How much of a difference does the shape of your bowl make

[music4cash]

Hey everyone, so I've been smoking a pipe now for about three weeks, and I'm finally ready to buy a second pipe! I currently have a barraccini billiard that I really like, for my second pipe thought I want to get something with a slightly smaller bowl so I was looking at a few different pots, or just a slightly smaller billiard. My question is how much of a difference does the shape of the bowl make for my smoke, clearly a smaller bowl will lead to a shorter smoke, but will it burn as cool as bigger bowl? will there be more moisture? Thanks
For the record the pipe I'm looking at is a Peterson Donegal Rocky 606 RUSTIC FISHTAIL BRIAR PIPE

 

[hawke]

The two ends of the spectrum to me are wide bowl with a open draw for a latakia or multi-tobacco blends and a narrow poker style bowl with less open draw for flakes. More will chime in here and give better detailed info.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

To answer this requires a dissertation's worth of stuff. But, yes, bowl size, width, depth, shape of chamber, thickness of walls, outer shape, and even length all effects something. However, what the effect and how, well that's when we all start throwing punches and rolling in the mud, while the crowd of howler monkeys watching from the trees fling poo down upon us. Ha ha.
To make it simple, narrow chambers focus the smoke down to bring out subtle sweetness and top notes of flavor. Wide bowls deepen the flavor and cool the smoke. Anything else and the poo starts flinging.

 

[music4cash]

I can see that I've asked too large a question...The only difference in the bowl between the pipe I have and the pipe I want is that the bowl on the Peterson is shallower, they are both the same width, so how will just the change in the depth of the bowl effect how it smokes?

 

[cosmicfolklore]

The deeper pipe will smoke for a longer period of time. To adjust, don't pack the bowl all the way to the top.

 

[music4cash]

thanks cosmic that is what I was looking for...I love my billiard but I wanted to get something that will smoke about the same but just for a shorter amount of time...I guess it never occurred to me to just put less tobacco in my pipe...

 

[devilanse]

i am the same way music4cash i tend to think too much like this pipe smoking thing is a real science and to a point i am sure it is but then again it isnt, i have a question id like to ask regarding bowls. i have a "freehand" corn cob and i bet that bowl will hold an oz+ do ya really smoke a bowl that big? it seems you would need a torch to reach the bottom of the bowl to lite it? lets hear some thoughts sorry all my grammar and such is so poor it is what it is once again i am sorry

 

[puff]

Pipe smoking is a science, but a true science, not a science like they teach it at school. Real research scientists basically just try stuff and see what happens :D They don't worry too much about it
With a deep bowl, fill it as you please. Don't worry about the flame being too short, even if the flame doesn't reach all the way down, the heat still should, and that ought to be enough to light it. Of course if the bowl is 5 inches deep maybe it's a little harder to light the bottom, but try it, see how you go

 

[easterntraveler]

I agree with puff. Experiment. Some people swear certain blends like Mississippi River taste better in certain bowls. Almost like it picked the pipe out.

 

[frozenchurchwarden]

The only safe assumption I can make is that a wide bowl burns more tobacco at once (if you light all of it, which can be a challenge on extra wide bowls), so a blend with a wide variety of leaves is probably going to taste more consistent in a wide bowl. English blends are probably the ones to benefit most because they have some of the most variation (versus a straight Virginia blend or a Latakia bomb, where the profile is more of a single note).
Most of the time I like a large bowl just because I have more tobacco than time to smoke, if I want to get through just ten tins in a year I need to put 5 grams in each bowl. Most pipes only hold three.

 

[brass]

This is one of those things you have to try for yourself. I would get few MM cobs in different shape and try them out. After smoking pipes 40 years plus, I still can't generalize too much about pipe shapes, other than when I get a new pipe, I try out several different blends. When I try a new blend, I smoke it in several different pipes.
The only generalization I can make is that pots are harder to light than pokers and stacks.

 

[pitchfork]

The 606 is a fairly tall pot, so if the chamber diameter is the same as your billiard, you probably won't notice too much of a difference in the smoke. It will give more oxygen to the burning tobacco, so it might burn a little easier and the flavor might be a little bit different, but not very much.