New Piper. Bitter, Ashy taste

[foxwithapipe]

So, i dont know if this is something that comes up a lot.

i just started smoking a pipe monday this week. I watched a couple of muttnchop piper`s videos on youtube, trying to get a very basic grasp on the techniques to pack, light and smoke my pipe.

the monday smokes, was pleasant, nice, and tasted like the tobacco scent in the bag. Both yesterday and today, it went from nice, pleasant, "round" taste, to more bitter and kinda ashy.

The pipe i bought, is from the nearest pipe shop (not a standard kiosk that just sells them), a nice place, with a more focus on pipes, too. A starter pack, with pipe(i think the brand is Vibel), a bag of tobacco, pipe cleaners and a tamper for 400dkk(55,97 USD).. for reference, the cheaper single pipes from White Star starts at around 375dkk(52,47USD). The tobacco is a Mac baren 7 seas regular blend.

Im also just using a bog standard lighter, one i would use to light my ciggarettes with. I am still smoking the last of my ciggarette tobacco as well, if that would have any effect.

Im using the 3 step method to pack my pipe, still learning the packing. Im doing the charring light, then the proper lighting after, and im tamping the ash down a bit, every so often when smoking, to keep it just on top of the ember and the un smoked tobacco.
After ech smoke, i do empty the bowl of ash, leftover tobacco with the tamper tool pick, run a pipecleaner round the bowl and run one through the stem and shank, to get moisture out.
Im getting a small, decent carbon cake around in the bowl, but i can see, that the bootm part is looking bare, and a bit like it is exposed wood/briar

My question is, is this just a process, to get the pipe to be tasting good when smoking, or have i maybe done something wrong.. Is it the pipe, or the tobacco that just behaves this way? Am i cleaning my pipe wrong?

 

[ashdigger]

Lots to talk about. Welcome to the journey of overthinking and eventually just mindlessly enjoying your pipes.

After you finish smoking a bowl dump the dottle and do exactly as you are.

Take a wet pipe cleaner (wet with water or alcohol or the blood of a Pygmy albino unicorn) and run it through the stem.

Fold over the pipe cleaner and swirl out the bowl.

The bottom of the bowl will likely stay unburned for a long time. No worries. It generally doesn’t see much heat.

Taste like ash…. Slow down your cadence. Puffing too fast or hard burns the tobacco instead of just consuming it.

Good luck. Stay at it.

 

[foxwithapipe]

Taste like ash…. Slow down your cadence. Puffing too fast or hard burns the tobacco instead of just consuming it.

Good luck. Stay at it.

Having watched Muttnchop piper on youtube, using his "breath method" to breathe through my nose, and slowly drawing air into my mouth, and out through the pipe.. Is that a good way to do it?

 

[ashdigger]

Having watched Muttnchop piper on youtube, using his "breath method" to breathe through my nose, and slowly drawing air into my mouth, and out through the pipe.. Is that a good way to do it?

I don’t use a breath method. I honestly don’t know what I do. Yes, that sounds crazy.

I smoke all types of pipes from modern to old pipes. I have pipes with restricted airflow and pipes wide open. So I just unconsciously adapt.

Also, I have pipes with a huge variety of mouthpieces which another topic.

The slower and gentler you puff, the drier your tobacco, the medium firmness of your pack = the better experience.

It takes time. You’ll get it. Rome wasn’t built in a day.

 

[FLDRD]

Having began Monday and already having had a pleasant experience with at least one bowl - you're ahead of the curve compared to the beginnings for many of us.

Relax, you're a natural.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Having watched Muttnchop

?Yeah, that fellow causes a lot of confusion and overthinking for new smokers. Give Allen a look.

 

[Sweet Home Alabama]

I wish people making videos would move directly to the topic.

 

[Humblepipe]

In case you are interested, Vibel is out of the Czech Republic. They are the only pipe-maker I know from there...

 

[Chasing Embers]

I wish people making videos would move directly to the topic.

That's why I only do mine as visual aids to questions posted here.

 

[kcghost]

I would speculate that the problem is you are smoking your pipe like a cigarette. That's not unusual, but it will cause a lot of grief in your pipe smoking. You'll have to learn to smoke the pipe by inhaling much less often and not as deeply and if you inhale you will need to give this up.

 

[Chasing Embers]

if you inhale you will need to give this up.

That's not entirely true. There have been several members over the years that regularly inhaled.

 

[anotherbob]

Lots to talk about. Welcome to the journey of overthinking and eventually just mindlessly enjoying your pipes.

After you finish smoking a bowl dump the dottle and do exactly as you are.

Take a wet pipe cleaner (wet with water or alcohol or the blood of a Pygmy albino unicorn) and run it through the stem.

Fold over the pipe cleaner and swirl out the bowl.

The bottom of the bowl will likely stay unburned for a long time. No worries. It generally doesn’t see much heat.

Taste like ash…. Slow down your cadence. Puffing too fast or hard burns the tobacco instead of just consuming it.

Good luck. Stay at it.

make sure the pipe is cleanish. Doesn't have to be perfect. I sometimes break my own rules and don't clean it after every smoke, but I should. And it's as simple as slow down and go easy. When you lose flavor you can even let the pipe sit for a minute. And spot on what ashdigger said. Eventually you don't think about these things they're just how you do it. And sometimes you don't even need advice. I didn't know what caused tongue bite when I started but it made me more timid with a pipe and then less likely to experience that bane.
Oh and sometimes your palate just isn't going to be on. Doesn't just apply to pipes, but pipes are more sensitive about then something like whiskey or many foods.
Best advice though in all the world for a pipe smoker is.... Enjoy it.

 

[foxwithapipe]

Thank you for all the great advice, tips and tricks to make my journey into pipes as great as possible :D

 

[AJL67]

I would speculate that the problem is you are smoking your pipe like a cigarette. That's not unusual, but it will cause a lot of grief in your pipe smoking. You'll have to learn to smoke the pipe by inhaling much less often and not as deeply and if you inhale you will need to give this up.

Inhaled by accident once and couldn’t believe i didn’t cough, on the flip side i got the hickups while smoking a cigar once and the first hickup was in a puff and thought i was going to die, well first lose a long then die.

 

[workman]

Dry your tobacco, smoke it slowly, very slowly. Easy to say, less easy to do.
I would argue that for many of us and certainly for cigarette smokers, the concept of smoking without inhaling, trying to grasp and savor the flavors more than the actual nic hit is very alien and the whole flavor department in our brains needs some rewiring. This will take a few weeks or months. Patience will be required.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

?Yeah, that fellow causes a lot of confusion and overthinking for new smokers. Give Allen a look.

He is fun!

 

[foxwithapipe]

Dry your tobacco, smoke it slowly, very slowly. Easy to say, less easy to do.
I would argue that for many of us and certainly for cigarette smokers, the concept of smoking without inhaling, trying to grasp and savor the flavors more than the actual nic hit is very alien and the whole flavor department in our brains needs some rewiring. This will take a few weeks or months. Patience will be required.

so dont smoke it fresh from the bag?.. Even im still finishing up my cigarette tobacco, i think i have gotten a decent grasp on how to keep my pipe smoke in mouth, to only taste it, though im certain i can still improve a whole lot more, since im just starting out.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

Still a relative rookie - I like my pipes cleanish and I need the tobacco dry. For me it helps with flavor getting through and easygoing, slow bowls. When something goes “wrong” I’ve usually erred on the side of not being patient enough to dry out the tobacco enough. Did a mass, slow dry in a warm oven the other day so all my tobacco for this week of vacation is sitting and waiting for me. Has worked out great!

 

[workman]

so dont smoke it fresh from the bag?.. Even im still finishing up my cigarette tobacco, i think i have gotten a decent grasp on how to keep my pipe smoke in mouth, to only taste it, though im certain i can still improve a whole lot more, since im just starting out.

My advice is to open the bag wide and let it sit overnight like that. Then try smoking some of the dry bit from the top. Use the three pinch method to pack. You'll have to experiment anyway, because none of us do it excactly the same way and neither will you.

 

[Chasing Embers]

He is fun!

Mutton or Allen?