New Guy Smoking Experiment And Question

[eljimmy]

The answer to your question is possibly both. Or maybe neither. Some pipes, when new, don't seem to affect flavor whereas others do. Likewise drying tobacco, for better or worse, can affect flavor. Since you changed pipes and dry time it's hard to tell.

Experiment with dry times but keep them consistent between the two pipes so you judge more objectively. Also, you may very well notice a difference within one pipe after a half dozen to dozen smokes in it so keep that in mind.

Lastly, it has been my experience regardless of pipe type and/or condition and tobacco blend and/or dryness that smoking to fast produces too much heat and causes a loss of flavor. Try focusing on smoking slower and cooler to get more flavor although this may lead to more relights. I'd rather let things cool down and relight plus get more flavor.

It's a learning game for sure. A lot of the tips on here help. Thank you

 

[eljimmy]

Dry time and some fresh air around the tobacco before loading. As said above, there are lots of other variables that can make a difference.

I'll be playing with drying times to find the sweet spot for sure.

 

[eljimmy]

Cosmic said, “Some like a little moisture, and some prefer to smoke them bone dry. I think the differences for people is their smoking techniques. I am really a slooooooow smoker, so I prefer no moisture at all in my non-aros, because I control how slow it smokes with my cadence and technique.”

This ?
Absolutely

On Edit. No. I “do prefer” moisture in my Burley because I’m a sloooooow smoker and can control the coolness of my smoke. The moisture makes it taste richer, to me. I dislike dry tobacco.

If I can pinch it and it doesn’t clump... perfect.

If it crumbles into sawdust. No thank you.

Thank you for the advice. The mere 30 minutes got it to the point where it didn't clump anymore. The burn was beautiful too

 

[stokesdale]

I also thought it was my taste buds adjusting to the second bowl in one night. I had smoked an aromatic last week and that to myself it was ok, on second smoke the next day it was much better. OCD is no good for sure, when I smoke I try not to think too much and relax.

I try not to think much at all...for anything...and I've lived a very good life

 

[saltedplug]

I never dried tobacco out. It never made sense to me. Perhaps I lost out in so doing. But this, like the water flush guys and the microwave guys, suggested techniques about which I was prepared to be stubborn.