before you think you need to.
6. Less time is needed under the flame for a relight while the tobacco is still warm. Relight more gently than you do for an initial light.
I hope this information is found useful for at least some of the beginners out there who are struggling to enjoy their pipes.
Happy smoking,
Tom
Tongue bite can be caused by a few different things: Chemical disagreements between a blend and your mouth, blend moisture, and poor technique. We can't do much about the first; the second is usually an easy fix; but what about the third?
In my estimation, poor technique (for the most part) stems from some sort of unfounded paranoia about a pipe going out. If the fear of a relight isn't the culprit, generally it's puffing too aggressively to either generate an "acceptable" volume of smoke, or an "acceptable" degree of flavor. Any of these is folly, and leads to a vicious cycle of heat, discomfort and disappointment.
The story goes something like this: A beginner lights his or her pipe, puffs for a bit, and eventually the pipe begins to go out. Not wanting the pipe to go out, the smoker puffs more aggressively. Tongue bite starts to set-in. The pipe goes out and the beginner relights, probably more and more aggressively as he or she gets frustrated. Repeat until tongue falls out of mouth.
This is happening because as a pipe begins to go out, only part of the ember remains lit. Aggressive puffing causes the small portion of tobacco that IS lit to burn too hot. You may get the desired volume of smoke for a time, but from a smaller portion of the tobacco burning - it is overheated and you are receiving hot smoke.
Once you begin to burn your tongue by oversmoking, there really is no going back if you continue the cycle of poor technique. Relights get hotter and hotter as the bowl goes on, and the tobacco is burnt unevenly. No flavor will you ever encounter.
As such, my advice for beginners is this:
1. Light accurately, tamp, true-light softly - puff slowly.
2. If you're not getting the volume of smoke you desire and believe it is because your ember is fading, touch your pipe with a lighter or match gently, even BEFORE it has gone out.
3. If/when your pipe goes out, take a moment to think before torching it again. How does your mouth feel right now? Does it need a rest or a beverage? Do I need to let some saliva build up in my mouth to sooth some of this heat?
4. Tobacco that is being burnt by a flame directly (in my opinion), doesn’t taste great. On relights, puff while lighting as needed, but get that smoke out of your mouth as quickly as you can because that aggressive over-burnt taste can linger. Once the pipe is lit properly, then start sipping and tasting.
5. The catch-22 is, relights are when a lot of tongue bite can happen. Don’t be afraid of them, but rest before relighting if you need to or relight before you think you need to.
6. Less time is needed under the flame for a relight while the tobacco is still warm. Relight more gently than you do for an initial light.
I hope this information is found useful for at least some of the beginners out there who are struggling to enjoy their pipes.
Happy smoking,
Tom
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