Some nights I’ll light up a bow and from the char light down to ash, it will be terrible. It could be a blend that, regularly, I enjoy and smoke often but for whatever reason is a hot, ashy, nasty bowl. Am I the only one who experiences this?
Does Anyone Else Have Bad Smokes?
- Thread starter fishmansf
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If that happens, I dump the bowl and pack another one with a different blend.
Not something I'm experienced with. The pipe may need a thorough cleaning.
Maybe on occasion but its more common for me to get a "Not great smoke" rather than terrible. Yesterday I had one. I think part of it was me...my taster as well as not the best beverage on the side. On occsaions that the smoke was just bad the pipe was not clean.
Only Good and Better. Some days flavors just don’t arrive. Other days there’ll be more relights. But bad taste? That would be a pipe in need of a cleaning.
If a blend I usually enjoy turns sub-optimal, it's usually a dirty pipe. If all blends seem a bit "off" in various pipes it's me sickening for something.
I find that at night (especially after a stressful day) I sometimes (subconsciously) pick up my cadence, and this is what ruins a smoke for me. There is usually no salvaging a smoke afterwards. Try to slow your cadence even more than usual in the evening and I think you’ll find success.
Yes, this happens to me. I find that if I'm a bit on the fence on whether I want to have a bowl or not, and end up having one anyway, it's usually a far less enjoyable experience than I would normally have with that same blend.
Pipe smoking is all about the mindset. At least for me, it is.
Pipe smoking is all about the mindset. At least for me, it is.
Yes, and they involved Five Brothers and Mixture 79...
If I'm not enjoying it for some reason, I dump it, no idea why you'd take it all the way down and prolong the "agony". As mentioned above, maybe you aren't keeping your pipe clean.
No doubt all the advice you been given in all the other threads about technique and so forth is still relevant and provides guidance.
No doubt all the advice you been given in all the other threads about technique and so forth is still relevant and provides guidance.
I couldn't agree more. I'm on the line of, ChasingEmbers, and BingBong, and other friends here. Dirt is a determining point in the level of satisfaction of a good aroma.
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I've found what you ate or drank beforehand can play a role but it's rare that it happens to me anymore.
I hate to sound like a broken record, but as much as you have said you’ve slowed down in other threads, it sounds like you are still smoking too fast.
Once in a long while the magic doesn't happen, but by and large no issues. It's more about an enjoyable smoke vs a transcendental smoke.
If the pipe isn't dirty, it's most likely cadence. If you smoke a blend a little faster than normal it will not taste as good as normal.
On rare occasions. But typically, if my pipes are cleaned well, my charring light proper, and my cadence slow, then I'll get a good smoke. Every now and then my taste buds and/or sinuses will act up and throw off the enjoyment of my smoking, but that's rare.
Unless I'm smoking a shitty tobacco. But the solution for that is obvious.
edit: For those smoking outside, one other factor people forget to consider is humidity. A muggy summer's day can make for a poor smoke, as can a wet and windy day. If you're smoking outdoors, be mindful of your surroundings and prepare accordingly. For example, if I want to smoke outside and it is muggy as hell, I will get a proper char done indoors or under some cover first before venturing out, and I will also be judicious in what tobacco I choose to smoke. For me, muggy weather calls for an easy-going VaPer or aromatic. Cold and wet weather calls for a solid english or burley w/ DFK. Windy weather calls for me to get my ass back inside.
Unless I'm smoking a shitty tobacco. But the solution for that is obvious.
edit: For those smoking outside, one other factor people forget to consider is humidity. A muggy summer's day can make for a poor smoke, as can a wet and windy day. If you're smoking outdoors, be mindful of your surroundings and prepare accordingly. For example, if I want to smoke outside and it is muggy as hell, I will get a proper char done indoors or under some cover first before venturing out, and I will also be judicious in what tobacco I choose to smoke. For me, muggy weather calls for an easy-going VaPer or aromatic. Cold and wet weather calls for a solid english or burley w/ DFK. Windy weather calls for me to get my ass back inside.
Now that I've settled on a few blends that are agreed and I dry them thoroughly, it happens rarely. Usually because of poor packing job.
How bad could it really have been if you smoked the whole bowl down to the ash? I've had some less than stellar smokes just by picking the wrong tobacco, but generally I can find some good even in those.