Getting the most flavor from a smoke

[hakchuma]

How often do you blow the smoke through your nose? Seems I can taste more of the tobacco when I do that. Also I bring it back to the throat just before it goes down into the passage way to the lungs. that also gives me more flavor. is that normal? How do you try and get the most flavor out of the smoke?

 

[redbeard]

I occasionally exhale through my nose, mostly only with aromatics and it does enhance the flavor, maybe twice or so a bowl. Do it with a straight VA and you will get a brunt nose (at least I do LOL)
I personally do not inhale, many here don't as well. I understand pipe smoke is much stronger than other tobaccos. Not sure

 

[sfsteves]

Not sure if I'm addressing your question here, but when smoking, I do what I've heard called "French inhaling" ... after drawing smoke into my mouth, I release it and draw it into my nose, then back down to the throat where it is pushed out to my mouth without drawing it into my lungs ...
This is something I learned to do a long time ago ... I damn near choked to death while learning to do it, but don't even think about it consciously now ...
And, yes, it does add to my enjoyment in smoking both pipes and cigars ...
As for normal ... I have NO idea what is thought of as normal ... it's normal for me and has been for decades ... about 15 or so years ago, I went into a cigar store where I'd never been before, but went because the owner had a reputation for having developed a really good in-house blended cigar ... I bought one and smoked it as I sat in the store chatting with the owner and another patron who was there ... later, as I paid for half a dozen more of the cigars to take with me, the owner commented to my wife that he'd observed me smoking and that I was a real cigar smoker, not one of the wanna-be's who so often came in because cigars were stylish or fashionable ...

 

[cortezattic]

Clench the pipe in your teeth and keep it there while smoking. No hands. Far more taste. ::

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I find that, yes, I do get a blast of a more intense different sensation of the tobacco through my nose, sinuses, and even the back of my throat. But, afterwards I no longer taste nuances of flavors on my tongue, as if my sense of taste is dulled. But, I do it ...occasionally, especially if I feel a need for the extra nicotine kick. But, the rest of the smoke is dull for me. Might be just a me thing.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

...as if while sipping and tasting the nuances of a glass of wine, I suddenly dip my whole head into a barrel of the same wine, and then no longer taste the wine when resuming sipping and dripping :?

 

[doctoronln9]

Not sure if I'm addressing your question here, but when smoking, I do what I've heard called "French inhaling" ... after drawing smoke into my mouth, I release it and draw it into my nose, then back down to the throat where it is pushed out to my mouth without drawing it into my lungs

I second this. When I bought my first pipe, the tobacconist explained the best flavors are from nose and mouth. You can 'taste' what you smell, and smell what you 'taste'. Doing both brings out more flavor. Been doing it since day one. It's pretty overpowering if you do the entire mouthful, so I just let a small bit do it at a time. Really makes the flavor 'pop'!

 

[phred]

As noted, the senses of smell and taste are very closely linked, which is why wine/beer/whisky snobs (such as myself) spend so much time sniffing their drinks... :D

 

[branzig]

Direct the smoke into the most "open" areas of your mouth...if that makes sense.
Don't blast the smoke right onto your tongue or the roof of your mouth basically. Also lightly retro-haling will bring out more subtle notes I have found. But being an ex cigar smoker, I have found that directing the smoke into the most open path of your mouth and letting it linger a bit then exhaling brings out the most flavors in a tobacco.

 

[salewis]

I occasionally blow smoke out of my nose. However, I never "French inhale" and usually only blow smoke through my nose once, maybe twice a bowl smoke. For me it does kind of enhances the taste of the tobacco, however, I think if you do it too often you would miss the more important taste on your tongue.

 

[anglesey]

Not sure if I'm addressing your question here, but when smoking, I do what I've heard called "French inhaling" ... after drawing smoke into my mouth, I release it and draw it into my nose, then back down to the throat where it is pushed out to my mouth without drawing it into my lungs

That's odd, we call it an irish waterfall here. Isn't language odd
I pretty much 50/50 exhale through my nose though, just out of habit. Plus I think it keeps my nose clear

 

[mikenac]

I started occasionally exhaling out the nose when I was smoking cigars to really pick up more of the tobacco flavors, and it does the same for pipe smoke. I find it especially good for picking up any "cocoa" hints in tobacco like those found in a Padron or La Flor Dominicana Airbender cigar.

 

[starcat]

Try this tek with Blue Mountain and the sensation is exquisite.....

 

[rmbittner]

For me, the retrohaling technique really highlights oriental leaf very well. (It's particularly helpful if a blend contains both Syrian and Cypriot latakia; exhaling through the nose will accentuate the more delicate, floral qualities of the Syrian.) And I've found that it helps Penzance become something truly remarkable, highlighting the unique oriental flavors in that blend.
I do want to add, though, that it's important to not forget all of the tastes you can distinguish in your mouth as well.
Remember: Sweetness is detected on the tip of the tongue. So you might not sense it at all if you always keep your pipe planted farther back.
I've never heard anyone else comment on this, so it may be something about my particular anatomy, but I've found that I can detect the flavor of unsweetened black cavendish by allowing smoke to pass between my bottom gums and lower lip. (It helps if I'm alone, 'cause I kind of have to make a face to get it right!) I can't imagine why I should be able to "taste" anything there, but there's something about unsweetened black cavendish that "registers" there. If it's used in an English blend, I can detect it. (No other kind of cavendish makes any impression there, though.) While this may me by own personal quirk, I think it's worth mentioning just in case everyone else has similar quirks with their own anatomy.
Bob

 

[cortezattic]

Mrs. Cortez is always telling me to "blow it outcher ass!" Maybe she's got something there. 8O

 

[jcsoldit]

I'm with Cortez on this one... His first post :lol: not the one where he mentions Mrs. Cortez!

 

[sfsteves]

Anglesey said:

... we call it an irish waterfall here.

"here" must be England ... where 'dumb-Irish' jokes are as common as dumb-blonde jokes are in the US ... the smoke rising from mouth to nose is said by the Brits to look like a waterfall to the Irish who're such block-heads that they think a waterfall flows upward ...

 

[yaddy306]

Remember: Sweetness is detected on the tip of the tongue.

Sorry, Bob, but this is a gross oversimplification. The "tongue map" concept has been debunked.

 

[rmbittner]

"Sorry, Bob, but this is a gross oversimplification."
I think a simple experiment will demonstrate whether or not it's true for any smoker.
Bob

 

[samanden]

I repeatedly exhale from my nose throughout my smoke. I get flavor when I draw and the flavor continues as I release the smoke, whether through the nose mouth. One member said it best when he described it as "breathing through the pipe." I'm a clincher, so the nose is quite often my smoke's escape route.