How to Taste Your Bacy

[uzzi101]

Working on maximizing the flavor from a bowl of bacy. I’m a newer piper and trying different techniques.

I find the most flavor when sipping away, but almost minimize the smoke from entering my mouth.

Almost as if the smoke just stays on my lips and a small portion of my tongue.

How are you maximizing your flavor, other than drying times?

 

[wolflarsen]

Retrohale.
Don't blow entire puffs out your nose, just small amounts gently.

 

[oldgeezersmoker]

If you smoke any cigarettes at all, quit totally for about a week.

 

[Worknman]

I don't do a full retrohale but instead just let a little reach the sinuses before blowing out the mouth. You sort of smell it in reverse, its hard to explain.

 

[pantsBoots]

The Breath Method has really opened doors for getting more out of my tobacco.

 

[bullet08]

With tongue and nose. You could definitely taste the blend, but retrohale adds much more dimension.

 

[anotherbob]

time really helps too. Drink water while smoking.

 

[saltedplug]

It augers well that you are asking these questions at the start.

 

[bullet08]

Working on maximizing the flavor from a bowl of bacy. I’m a newer piper and trying different techniques.

I find the most flavor when sipping away, but almost minimize the smoke from entering my mouth.

Almost as if the smoke just stays on my lips and a small portion of my tongue.

How are you maximizing your flavor, other than drying times?

Also try moving the pipe to different side of mouth, or little towards front or back. You might notice slight difference.

 

[Ahi Ka]

Buy better tobacco!

Nah just being a smart arse. However long you have been smoking, it took me about a decade to get to that same attentiveness. Go well! Enjoy!

Edit: oh and the real flavour breakthrough came for me when I was able to just slow down when smoking. I also started smoking the same blend for a week at a time as opposed to jumping around to whatever. And started smoking while mowing the lawns etc. turns out your old cadence knows what to do when you stop thinking about it

 

[uzzi101]

Buy better tobacco!

Nah just being a smart arse. However long you have been smoking, it took me about a decade to get to that same attentiveness. Go well! Enjoy!

Edit: oh and the real flavour breakthrough came for me when I was able to just slow down when smoking. I also started smoking the same blend for a week at a time as opposed to jumping around to whatever. And started smoking while mowing the lawns etc. turns out your old cadence knows what to do when you stop thinking about it

been about two years and I’m learning to keep that smoke super cool, sip sip sip, almost minimizing the smoke.

 

[rushx9]

I retrohale a few puffs from each bowl, but if I do it as much as some here, I'll have sinus pain hours later. Something I've recently found helps me taste blends better is opening my lips slightly between sips allowing a little fresh air in with the smoke and a slight wisp out that coats my lips with flavor and rolls right up under my nose. A bit like an intentionally poorly executed "French-inhale", as I'm not really trying to inhale, just catch the smell.
I find this adds some of the room-note back to the flavor, if that makes any sense.
Since I started consciously doing this, I've noticed many pipe makers and tobacco blenders doing the same in videos.
Sometimes, to get the most from this technique I take the pipe from my mouth and open and close my lips for a while, slowly letting the smoke escape my mouth and rolling it around my tongue and upper palate in the process, revelling in all that flavor. Only catch is now I do it without even thinking, even when smoking in public, and I've been told I look like a fish faced weirdo...
At least I hope that was why..??

 

[cigrmaster]

Please don't take offense but tobacco is what we smoke, not baccy. We give our glorious tobacco it's proper name and respect. Pipe smoking is an art and it takes years to get some things right. For me loading the pipe to perfection for how I like to smoke took years. Coming up with a criteria for buying my pipes took years and now that I have the criteria I don't buy pipes that don't smoke my flakes as they should. I only smoke flakes or plugs and I like certain pipes for them. I smoke group 4-5 sized pipes and I enjoy the classic pipe shapes like Billiards, Dublins, Apples, Rhodesians, Bulldogs, Brandys, Lovats. It took years before I settled on these shapes. Nothing takes over night in the pipe world. You will need much patience grasshopper.

 

[mso489]

I can't quite imagine not taking the smoke fully into my mouth. I don't retrohale at all, just by preference, and I sure wouldn't inhale, thought some (perhaps many) do. The flavor is perceived partly by your nose, just smelling the smoke, which is why some like to retrohale (exhale smoke through their nose). And your tastebuds are the other part of sensing flavor, so the smoke has to reach your tongue where the tastebuds are. I'd play around with it. Roll the smoke around in your mouth. You could be sensitive to "tongue bite," so keep sipping, maybe lay off the aromatic blends, and have a beverage with your smoke.

 

[Reggie]

Maybe it’s psychological but I have found that if I lift my tongue slightly, the taste buds under my tongue taste the smoke a little more. But, maybe it’s in my head.

 

[cigrmaster]

Retrohaling isn' t something a newbie shouldn't worry about. That is for more experienced pipers. Just learn how to fill your pipe and smoke it without burning your tongue off.

 

[Jacob74]

I like to try and remove the expectations that I have in my mind, and just focus on the moment. If you are very mindful, and can avoid distraction, you might find it helps you identify flavors beyond sweet, sour, umami, salty, and bitter. It's all about enjoyment though, cheers!

 

[bullet08]

Everything tastes OK with enough Tabasco sauce.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I've never read the breath method but I assume it is where you throat inhale and let the smoke exhale through your nose. I learned that many years ago smoking cigars and believe it to be the best method for fully tasting tobacco. I probably do that for 75% or more of the smoke I take in from a pipe. It's subconscious at this point.