Different Size Bowls for Different Blends?

[bludgeoningdeath]

I've heard various discussion about different bowl depths, bowl circumference, and stem length being better for different blends of tobacco. Is there any scientific truth to this or is it really all personal preference?
Curious as I'm thinking about buying a churchwarden soon and maybe another style pipe to add to my collection. Thank you.
Edit: Corrected capitalization in title per Rule #9. L.

 

[piperl12]

Hmmm I have heard the same but I have smoke English blends in small bowl pipes and flakes in large bowl deep pipes. Personally I have seen no difference in smoke although some of the complexities may be lost by using a small bowl for Latakia blends and a large wide bowl for flakes. @Harris can you weigh in? Harris is our flake expert and I bow to him on all things VA.

 

[dragonslayer]

There's a difference but I've got a limited amount of pipes and most are large bowls. I like a long lasting smoke and found that sipping will make the gap smaller.
Craig

 

[cobguy]

Hey Bludgeon,
Good question and I look forward to seeing more answers on this.
Personally, I grab a larger bowl for any aromatics,

a medium bowl for most everything else - VA / VaPers, burleys and blends

but a smaller bowl for those containing orientals such as Frog Morton On the Bayou.
As some said in a previous thread about this ... it's really a time factor as well.

Larger bowls for longer smokes, smaller bowls for cold days and lunch breaks.
Happy Smokin' ::

 

[drwatson]

I never really have noticed a huge difference, with the exception that narrow deeper bowls tend to give me a richer smoke. Cone shaped bowls have always worked good with flakes for me!

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I don't think there's a right and wrong, but here's my preferences.

I use a small bowl and my churchwarden for darker, stronger sipping blends.

The churchwarden is my favorite for the flakes with the lakeland scent, IMO, because they also burn hot, and the length helps to cool the smoke for me.

I use a taller staked pipe for my Virginias, because I like the way the leaf stoves as it progresses.

I use bigger pot shaped bowls for mixes, like Haddo's Delight and Presbyterian Mix, so that I get the full effect of the blend with every pull.

For aros, i could care less which pipe it is. I haven't noticed a difference myself.

And, for my VaPers, I like a huge bowl, because I want that smoke thick as chowder.
That's just my two cents. I am also interested to see what others post.

 

[billypm]

I go by tobacco cut, not blend style. Ribbons get loaded in my larger bowls, rubbed-out or cube-cut flakes go in my smaller ones.

 

[thedudeabides]

Roth has some good thoughts here. Pots and Princes make English and Balkan blends sing.

 

[saltedplug]

Although there are many who associate bowl size/shape with bringing out the best characteristics in certain tobaccos, and although my palate may be no better at tasting than an old dog's redolent ear, I maintain that tobacco cut and length of smoke are the only salient factors. You (not the freight- train puffer, I) can get over an hour with almost fully rubbed-out flake in a Group 3.

 

[cortezattic]

Michael's (cosmicfolklore) post resonates with me the most. I've always likened the diameter of the chamber to a carburetor: wider bowls engage more tobacco in the burn at any given moment, and require the intake of more air. Deep bowls, especially in narrower diameters, serve to "stove" the low lying tobaccos and create more of a evolution of flavor as the smoke progresses. Of course, the overall capacity of the bowl should be chosen in light of one's resistance to palate fatigue for any given blend. Lastly, it would make a good deal of sense for someone in a humid climate to prefer narrower chambers in order to limit the amount of moisture brought in with each draft.
You may find Neill Archer Roan's article, How and why chamber geometry impacts tobacco flavor very helpful.

 

[henryp]

Excellent link Cortez, thanks!
I've tended to use wide pots for aros and lat blends with success. It's good to know the science behind how this works.

 

[cigrmaster]

I smoke flakes exclusively and have found that group 4-5 sized pipes with bowl diameters of .75-.82 in shapes like Dublins, Apples, Rhodesians, Billiards, Lovats and Brandy's smoke them the best for my tastes. I have tried flakes in bigger pipes and they just did not do as well. I especially did not enjoy a bowl width of 1" as the flavors did not seem to get as concentrated as I like.
There are no set rules to any of this, experiment and see what works best for you.

 

[bludgeoningdeath]

Great information guys. I still have my eye on a churchwarden estate pipe but bought my 2nd Savinelli today. :puffpipe:

 

[zekest]

Pretty simple.
.75" or or so = Virginias.
.80" or more = English or aromatics.
Keeping it simple, dublins, billiards, stacks, virginias.
Pots and the like, English and aromatics.

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Roth nailed it!

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[pstlpkr]

I personally like wider bowls for Virginias and flakes.

But, with all due respect to Roth.... I like smaller bowls for English blends.

And, a small bowled churchwarden for Samuel Gawith Grousemoor.

::