Cure To Virginia Bite.

[blueeyedogre]

First off I hate having to say I was wrong but this time I was. I was discussing with Morton about my obsession with Virginias as of late but how I really had to be careful as they like to bite me. He suggested adding a little Perique, not up til this point the only Perique I was smoking was McClelland's Beacon Extra. Beacon Extra is very heavily mixed with Perique and it's more of a "right frame of mind" smoke for me.... sort of a dessert tobacco. So I took Morton's advice and added a touch of Perique to my Virginia last week and been smoking it for a week now. The results where there was no more bite at all just a smooth smoke. I hate admitting it but this time I take my hat off to Morton and admit..... "You were right". lol

 

[escioe]

You could also just slow down.

 

[blueeyedogre]

You could also just slow down.

I don't smoke that fast and it only come from Virginias. Some people just had a natural reaction to types of tobaccos and while I love my Virginias my tongue reacts to the acid nature of Virginias so by adding a touch of Perique which is alkaline in nature it crosses out the acid of the Virginias and make for a more enjoyable smoke for me.

 

[mcitinner1]

Blue eyed this is good information. I can smoke straight Virginia, but want to test your theory. Thanks 8)

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Does it hurt for very long after you've finished a bowl? The whole reason that I am attracted to Virginias is the acidic sweetness. It does make my tongue tingle, sorta kinda, maybe like a bite-ish, but after I've finished a bowl, and sipped some apple juice or Mountain Dew, lemonade, or some other acidic drink, the tingle is gone.

When I think of bite, I think of something that prevents me from smoking for the rest of the day. The last blend that bit me, kept me from my pipe for a whole day, and the worst I've ever been bitten I couldn't smoke for almost three days, three looooooooooong days.

 

[cortezattic]

From Russ Ouellette:

Besides facilitating the absorption of nicotine, the alkalinity of Burley has an additional effect -- the possibility of tongue bite. Of all the different types of tobaccos, the one most likely to cause bite is Burley, but it’s important to understand that tongue bite is a biochemical reaction, not the same as "leather tongue" which is what one might get from smoking too much or too hot.
When tongue bite attacks, it feels almost like a cramp. Because the reaction is caused by the high pH of the smoke, having something to drink that is somewhat acidic, like a dry wine or even soda can help fend off the discomfort. Additionally, the acid will help slow down the absorption of nicotine so you’ll be less likely to have to deal with hiccups, headache or queasiness.

Most people who complain of tongue bite aren’t experiencing bite at all; they’ve simply burnt their tongues.

Virginia is acidic, and is usually added to ameliorate a bite-prone, alkaline Burley concoction.

Since Virginia is a thinner, faster burning leaf, I think the problem is with packing, moisture, or cadence. (My 2¢)

I'm glad the Perique solved the problem -- but I really don't think it was bite.

 

[xrundog]

I have found that Yellow Va.s are what really bite me. If I stick with Red Va. blends I generally get much less if any bite.

 

[blueeyedogre]

Since Virginia is a thinner, faster burning leaf, I think the problem is with packing, moisture, or cadence.

Could be, God knows after 2 years I still have miles to go before understanding this wonderful habit/hobby.

I have found that Yellow Va.s are what really bite me. If I stick with Red Va. blends I generally get much less if any bite.

I'm adding some McClelland red cake on my next order to try some red. My go-to favorite is Capstan and I gauge all Virginias against it.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

It's been a while since I've had Capstan, but isn't it blended with burley? I could be wrong, but if so, this may be what makes it such a smooth smoke for you. Also, if so, you might be interested in C&D's Briar Fox.

 

[blueeyedogre]

It's been a while since I've had Capstan, but isn't it blended with burley?

Nope. A straight glorious wonderful Virginia that give me reason to go on living in this wicked world!! :lol:

 

[saltedplug]

I can't smoke straight VA. I smoke too fast. I'm told by a very seasoned pipe smoker who converted to smoking straight VA exclusively that he had to slow way down to manage irritating his mouth. I don't say bite as it is the result of a chemical interaction and to my mind occurs much less frequently than those smokers who think they are smoking slowly but aren't.
Smoking these tobaccos means to smoke painfully slowly as many are used to smoking a good bit faster.

 

[bigpond]

If your tongue is giving you trouble after smoking bright leaf, try an alkaline beverage while smoking. Water, orange juice ginger ale, and tea (green, others too) are mildly alkaline while cocoa, coffee and particularly chicory coffee are very alkaline.

 

[eduardonogueira]

For a long time I was avoiding to smoke straight virginia, it bites me every time even smoking very slowly. I solved my problem these days, I just spray a bit of pure lemon juice to it and let it dry a bit. Just like that! it works fine, I guess that the explanation is very simple, the acidic present in the lemon juice is something that my mouth already know, when applied to virginia it just equalizes the whole blend. At first, I was skeptical about it because virginias already have acid in comparison with burleys that has a high alkaline content. But it works fine for me, now I can enjoy a nice straight virginia without hesitating. By the way, the juice doesn't change anything regarding taste or smell of the tobacco.

 

[davek]

Discovered this lately myself smoking whole leaf "Bright Leaf" (Virginia) tobacco. Burley will help a lot as well, you have to use more.
Hmmm, "Va-Per" and "Burley And Bright". Guess the blenders are pretty smart after all.

 

[cigrmaster]

I have an allergic reaction to red virginia. What happens is when the smoke hits my tongue, I get a nasty acid burn right away. I can smoke lots of other virginia's including lemon. I have a list of flakes that have little to no reds at all and none bite me. Here is my list. The TR next to a name means that for me it is ready to smoke out of the tin with no drying time in most instances.
Virginia Flakes:

Fribourg&Treyer Cut Virginia Plug TR

Fribourg and Treyer VintageTR

Fribourg & Treyer Special Brown FlakeTR

Wessex Campaign Brigade Dark FlakeTR

Wessex Brown Virginia Flake TR

Wessex Gold Virginia Flake TR

Wessex Gold Brick TR

Samuel Gawith Best Brown Flake

Samuel Gawith full Virginia Flake

Hamborger VeermasterTR

Dunhill Flake TR

Astley’s no. 44 Dark Flake TR

Astleys 109TR

John Aylesbury Luxury Flake TR

Rotary Navy CutTR

Capstan Blue FlakeTR

Brigham Klondike Gold TR

Samuel Gawith Kendal

Butera Royal Vintage: Dark Stoved
Virginia/Perique Flakes

EscudoTR

Solani 633 TR

Samuel Gawith St James Flake

Dunhill Deluxe Navy RollsTR

Peter Heinrichs Curly Block
Virginia/Burley/Kentucky Flakes

Solani Silver Flake TR

Peterson Perfect Plug

GL Pease NavigatorTR

Petersons Irish Flake

Peterson University Flake

Esoterica Stonehaven

Mac Baren HH Old Dark Fired

Wallace Flake TR

Orlik Dark Strong Kentucky TR
Aromatic flakes.

Mac Baren Modern Virginia Flake TR

Mac Baren Vanilla Creme Flake TR

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I do the things to help with Virginia bite. I dry the tobacco petty good before smoking. I use several pipe cleaners to soak up any excess moisture while I'm smoking. And I slows down. The other thing I've found for some relief is Weleda tooth paste. It is an organic salt tooth paste with no fluoride. It seems to offset the acidity. I also use Periobrite mouthwash.

 

[luigi]

the acidic present in the lemon juice is something that my mouth already know

I think there's also a psychical part which is often neglected or maybe too different from person to person.

I had been bitten quite badly last week by some too moist virginias. When the burning sensation passed completely after a few days I noticed I could feel a mild "bite" before smoking again, while loading the same blend that had fried my tongue.

Our brains definitely remember but they can be tricked too.

 

[saltedplug]

I would go so far as to say that smoked at the proper pace there are no tobaccos that bite. Each draw brings hot smoke into the mouth's sensitive tissues, and if subsequent draws are taken that allow the heat from the previous draws to pass, before the next draw is taken, there is no injury. With VAs I have to be on top of my cadence. One need adjust technique to the way the tobacco would be smoked, which requires concentration. We think of pipe smoking as an art, read forums and ask questions, then stick a pipe in our mouth and expect the experience to speak to us, but unless we are listening, we stay on the surface of the smoke.

 

[Waning Embers]

Bone dry and smoke slow is how I do it.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I believe there are two kinds of bite, heat and chemical. Not sure cadence or speed has that much to do with the chemical type.