How a tobacco can be differant with each smoke

[ember]

This subject has been one of many conversations between myself and a fellow pipe smoker friend from Work .

How can the same tin of tobacco be fantastic one day and awful the next?

Take for instance I received An aged tin of Star of the east flake recently ( 5 years) First day it was amazing ..Sweet right from the char light till about 3/4 of the bowl then 2 days later With same pipe no sweetness and just kind of average... and no sweetness at all.

Or take SPC Mississippi River what I consider my favorite blend ...

The same tin of tobacco one day it was super spicy I mean it was like a pepper shaker then another time very sweet ..

OGS I tried that and like it till about 1/4 through a tin an the rest I couldn't get any enjoyment out of it so I tossed out what I had left and traded off my second tin.

 

[pipesmokingtom]

In my opinion, the variables that the smoker brings to the table change a tobacco way more the tobacco itself could ever change.

 

[briarcudgel]

In my opinion, the variables that the smoker brings to the table change a tobacco way more the tobacco itself could ever change.

+1

 

[gloucesterman]

There is also differences in the proportions of each type of tobacco in the bowl. Sometimes you have more or less of a particular component and that will affect the taste but I would agree it's how you are smoking the tobacco that is likely causing the biggest difference.

 

[hawky454]

Yup, happens to me all the time. It can be a bit annoying to be honest. So many variables to pin point it. One day a blend will just sing for me, it's rich, complex, sweet and spicy, the next day it just taste like cigarette smoke. I do find that when this happens all I have to do is smoke something with Latakia in the mix and it resets my pallet.

 

[ltstone]

This happens to me if I smoke the same type of blends. Switching from aromatics to englishes seems to reset my palate . But sometimes just smoking too much or even allergies can kill the experience.

 

[mso489]

Different pipes bring up different aspects of a blend, the size bowl, shape of chamber, width and depth
Humidity each day you smoke
Many blends change from the day you open a tin and over time, whether you jar the blend or not
Your status in terms of hydration, how recently you've eaten, how much, and what
Whether you smoke with a beverage and what beverage, snacks too
How well mixed and rubbed out the tobacco may be
Your mood and state of mind
And probably a number of other variables

 

[jvnshr]

I totally agree with everyone above however there is one important issue as well. Firstly, lets look at how our tongues taste things.

It's covered with little clusters of taste-sensitive cells, and each cell's membrane is studded with proteins that function, essentially, as doorbells. When something – a molecule in food you've eaten – hits them just right, a message shoots from the cell to the brain, causing one of the five taste sensations: sweetness, bitterness, sourness, saltiness, or umami.

Then there is this

Your tongue is not a blank slate. What you've just eaten can change the flavour of what you eat next – for better or for worse. It's all because your taste buds respond differently when the environment around them shifts

If you are interested in more, go ahead and read this.
I personally found out that to truly taste a blend you need to leave your tongue alone for 1-2 hours. And just before smoking a pipe you need to drink plenty of water and wash your tongue. Then you will be picking up more flavor and taste from the blend. If you try to smoke a bowl right after your meal, you will be just having the affect written above (What you've just eaten can change the flavour of what you eat next).
Also people get confused with the idea of pairing a drink with a specific blend. Drinking coffee while smoking EMP doesn't mean that you really get the full flavor out of it. Some of the flavors might be just coming from the coffee you are drinking. Check this one:

Citrus flavors of a coffee can easily subdue the earthy flavors of EMP for example. If you want to truly taste a blend, just drink water while smoking as water has no flavors at all. And if you get any flavors from it then read this

Eat one artichoke and then drink a glass of water and you might notice that the liquid tastes strangely sweet.

So that sweet taste is not coming from water but from what you are smoking.

 

[jvnshr]

I also would like to emphasize that, tasting is not only limited to your tongue. Your tongues will taste the food and will tell you whether they are salty, spicy, sour, sweet or umami. The receptors on your nose will pick up the flavors. If eating a single vegetable can change the taste of what you are going to eat next, then it can change the flavors of your next food as well. Also there are many factors such as heat, cold, dryness, humidity, etc that will affect your receptors.

 

[jvnshr]

What I have written below is my own experience and you may not have the same effects I had:
When I opened a tin of Dunhill Royal Yacht for the first time and smoked it, I felt all the flavors that people were talking about. The sweet, grassy and earthy Virginias, the plum taste, a very small Perique-like spiciness it has. However when I smoked my second bowl the next day, I couldn't pick up any flavors but instead it left a very intense spicy taste on my tongue. After struggling with it for 30 minutes everything returned back to normal. After 4-5 bowls, I decided to give it a break and one day I came home, couldn't wait for the dinner and smoked Royal Yacht again. The taste and flavors were there. After the dinner I grabbed the pipe to finish the bowl of RY and that spiciness and bitterness returned back. That was really annoying me and I started reading more and more about tasting and flavor picking.
So, according to my own experiences I can say that, the best thing to drink while smoking is water (I prefer the ones with a pH value of 7.5 or above, it will prevent the tongue bites). If you want something warm, then black tea is the best. I prefer unscented black teas. Adding a lemon to the tea will also open your taste buds and will help you to pick up sweet notes from Virginias (at least works for me).

 

[ember]

Thanks JVNSHR that was very informative and much appreciated

 

[jvnshr]

You are welcome ember, I will try to post more about tobacco tasting and flavor picking after finishing my research about it.

 

[lestrout]

Yo jv - most bodacious!! Thanks.
hp

les

 

[jvnshr]

You are welcome, sir. And I am very sorry for my mistakes (I can see them now) as English is not my native language.

 

[ltstone]

Yes thanks for this info, anything to get more flavor out of my pipe is a good thing!

 

[lifesizehobbit]

Nothing to contribute, but an observation. Royal Yacht has been mentioned in this thread, yet I don't see Harris posting. :rofl:

 

[alexnc]

Interesting post. I've noted the difference in my palette, and have even noted that it's the same for me with other things to the point that my palette's reaction to coffee in particular - being nearly as unpredictable as with piping, and seeming to be an excellent parallel - can be a great guide to when to light up, and when I should probably just skip it. If the coffee's not good, the pipe won't be either (for me)

 

[bigpond]

Every smoke is a unique confluence of pipe, tobacco, environment, mind and body. When one element varies we have a different smoking outcome. Since these factors can never be duplicated the best we can hope for is a pleasant smoke, which requires a bit of work.
Consider just how difficult it is to duplicate a single element like packing a bowl, for example. Pressure, mix, mass all need to be duplicated to approximate a previous smoke. Then consider lighting technique which includes duplicating the surface burn rate and depth which is influenced by humidity, wind and temperature.

 

[jpmcwjr]

So, according to my own experiences I can say that, the best thing to drink while smoking is water (I prefer the ones with a pH value of 7.5 or above, it will prevent the tongue bites).

I've read here a number of times that folks recommend drinking something acidic to offset the pH of most tobaccos, which are on the alkaline side. And I would have thought most drinking water would be neutral, i.e. 7. (Are they?)
The palate is the upper portion, or the roof, of the mouth, and gives rise to comments about tastes. A pallet is a wooden frame generally for storing and moving stacked goods.

 

[jvnshr]

I've read here a number of times that folks recommend drinking something acidic to offset the pH of most tobaccos, which are on the alkaline side. And I would have thought most drinking water would be neutral, i.e. 7. (Are they?)

I have also seen the same thing several times here in the forums. I will try to explain the situation:

Well-known master tobacconist, G. L. Pease, points out these details concerning common tobaccos and their pH and sugar levels:

Burley and Virginias have a similar pH of 5.4 to 5.8, Turkish is somewhat more acidic, generally about pH 4.9, the alkalinity of the water soluble ash from Burley, however, is 2-3 times that of Virginia.

So we know the pH of tobaccos, let's look at the smoke pH of them now. When the tobacco is burned, the sugars will tend to join with oxygen to form water and turn neutral. This will cause the alkaline components to dominate the smoke. The higher the temperature, more sugars will become neutral and the smoke will be more alkaline. That's why smoking a hot bowl of pipe will cause you not to feel any sweetness. That's why all experienced pipe smokers and master blenders advise not to puff very fast.
So one might think that just because Virginia has a lower pH, it will be easy on the tongue and because Burley has a higher pH, it will be harsh on the tongue. The problem is, tobacco with a higher sugar content tends to burn faster and burning faster is equal to an alkaline smoke. If you want to experience a nice, tasty, flavorful smoke then smoke very slowly and patiently.
Now, let's look at our bodies. The pH of a healthy body is 7.4, so it is more on the alkaline side. And we know that pipe smoke is also alkaline. It sometimes gets to 8-9 and that's what causes the tongue bite. So drinking water with a pH of 7.5 will bring the alkalinity level of our saliva down gradually. Try drinking a coke (acidic drink) while having a tongue bite. We know that tongue bites are caused by the higher alkaline levels in the smoke, so we are trying to decrease the pH level or balancing it as others state. Thousands of needles and pins on your tongue, right? Put a spoon of baking soda into a glass and pour some vinegar on it. Well, literally you are doing the same thing to your tongue if you are drinking something acidic while smoking pipe.
Also the question is how acidic the drink is you are having. Coffee has a pH level of 5 when cokes have around 2.5. If your smoke is alkaline and you are having a coffee with that, your tongue won't hurt that much. However you will be hurting your tongue more with a coke.
Last but not least, according to the statistics 20 percent of US population suffers from GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease):

Nicotine, a key part of tobacco, is thought to relax the ring of muscle in the lower esophagus that keeps acid in the stomach, where it belongs. When that ring relaxes, acid can trickle up and cause that burning sensation.

In order to prevent the heartburn, you will need to have a healthy body with a healthy pH level. I will give two different examples to explain the situation better.
Example No 1: You just had your dinner and decided to smoke a bowl of your favorite blend. You grab your pipe, tobacco and a coke and start smoking. You are smoking a blend which has a high alkaline smoke and to balance the pH level you are drinking a coke. After 1 hour of smoke you will have a relaxed ring of muscle in the lower esophagus, everytime you swallow your own saliva you will feel the heartburn, you will have a tongue which has been a fighting platform between base (tobacco smoke) and acid (coke), you will have a stomach with lots of acids which will make the heartburn worst.
Example No 2: You just had your dinner and decided to smoke a bowl of your favorite blend. You grab your pipe, tobacco and water and start smoking. You are smoking a blend which has a high alkaline smoke and everytime pH level of your saliva goes above 7.5 and you start feeling the tongue bite you drink water to bring it down to normal. After 1 hour of smoke you will still have a relaxed ring of muscle in the lower esophagus, you won't have any heartburn because you have had enough water, you will have a tongue with a nice protective layer on it that hasn't been damaged by acidic drinks, and you will have a healthy stomach.