How to Avoid Tongue Bite

[enlightenedwisdom]

I appreciate all of you in this forum as I am a new pipe smoker. Thank you for helping us newbies.
@foggymountain - I am going to try your suggestion after dinner. Thank you, sir!

 

[peteguy]

Moisture is the enemy so I don't want to start the fight already behind. The less moisture the better chance I have at a wonderful smoke.
Peteguy '2015

 

[smeigs]

Smoke slower. You could also try a "P-lip" pipe as well. The draft hole is then aimed up at the roof of your mouth, not so much directly on your tongue. As for the moisture thing, I think that is also very important. You don't want a moist smoke. Heat and moisture usually don't have that great of an end result.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Yeh, I just don't get bite any more. But, I do prefer most of my tobaccos on the crunchy side. I can taste the flavors better without all of the steam. Maybe, this is why I don't get bite. I was starting to think it may just be that my tongue had become invincible. ::

 

[seagullplayer]

I really don't have the issue anymore. But I found anything smoked in a pipe with a filter to

be much less inclined to bit me.
I have learned drier and slower are better.

 

[historygeek]

I've found in my experience that excess moisture is the major cause next to puffing too fast. I had a friend ask me how to reduce bite, and he had such an interesting situation that I had to recreate what he was doing to help him. That was a doozy.

 

[phil67]

I haven't experienced tongue bite in a long time albeit I do let my tobacco dry out a tad before I smoke it. However there is no way that I will ever dry out an entire tin unless I knew that I would smoke the entire tin in about a week or so. I dry my tobacco out bowl by bowl as I more often than not know what blend I'm going to smoke well ahead of time. Of course there are some tobaccos that I have which need no drying time whatsoever. Granted, smoking too fast and doing so with a very moist tobacco can contribute to tongue bite it is not the only contributor. There are some tobaccos, be they moist or dry, that have more of a tendency to give one tongue bite due to their high alkalinity content and how ones individual body chemistry can tolerate it.

 

[mso489]

Lots of good suggestions here. I am a proponent of dry tobacco; many add back moisture when the leaf would smoke fine as is.
Now time for a little schtick: How to avoid tongue bite? Chew more slowly.

 

[delro]

No BS solution good post!

 

[shanelktown]

I suggest taking things slow, but as far as dry or moist goes it's more pleasurable to smoke something that has dried a bit just because it will ease in maintaining the slow burn of your tobacco. Having it moist IMO is just not fun most tobaccos that are smoked moist will goo up and by mid smoke your gurgling and may need a pipe cleaner real quick to clear the piece. A method I am guilty of doing is A laying tobacco out on a paper towl before loading it that is if it is too moist. B I just simply load up bowls the night before and let it dry out for my morning smoke and same thing when going to work load a bowl before come home and I'm set to light up. But hey if you like playing in goop so be it.

 

[stanlaurel]

Thanks for this great thread. Very helpful.