Intolerance to Most Tobaccos

[Skippy Piper]

In case anyone is still looking at this thread: what I notice from tobacco that bothers me is that right from when I start smoking I feel a kind of coating on my tongue and roof of my mouth. This feeling of a “coating” must be an immediate reaction. I don’t get this with Peterson Flake or Pete’s Navy Rolls. I do get this feeling from a lot of tobaccos, including anything dark fired.

It'll be a long process figuring it all out, but you'll get there. Just stick to trying one blend at a time and make note of which ones bother you and which ones don't, and eventually you'll start seeing some commonalities in the base tobaccos for blends that bother your mouth and put the puzzle all together.

 

[PipeIT]

@milk when you mentioned your mouth, is the roof, behind teeth where the ridges/grooves are at, the skin will get slightly rough, and it will throb and ache slightly in this area?

I’ve had similar issues, and I came to realize, if the body gets dehydrated even the slightest this area of the mouth can get irritated, and when you smoke, it just adds to it, making you think it’s the smoking.

Be sure you are really well hydrated, and I’d highly recommend getting a pipe that uses a 9mm filters size.

I recently bought a pipe that uses 6mm and it helps tremendously, but if I smoke fast I can still feel some irritation. I plan to get a 9mm myself later.

Also, the 9mm has a less restrictive draw then the 6mm.

The Savinelli balsa filters don’t help much, the Vauen charcoal are much better for irritation. I’ve been told the meerschaum filters don’t mute.

I don’t find the Vauen charcoal filters muting the flavor. I find it makes it softer, smoother.

 

[mortonbriar]

YODO

Or if you are into reincarnation, YODA (you only died....again)

 

[mortonbriar]

Just smoke the ones you can and enjoy them.

 

[buroak]

Have you considered that you may be smoking too fast / hot?

Sounds like you are smoking too hot. I tend to smoke thick cut plugs so they tend to burn slower and at a lower temperature. Shag cuts can really heat up and burn your tongue if you puff on them too hard. You might want to look at how you are packing your pipe as air pockets can cause 'steaming' on the tongue and mouth. YMMV

My brother-in-law smoked cigarettes and tried to take up pipe smoking. He never could get away from seeking the long drag and billowing smoke. As a result he suffered from the afflictions you describe. He also quickly burned out thick-walled cobs. You may have sensitivities to some blends, but smoking hot sounds likely to be a major source of your woes.

As a home remedy, an iced tea comprised of a 2:1 ratio of Scottish Breakfast Tea and Lapsang Souchong has worked wonders for me. If I am feeling tongue bite, I brew some up before I finish the bowl. I do not think there is anything magical about my particular mix of teas, but the smoky Lapsang Souchong goes well with a pipe.

 

[buroak]

I saw some other thing online recently that I’d never seen before. It’s some kind of gravel-like stuff you actually struck in the bottom of the bowl. Anyone heard of this stuff?

Nording Keystones. Some people claim they are just cat litter, but that is not fair. I use them sometimes with blends that tend to clog an airway. They can make a big difference, especially in my Falcons.

 

[buroak]

@milk when you mentioned your mouth, is the roof, behind teeth where the ridges/grooves are at, the skin will get slightly rough, and it will throb and ache slightly in this area?

I’ve had similar issues, and I came to realize, if the body gets dehydrated even the slightest this area of the mouth can get irritated, and when you smoke, it just adds to it, making you think it’s the smoking.

Be sure you are really well hydrated, and I’d highly recommend getting a pipe that uses a 9mm filters size.

I recently bought a pipe that uses 6mm and it helps tremendously, but if I smoke fast I can still feel some irritation. I plan to get a 9mm myself later.

Also, the 9mm has a less restrictive draw then the 6mm.

The Savinelli balsa filters don’t help much, the Vauen charcoal are much better for irritation. I’ve been told the meerschaum filters don’t mute.

I don’t find the Vauen charcoal filters muting the flavor. I find it makes it softer, smoother.

As a red-blooded ‘Murican I insist on .45 filters.

 

[milk]

@milk when you mentioned your mouth, is the roof, behind teeth where the ridges/grooves are at, the skin will get slightly rough, and it will throb and ache slightly in this area?

I’ve had similar issues, and I came to realize, if the body gets dehydrated even the slightest this area of the mouth can get irritated, and when you smoke, it just adds to it, making you think it’s the smoking.

Be sure you are really well hydrated, and I’d highly recommend getting a pipe that uses a 9mm filters size.

I recently bought a pipe that uses 6mm and it helps tremendously, but if I smoke fast I can still feel some irritation. I plan to get a 9mm myself later.

Also, the 9mm has a less restrictive draw then the 6mm.

The Savinelli balsa filters don’t help much, the Vauen charcoal are much better for irritation. I’ve been told the meerschaum filters don’t mute.

I don’t find the Vauen charcoal filters muting the flavor. I find it makes it softer, smoother.

Dehydration IS an issue with me. I definitely struggle to drink enough water. This affects me. However, I get a kind of coating in my mouth regardless.

Nording Keystones. Some people claim they are just cat litter, but that is not fair. I use them sometimes with blends that tend to clog an airway. They can make a big difference, especially in my Falcons.

I’m wondering if I should make an effort to acquire them. I’m too financially sunk into pipes that have no filter capability.

 

[seanv]

Dehydration IS an issue with me. I definitely struggle to drink enough water. This affects me. However, I get a kind of coating in my mouth regardless.

I’m wondering if I should make an effort to acquire them. I’m too financially sunk into pipes that have no filter capability.

The Keystones are helpful for me to combat my over tamping tendencies. The meer chips are also helpful

 

[Hutch Piper]

@milk when you mentioned your mouth, is the roof, behind teeth where the ridges/grooves are at, the skin will get slightly rough, and it will throb and ache slightly in this area?

I’ve had similar issues, and I came to realize, if the body gets dehydrated even the slightest this area of the mouth can get irritated, and when you smoke, it just adds to it, making you think it’s the smoking.

Be sure you are really well hydrated, and I’d highly recommend getting a pipe that uses a 9mm filters size.

I recently bought a pipe that uses 6mm and it helps tremendously, but if I smoke fast I can still feel some irritation. I plan to get a 9mm myself later.

Also, the 9mm has a less restrictive draw then the 6mm.

The Savinelli balsa filters don’t help much, the Vauen charcoal are much better for irritation. I’ve been told the meerschaum filters don’t mute.

I don’t find the Vauen charcoal filters muting the flavor. I find it makes it softer, smoother.

This is my experience as well. Love my 9mm filter pipes.

 

[NookersTheCat]

I don't believe pipe smoking will lead to an early death, but it aint exactly something that will add to your health. Here come the guys who use smoking for some kind of yoga...

It's the steam that hurts your mouth with pipes... Whatever might be causing that.

This. The best way I've found of minimizing the heat/steam (and therefore health risk to mouth tissue) is Churchwardens. Unless I'm on the go or smoking a particularly tame blend (usually non-aromatic, but there are many non aro's that are rough as well) I'm favoring a warden anymore. Extra points for pass-thru filters, esp Brighams rock maples and medico/grabow paper 6mm... idc what other guys say, they're awesome at trapping/condensing heat and moisture while having nearly 0 perceptible change on the flavor or volume of smoke. An aro smokers best friend.

 

[HammerandPipe]

This thread is interesting. Ive been dealing with bite off and on and the past few months I got smacked with it. Now I have some goofy crap on the side of tongue that needless to say could be something related to the bite I was getting. I dont smoke everyday. I gravity pack, I dry my leaf to where it feels and sounds like paper but with a slight spring to it. I tried to be cognizant of my pace. I got bit bad enough where I needed a few days before normalacy.
If I dont have anything pre cancerous(I abused alcohol for many years and only been smoking 2 years) Then Im gonna do some leaf/filter testing. I didnt like the filters because I like open draws. Much like on cobs. But it might be worth revisiting if it is my beginner incompetance trying to kill me. My intial thought was that anything Straight VA, or has a high percentage of VA could be the culprit for my bite issues. To my recollection, I didnt get bit with PA, NightTrain, OJK and Pegasus, Bankside stuff like that. I also dont recall bite with Kajun Kake and Poplar Camp. So I kinda lean that maybe for awhile I was being an idiot and cheef myself into purgatory.

 

[NookersTheCat]

If I dont have anything pre cancerous(I abused alcohol for many years and only been smoking 2 years) Then Im gonna do some leaf/filter testing. I didnt like the filters because I like open draws. Much like on cobs. But it might be worth revisiting if it is my beginner incompetance trying to kill me.

Def check out Brigham... their rock maple inserts are hollow dowels of absorbent maple so they maintain full draw/can pass a pipe cleaner but just help sop up that hot steam and tar condensation that leads to hot, bitter smokes. They're still one of the best systems imho...

 

[anotherbob]

If I dont have anything pre cancerous(I abused alcohol for many years and only been smoking 2 years)

when I was in anatomy and pathology classes we got to a section that mentioned Leukoplakia. I mentioned that I had it one time and the look of concern and oh shit on their face.... Until I explained that I had literally had an accident and bite a sizeable piece of my tongue clean off and have had zero issues in the years following. Either way hope it's all nothing.

 

[milk]

Could be that you're mouth would toughen up if you smoked regularly.

Maybe pipes ain't for you.

People get the impression that if pipe smoking hurts your mouth there must be some kind of sensitive, personal problem.

I don't believe pipe smoking will lead to an early death, but it aint exactly something that will add to your health. Here come the guys who use smoking for some kind of yoga...

When I picked back up dipping tobacco after years of not doing it, my mouth hurt so bad I couldn't eat ketchup. Just like it did back when I was 12, then it stopped when my mouth adjusted.

It's the steam that hurts your mouth with pipes... Whatever might be causing that.

I read a lot of bullshit on this forum about "tongue bite." There's a guy who's posted pages about it... The shit reads like an AI article.

This actually works. When I got sensitivity, I decided to smoke the next day instead of holding off. It turns out that my mouth is adjusting. Smoking more regularly helped. The last year I’d been having sensitivities and then taking a five-day break. Just smoking every day actually improved things. I’m still more sensitive to some blends but let’s see little-by-little.