Does size really matter?

[okiebrad]

Can you look at a pipe and take an educated guess as to how it will effect the taste or fragrance of a lit tobacco? I know the long stem of a churchwarden should give the smoke time to cool. What else gives us clues to pipe enjoyment?

 

[cigrmaster]

To my tastes size definitely matters when it comes to smoking certain blends in certain pipes. For example I only smoked flake tobacco, so my pipes are all group 4-5 which I find smokes my flakes best. I do have a couple of 6's and those smoke the flakes well, but I have to be in the mood for a 2 plus hour smoke.
When I smoked Englush blends I preferred larger pipes because the number of components in English blends just did better in the bigger pipes.Ribbon or other cuts besides flake aromatics seem to do fine in any size pipe. Experimenting is the way to figure out what works best for you.

 

[nachman]

Í find size of the draft hole matters a lot. A wide open draw is led likely to burn your mouth. I had a HIS pipe that would blister my mouth every time, and I seldom have that problem. When you looked down the briar, it looked fine. I finally figured out it was the stem which was drilled with a very small ID.

 

[okiebrad]

Thanks for your insight Cigrmaster. I understand the larger pipe or opening for flake tobacco. I'm guessing you fold the flakes and it will fit easier or less tight. Will the less dense pack change the flavor?
Also would you mind elaborating on how English tobaccos “do better” in a larger pipe. Also you hint at a longer smoking time for pipe size rating, do you ever use a size 1 or 2 if you wish to smoke a quick bowl?

 

[okiebrad]

Nachman that makes sense. If I had a short stem pipe It would be suggested to have a smaller draw diameter to keep the smoke cooler because it may slow the amount of air which passes though the stem.

 

[condorlover1]

I know my wife would have an entirely different answer to that question! :rofl:

 

[cigrmaster]

oki, when I fold and stuff a flake, I make sure there is plenty of airfllow so when the flake expands, the bowl doesn't get too tight. If I cube cut a flake, I make sure there is some resitance so the bowl does not burn too hot and then lose flavor. I prefer a bowl width of .75 to .82, bowl widths of 1 inch is too big for my tastes.
An English blend with 3-5 different tobacco's blend with each other better in a larger pipe. It gives them time to in a way marry each other as the pipe progresses. Flake tobacco generally has only 1 or 2 different types of leaves so a narrower smaller pipe concentrates their flavors more than larger and wider bowls.

I do not own any pipes smaller than a group 4. I am not a fans of small pipes as I have the time for larger bowls like 4's and 5's.

 

[okiebrad]

Correct me if I'm on the wrong cigrmaster. The smaller burning area of a smaller pipe bowl may not be enough space to have all the different types of tobacco in certain blends, burning or “married” at any given time. A larger bowl increases what will be lit and increases the chance you are smoking what the blender intended. Also increasing the chance that next time you smoke that blend it will be exactly like the last time excluding aging of the tobacco.

 

[okiebrad]

I see I made a mistake with capitalization on the thread title. Would a moderator please fix that for me and I will be mindful in the future.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Certainly size matters; how long you wish to smoke, and do the blends have time and room to show off.
But while physics says that a longer stem will cool the smoke, I wonder if anyone has made a real test of that. I suspect the cooling effect is only a degree or two. I have a Churchwarden that I haven't smoked in years, but don't have the measuring equipment to make a good test.

 

[mso489]

I'll leave the double entendre interpretation to women; to each her own. But in terms of pipes, I do go with the idea, from experience, that a broader chamber seems to do a better job with more complex blends of four to six or more different types of leaf, to allow more types to be burning at once, to let them unfold and intermingle. It may be my imagination, but I definitely discern a difference there. For a single leaf burley, I prefer a standard width chamber with some depth. I have a Ferndown bent billiard, a Nording freehand, and an MM cob freehand that do this well.

 

[shutterbugg]

I prefer smaller pipes like group 2 or 3. I have a few larger pipes but only fill them partially.

 

[deathmetal]

Over 7" it doesn't matter much.

 

[okiebrad]

Shutterbug would you mind explaining why you like smaller size pipes?

 

[shutterbugg]

Because I rarely have the time or desire for more than a 15-20 minute smoke. I don't care much for the taste of a relight hours later. Given that, I see no reason to clench a large, heavy pipe only to fill it part way, and then have to draw a flame deep inside to light it. Back in the day most pipes were fairly small. Even in the early 70s when Danish freehands became popular, the pipes were large but the chambers were small. I love Ser Jacs but most of them the bowls are like buckets!

 

[hawky454]

Yes, size does matter to me. I have both large pipes and small pipes. I prefer my Virginia blends in large bowls (.80inch) and my English/Balkan blends in smaller bowls. I feel like I get more of a rounded flavor in my larger bowls and a more concentrated smoke in my smaller bowls. It's really all about experimentation, you'll figure out what works for you in due time.

 

[cigrmaster]

okiebrad, you got it right about my last post.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I like all sizes of pipes, from 1"diameters to .5. But, I especially love the smaller pipes fro Virginias and Vapers. I have a whole set of Savinelli Piumas coming in at .5 wide x .9 deep, and I can draw them out to an hour of awesome focused flavor.

My larger pipes are for twists, plugs and stronger blends because they tend to mellow out with a wider diameter bowl, and they don't gut punch me with the nicotine. But, my larger pipes also need to be reemed more often. The smaller pipes almost never need reeming.

 

[fordm60]

Every girl I have known indicates yes it matters! Knew one that had a eight inch ruler tattooed on her inner thigh because she said she was tired of being lied to lmao!!
(I tried to be serious on this one, but just couldn't do it lol. Now back to your regularly scheduled pipe size discussion already in progress!!)