Does Pipe Shape Effect How It Smokes?

[lochinvar]

As far as shape goes, no. I have found that some combinations of chamber geometry and different briar regions smoke with certain characteristics.....and I also have found exceptions to those. All my pots and princes smoke better with English blends, save for one VERY shallow Caminetto pot, which makes Virginias, especially Esoterica smoke rich and full.

By the same rule, all my Castellos have tall, narrow chambers and are flake pipes, except for one very tall, very narrow bulldog which was carved by Carlo Scotti himself to smoke Peretti Tashkent exclusively (there may be some fiction there).

My pipes in the billiard family seem to run 50/50 no matter what country the briar came from.
What have I learned? There are some combinations which may affect taste, but may not....so there are no hard rules. Have fun, buy different pipes, smoke different tobaccos and see if you find a match. It's fun, definitely not for mortal stakes.

 

[mothernaturewilleatusallforbreakfast]

100% Straight Here ::

 

[bnichols23]

+100,000 on what Lochinvar said, although good advice from everyone. To add my own $.02W from the geezer side, if/when you have dentures or other teeth issues (overbite, etc.) you may find bents generally easier to manage/clench than straight pipes. Just a tidbit I picked up years past!
Bill

 

[cosmicfolklore]

For those of us who smoke for tasting different flavors, it's pretty obvious that the pipe does affect the flavors. but, if you are just starting out, then get whatever pipe appeals to you. You probably won't notice a difference in flavor just starting out anyways.

But, shapes to avoid would be pipes that don't have chambers, or if they are missing a hole. ::

 

[Chasing Embers]

For those of us who smoke for tasting different flavors, it's pretty obvious that the pipe does affect the flavors.

I do, and can't find any difference smoking the same blend in different pipes unless they are ghosted.

 

[crashthegrey]

or if they are missing a hole

Or have an extra hole. But someone already bought that.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Chasing, you and Salted seem to have issues tasting any difference, and I acknowledge that. In fact, whenever the entire forum agrees on anything, one can bet that you will have a different experience. It is not that you are doing this intentionally. I fully 100% believe you. I just think that the creator sets a few people out to defy statistics. If we find anything to be 100% true, then we will defy God, create our own commandments, and start following golden calves. You are God's little statistical safety net. ::

 

[ernieq]

Shape, not so much, but the chamber shape will have an effect. Conical VS Straight sided. Conical bowls seem to be much better for flakes or stronger tobaccos.

 

[bnichols23]

You are God's little statistical safety net.

Michael, I have to say this -- You sure as heck do know how to scare the ever-loving HELL out of people!

 

[cosmicfolklore]

We all proselytize in our own strange and wonderful ways. ::

 

[Chasing Embers]

In fact, whenever the entire forum agrees on anything, one can bet that you will have a different experience.

It can also be said that in a community, few want to be the odd man out and agree with the majority.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Maybe, I do see that on some things. I especially like your take on some tobaccos and pipes. I am usually the odd man out, especially when I give my take on some tobaccos. But, you think people are lying about tasting differences between pipes? You'll find pipe smokers discussing different shaped pipes tasting different going back decades in pipe literature. Maybe we are all brainwashed. But, if you think about smoking one blend in a small .6"x1" conical chamber and a monster wide bulldog with a.9"x2.5" chambered cylindrical bowl, it's not hard to understand that that blend will have a different taste that matches what your mind registers. It's like matching what seems obvious to what you obviously taste. It makes less sense to me that someone wouldn't taste a difference between those two pipes. But... when someone injects personal experience into a debate, then you have to acknowledge it, but it doesn't have much impact on the way most others will taste difference themselves. One's personal experience doesn't override another's. At that point, you just have to say, try it for yourself and see. But, when you have decades, maybe even centuries of people discussing it, along with the majority of forum members, it seems more than a little mythological.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

It also works with cigars, some guys prefer the taste of some leaf in wide Gordo and some prefer it in pantellos. I like my lighter cigars to be long and narrow and my more robust cigars to be monster fat. If they all taste the same, then why do they go to so much trouble supplying so many varieties per cigar? And, why would this not translate the same for pipes?

 

[samuelgawith01]

Straight shank / stem pipes allow the pass of a pipe cleaner more easily than bent pipes. Larger smoke channels in the shank give really good flow and less turbulence and a better representation of tobacco flavor,and less condensation.Try this approach for better smoking.BUT............like the other smokers say,it is still VERY subjective,as I have a pipe with a small shank drilling,and it produces a good tasting smoke,AND........it has a 3/4 Bend. Happy Smoking.

 

[sablebrush52]

Does pipe shape effect how it smokes?

Maybe, maybe not. The exterior, probably not. The interior, as in the chamber and airway, yes. But there are a number of other factors involved. How well balanced is the pipe? How comfortable is the bit? Etc, etc.
More critical for me than a particular chamber size is tobacco prep and packing. When I get the prep right, as in getting the best moisture level, the right degree of cubing or rubbing out, if it's a flake, that sort of thing, I'll enjoy a great smoke from my pipe. If I don't get the prep right, the pipe won't make up for that.

 

[Chasing Embers]

But, you think people are lying about tasting differences between pipes?

Not at all, different pipes taste differently based on curing, condition of the wood, and what may have been smoked in them. The only difference I have experienced in flavor has come from moisture variance, tightness of the packing, and smoking cadence. Tried similar condition tobacco in a small Dr. Grabow and a big Ben Wade freehand and both tasted the same with similar tightness and cadence.

 

[Chasing Embers]

If they all taste the same, then why do they go to so much trouble supplying so many varieties per cigar?

And, why would this not translate the same for pipes?

You're getting different volumes of smoke that aren't diffused in a slender tube.

 

[unadoptedlamp]

I have pipes that smoke very differently. It is hard for me to say if the shape has anything to do with it. There's just too many variables. For instance, I have it stuck in my mind that a pot shape works wonders for flakes. Maybe it does, maybe it doesn't. Some people prefer narrow tall bowls for flakes. I always thought it was because the bowl resembled a long flake and the connection in the mind was made, but you never know. I couldn't tell. The pot shape did it for me.
Maybe I just had a good pot shape that was drilled well or had some unique briar. Good luck sorting all of that out. I tend to stay away from the taller chimney style bowls, because I haven't had much luck there. Why? No idea. You just have to try and see what suits you, unfortunately. Perhaps this is part of why the "estate" used pipe market is so big. It is also your good fortune, in that you may be able to recoup losses if you buy a stinker.
Maybe it is akin to wine glasses. Ever meet a true wine snob? There's a different shaped glass for every wine imaginable. I could drink it out of a coffee mug, if nothing else is around, but some would forgo the experience entirely and wait until they can find the proper vessel for their grape of choice. Pipe smokers... some of them, are not far off from this. The range of possibilities and opinions is endless.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

You're getting different volumes of smoke that aren't diffused in a slender tube.

Exactly, and a sip of something will taste different than a chug, creating different flavors. letting a slight sip of wine pass your lips will inherently give you a different taste of a wine than just taking a huge swallow out of a bottle. Thus, a tall slender bowl chamber will give you different flavors than a huge pot shaped chamber.

 

[foggymountain]

Unquestionably. I could write a small essay on the subject, but will spare you. Longer stems are mellower. Thinner bowls impart less of the taste of the stain. Bent pipes smoke smoother, but are a nuisance to clean.