Law of Dimishing Quality of Pipe Smoking

[kcghost]

I smoke two bowls a day and rarely get tired of them.

 

[Sweet Home Alabama]

I smoke two bowls a day and rarely get tired of them.

I wouldn’t think you would.

 

[mso489]

I smoke a bowl or two a day, sometimes none. For me, less is more, to the degree that I come to each bowl pretty fresh and seem to get several dimensions out of each blend, which is good. Now and then, I live large and go with two or three bowls. By the third, I feel like I've had enough -- still good, but not tempting a fourth. When I lay off the pipe for some days, getting over a cold or whatever, I don't have cravings or feel badly, but it's always nice to enjoy a pipe again.

 

[telescopes]

@Sweet Home Alabama ; I know exactly what you mean. Anything and everything is subject to the laws of the tides. Ebbs and Flows. The tides are billions of years old; you can know for certainty that some will be higher and some will be lower. Most things are the same.

Change things up by smoking some cigars. I've smoked pipes for almost 40 years. For most of that time, I smoked one blend. When I couldn't get that blend, I smoked other blends. When I couldn't smoke other blends, I smoked cigars. I still do.

Visit some B&M stores. Road Trips. When on a road trip, work in a B&M. You're in Alabama. Visit @cosmicfolklore and smoke some of his homegrown.

Changing things up and using a variable schedule of smoking can improve the joy of smoking. Personally, I am always looking for that perfect smoke.

I haven't found it yet. I will tell you this, the perfect smoke will NOT be found in isolation or in solitude, despite what most people will say here. We are social creatures by design, and finding a friend to share the journey with is one of the best things you can do to make the journey more interesting.

 

[Sweet Home Alabama]

@Sweet Home Alabama ; I know exactly what you mean. Anything and everything is subject to the laws of the tides. Ebbs and Flows. The tides are billions of years old; you can know for certainty that some will be higher and some will be lower. Most things are the same.

Change things up by smoking some cigars. I've smoked pipes for almost 40 years. For most of that time, I smoked one blend. When I couldn't get that blend, I smoked other blends. When I couldn't smoke other blends, I smoked cigars. I still do.

Visit some B&M stores. Road Trips. When on a road trip, work in a B&M. You're in Alabama. Visit @cosmicfolklore and smoke some of his homegrown.

Changing things up and using a variable schedule of smoking can improve the joy of smoking. Personally, I am always looking for that perfect smoke.

I haven't found it yet. I will tell you this, the perfect smoke will NOT be found in isolation or in solitude, despite what most people will say here. We are social creatures by design, and finding a friend to share the journey with is one of the best things you can do to make the journey more interesting.

I’d love to have a smoke with that old fart.

 

[telescopes]

I’d love to have a smoke with that old fart.

I think most of us would. Hell, I'd ride my bike out that way just to do that and visit the Briary. It might make a good smokers weekend.

 

[Sweet Home Alabama]

I think most of us would. Hell, I'd ride my bike out that way just to do that and visit the Briary. It might make a good smokers weekend.

We’ll smoke our arses off.

 

[sablebrush52]

Think of eating five or six bowls of ice cream per day or something else you like. Does the last experience equal the first? Not trying to convince of something that's not your experience, just expressing mine.

People vary in their capacity to enjoy tobacco. I've cut back to a couple of bowls a day, which is a lot, but not compared to the 6 to 8 bowls a day I used to do.

Familiarity was beginning to breed contempt.

Now I get better flavors because I haven't fatigued my palate. I get even better flavors when I don't smoke for several days before enjoying a bowl.

You'll figure out what works best for you.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

@telescopes @Sweet Home Alabama
Come on. Just give a day or two notice…. Except June 19 till early July, I will be in Savanah, Ga and North Carolina.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

There's multiple reasons for smoking a pipe. Flavor, nicotine, relaxation and others. If flavor is your primary or only reason, you'd likely benefit by smoking less. One could also find what works best for them to cleanse their palate if they'd like to smoke more.

There's a variety of pipe smoker types. I'd wager the majority of pipe smokers would not list flavor as their primary reason for smoking. If you're one of them, I can see the OP's point.

I'm smoking a bowl of HH Pure Virginia right now, my second bowl today, and it's tasting very good. It may have tasted a bit better had it been the first bowl today but I'm not complaining. I most always smoke a different blend with each bowl during my day and in ascending order of strength to try to offset the palate fatigue thing.

 

[1allspub]

When I limit myself to just one bowl a day I definitely enjoy the flavor and nuances of that one bowl more than if I smoke 2-3 bowls a day. In fact, if I smoke 2-3 a day several days in a row, I need lay off for a day or two to give my palate a break as it tends to get desensitized and the tobacco’s flavor drops off precipitously. It’s a bummer because I want to smoke more, but really have to self regulate in order to maximize my enjoyment (same thing happens to me with cigars, but to a bit of a lesser extent, ie, I can smoke 2-3 a day pretty much without issue, but if I go beyond 3 it‘s a case of diminishing returns and I need to take a couple days break afterwards).

Sometimes I muscle through and smoke more anyway though... and accept that on this given day (or days) I just want to smoke my pipe (or cigar) and the enjoyment of the act/ritual/downtime is worth the degradation of flavor. But when I do take a break, I am always rewarded with a much more sensitive and appreciative palate... and thus a better, more enjoyable smoke. YMMV

 

[Mr.Mike]

After three bowls in the same day, it starts to get unenjoyable. My palette is shit after 3.

 

[gervais]

Sometimes I look forward to a smoke and am a little disappointed. Sometimes it's a blend that has blown my mind in the past. Just depends on the pallet at any given time I think

 

[puff_not_snuff]

This will change when I retire, but right now I only smoke on the weekends and apparently too much. I'm finding my quality of enjoyment decreases with additional bowl. I might be doing something wrong that my more experienced fellow members may know, but for me right now, one or maybe two bowls would probably keep the quality constant.

Part of the problem is getting another pipe which I want to try out. So, I am not getting more in the short term. I've actually settled on three that I prefer anyway.

Anyone have a similar experience?

I agree.

 

[Chasing Embers]

On the sixth smoke of the day. No noticeable degradation of taste or enjoyment.

 

[jewman22]

Try changing up the blend types if you having multiple smokes a day, I dont usually smoke during the week, but on a weekend I'l have 3 a day, start with an English, then a Virginia and finally an Aromatic before bed. Occasionally I'l mix a Burley in there but not very often.
I also have 1 Cigar a weekend as well, on that day I only have 1 bowl, usually many hours after the stogie.

 

[JLD66]

I just like smoking a pipe. When I get to my shop I light one up and keep one going until I go in that evening. I’ll smoke 5-7 bowls a day 7 days a week every week. Did I mention I like smoking a pipe? Everyone is different and if I only enjoyed 2 bowls a week then that’s what I’d do. There’s only one rule, do it how you like it!

 

[telescopes]

I hope you think about my suggestion in another thread. Try Frosty Mint Mixtures to make smoking life a little more interesting.

 

[OzPiper]

What others have already said - palate fatigue and the law of diminishing returns.

I'm a weekend smoker, and really look forward to my smokes because I've had a few days off.
I usually have 2 bowls, occasionally 3. I try to change up the tobaccos so I'm "tasting" different blends. If I decide on a 3rd bowl, it is usually an aromatic - so quite a change from the previous bowls which tend to be Virginia/VaPer or English/Balkan.
There have been times when I've dumped the bowl after smoking half, because I have not been enjoying it. This is tobacco I've really liked previously - just different day/different palate/no particular reason.

And I've really been enjoying cigars again (after reading the "what cigar are you smoking" posts and re-kindling my interest in cigars) after 2-3 years of smoking pipes almost exclusively.

They say "a change is as good as a holiday" so mix it up a bit. Don't stress - go with the flow. Pipes are supposed to be relaxing

 

[Sweet Home Alabama]

Try changing up the blend types if you having multiple smokes a day, I dont usually smoke during the week, but on a weekend I'l have 3 a day, start with an English, then a Virginia and finally an Aromatic before bed. Occasionally I'l mix a Burley in there but not very often.
I also have 1 Cigar a weekend as well, on that day I only have 1 bowl, usually many hours after the stogie.

I think when I get back home I'm going by the local tobacconist and get then first English he recommended. I remember really enjoying the taste.

I hope you think about my suggestion in another thread. Try Frosty Mint Mixtures to make smoking life a little more interesting.

I will check the local store for this brand.