Filter Or No Filter?

[sigaholic]

Not a filter guy. I like an open draw

 

[wernerat]

I

I just tested bobs chocolate flake with my army mount. I get better taste with a filter. Weird!

I personally think aros with filter pure tobacco without it.
Aros just tend to be wet a lot even if dried and burn hotter. That's just my approach.

 

[EvertonFC]

I have 15 pipes and all of them take 9mm filters. I prefer 9mm activated charcoal to balsa.

 

[cersono]

I started smoking with no filters, then switched to 9mm charcoal (just because most of my fancy pipes were supposed to be used with a filter) and never looked back. Regarding the flavour loss, I don't feel any, while the reduction in rough edges and harsh notes is very palpable. I'm used to filters a lot. I feel that even if there's a bit more flavour in unfiltered smoke, it's lost anyway to the unmitigated excessive roughness, so I believe my filtered smokes are actually more flavourful.

I use each filter 4 times, swapping each side twice, then I discard them. Between the uses, I dry the filter off completely, keeping it for days or weeks in the drying jar. I take the filter out of the shank immediately after smoke to avoid unnecessary additional soaking.

Also, using filters helps me to clean my pipes more often. When you use a filter several times you want to have you pipe very clean from inside, or the filter would look gross already after the first smoke.

 

[DollarStoreChili]

I find they tone down the flavor too much for my liking. I'm a beginner and I don't need help in that department!

 

[EvertonFC]

What I always find interesting about this topic is, the people who report a loss of flavor. I wonder if their taste buds are more sensitive, because they note the loss of flavor, or less sensitive, because the slightest dampening of the flavor results in such a noticeable loss. As I've said many times, I now only smoke with 9mm filters and can't tell the difference. I'm fully willing to believe my palate isn't all that refined. I suppose it's impossible to know, since we all have just the one set of taste buds and everything about taste is subjective.

 

[B.Fee]

The only pipes I own that except filters are my cobs. I have always discarded them right away. I now am going to have to give them a try just to find out what they might offer me. Thanks for this post I don't know why I've never tried them before, but I will get back to this thread after I finely give them a try.