nope. Sometimes they start getting bad but then I don't smoke. I used to fight it but I find I am happier if I just wait for better conditions or just start over.
Does Anyone Else Have Bad Smokes?
- Thread starter fishmansf
- Start date
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I have chronic allergies so when how much flavor I can get (not just smoke with everything) depends on how clear my sinuses are. If I'm too congested I won't smoke, eat anything special, or drink anything besides water.
Fair question. They can, on occassion, be pretty bad. I usually have two things that keep me going: 1. Nicotine, 2. the hope that the familiar and delicious flavor will rear its head if I slow down and keep going. However, I have noticed that once I get a "bad bowl" it's usually bad throughout and taints the flavor of the rest of the tobacco in the bowl.
I opened a jar of Nightcap (Dunhill)....I dunno, it's probably 10-15 years old....it just isn't sitting right with me yet.
It smells and tastes fine, but for some reason the first few bowls have been kinda harsh, like extreme perique spiciness.
Of course I'll finish it, but I think I just need time to reacquaint myself with it...
It smells and tastes fine, but for some reason the first few bowls have been kinda harsh, like extreme perique spiciness.
Of course I'll finish it, but I think I just need time to reacquaint myself with it...
The times I have a bad smoke are those when I am struggling to keep it lit. I tend to rush, trying to keep it burning and that just leads to the tobacco getting torched I think. Regarding relights as normal and letting things cool a bit before relighting seems to help.
What I've noticed is that the weather affects my smoking. Sometimes the changes in temperature and humidity make the same tobacco taste different. Maybe those changes make me smoke hotter to try to keep the bowl lit. Whenever I have a really enjoyable smoke, I tend to repeat the same tobacco in the same pipe and at the same time of day.
Sounds like a dump and repack is required. I tend to find the second bowl being better than the first anyways. But like IronMonkey said take it slow. Pacing can kill a session completely and leave you with the burned out gross feeling.
I do find different pipes can make some blends 'shine'. But if you're getting actually bad smokes that taste ashy, I would hazard a guess (as others have said) that you are smoking too fast, drawing too hard, torching the tobacco, or not adjusting to the weather conditions if outside.
I don't doubt food and drink can have some small impact, but not to that extreme.
If you just want nicotine, smoke a cigarette; they're much more convenient.
I don't doubt food and drink can have some small impact, but not to that extreme.
If you just want nicotine, smoke a cigarette; they're much more convenient.
On occasion. Sometimes the weather changes quickly or I realize I'm not in as much of a smoking mood as I thoughts. Bad smokes happen to me far more often with cigars, sometimes all it takes is a mistake in cutting or lighting plus they're far more sensitive to temperature.
The few times I have an issue with a bowl is when I fold and stuff a flake. I’d say 9 times out of 10 I’ll have a good smoke folded and stuffed but on that tenth, it’s frustration and I dump it.
I agree: health issues ruin smokes more often than anything else. After a few cycles, I learned what to expect during those sad times and stick to things that don’t need high expectations
As colloquial as this may sound to some of you..... my grandfather had a saying about things getting "tiresome." He'd say, "You can get tired of taters." Meaning, of course, that no matter how good or fundamental something may be to your diet or intake, you can occasionally get bored or tired of it.
I think your changing over to another blend is the best answer.
I think your changing over to another blend is the best answer.
Yes, this happens to me on occasion. Usually with a blend that has burley and not heavily cased. I have no idea what causes it but I’m glad it is not the norm. It has nothing to do with a dirty pipe or cadence, for me at least. I’m guessing mouth chemistry or other such witchcraft.
That was fairly common when I was still starting out, and making my way through a cornucopia of different blends to see what I liked and didn't like. Most of these were aromatics, heavily laden in PG, and in retrospect, not dried nearly enough. Now, roughly six years later, it's rare for me to have a smoke I would rate lower than, say, 8 out of 10. But when I do, it's almost always attributable to the evil twins of not drying enough and/or puffing too fast. And when it does happen, I make a point of ensuring that it doesn't happen twice in a row.
I've noticed a lot of people are really into Englishes and Balkans when they start out then get bored of Latakia and gravitate towards VaPers and straight VAs and burleys.
I keep my pipes pretty clean for the most part, so mybworst smokes tend to happen when I’m less familiar with a tobacco and haven’t figured out the best way to prepare it or the right pipe to smoke it out of. Sometimes it’s just the condition of the tobacco. But usually once I’m familiar with a blend I don’t have bad smokes with it.
I very, very, very rarely have "bad" smokes. Maybe every few years? But also, only once or twice a year do I have sublime smokes. Those smokes that remind you that there's nothing like pipe smoking. 99.999999% of my smokes are in that 7 to 8 out of 10 grade.