Some of you may not want me sharing so much but I decided to chronicle my experiences and learning as a new pipe smoker. Newby News is what I am calling it.
Today I started week 2 of this adventure and this morning I tried my second tobacco. My P&C order came in yesterday as well as a sample kit I received from a fellow member here. Right or Wrong I jared them all. Left all 1oz in plastic bags in the jar, but opened the 1.75 oz pouches and transferred to jars.
Week one I smoked SWRA but also battled the packing and lighting woes. This week I chose Captain Black Regular. Many of you gave me great packing and lighting advice after week 1 and today was much better.
Things I discovered today.
1) Packed bowl tighter and after char light I tampered well. After true light it only went out once. I had a good 20 minute burn. Much better today.
2) It went out at last 1/6 of bowl and after ash removal I lit again and it burned only another minute. Very little left in bowl. Just crumbs.
3) At this writing I don’t know if CBReg is a aromatic or not but I like it. The smell was a little medicine like. Not bad smell but if it were food I might NOT taste it. Of course I am so ignorant to tobacco this might just be how it smells. It’s not a pie.
4) The experience - I don’t know if it’s the tobacco or if I am learning how to smoke better. There were some occasional ash taste but coincided with lighting and puffing hard or at the very bottom of bowl. However most of my smoke was a pleasantly light sweet flavor with something else I don’t know what to call it. It burned so good I actually got to focus on my smoking technique.
5) What I discovered - I had an aha moment today. That pipe smoking is “delicate” endeavor. It’s not drawing, puffing, or even sipping as some describe it. For me it’s like smelling with your mouth. As if you lightly and slowly sniff a wines aroma. For the pipe you do the same soft gentle intake except it’s through the mouth. It’s as if the flavor is released and is riding the smoke, but if you draw just a little too hard it also pulls some burned ash flavor ruining the flavor. For me I discovered I wanted to barely barely barely cause the smoke to come into my mouth. When I did this it was amazing.. no ash flavor, just a good flavor. In addition for me I discovered if i do this with tip in lips but in front of closed teeth I taste sweetness better than if I have tip in mouth (behind teeth) where the smoke hits center of my tongue. It’s still good but the tip of my tongue is better suited for some flavors.
It was a great day of learning and tastes. I want to retry the SWRA again using this technique to confirm if it’s more technique or the tobacco?
My mild asthma has me worried because I am realizing it better to just breath normally rather than trying to avoid all the second hand smoke in the lungs.
Long Term Goal - to manage a good smoke but not think about smoking. To do it but free my mind to read, daydream, or contemplate other things, as i can do without smoking. I am sure this comes with time.
Today I started week 2 of this adventure and this morning I tried my second tobacco. My P&C order came in yesterday as well as a sample kit I received from a fellow member here. Right or Wrong I jared them all. Left all 1oz in plastic bags in the jar, but opened the 1.75 oz pouches and transferred to jars.
Week one I smoked SWRA but also battled the packing and lighting woes. This week I chose Captain Black Regular. Many of you gave me great packing and lighting advice after week 1 and today was much better.
Things I discovered today.
1) Packed bowl tighter and after char light I tampered well. After true light it only went out once. I had a good 20 minute burn. Much better today.
2) It went out at last 1/6 of bowl and after ash removal I lit again and it burned only another minute. Very little left in bowl. Just crumbs.
3) At this writing I don’t know if CBReg is a aromatic or not but I like it. The smell was a little medicine like. Not bad smell but if it were food I might NOT taste it. Of course I am so ignorant to tobacco this might just be how it smells. It’s not a pie.
4) The experience - I don’t know if it’s the tobacco or if I am learning how to smoke better. There were some occasional ash taste but coincided with lighting and puffing hard or at the very bottom of bowl. However most of my smoke was a pleasantly light sweet flavor with something else I don’t know what to call it. It burned so good I actually got to focus on my smoking technique.
5) What I discovered - I had an aha moment today. That pipe smoking is “delicate” endeavor. It’s not drawing, puffing, or even sipping as some describe it. For me it’s like smelling with your mouth. As if you lightly and slowly sniff a wines aroma. For the pipe you do the same soft gentle intake except it’s through the mouth. It’s as if the flavor is released and is riding the smoke, but if you draw just a little too hard it also pulls some burned ash flavor ruining the flavor. For me I discovered I wanted to barely barely barely cause the smoke to come into my mouth. When I did this it was amazing.. no ash flavor, just a good flavor. In addition for me I discovered if i do this with tip in lips but in front of closed teeth I taste sweetness better than if I have tip in mouth (behind teeth) where the smoke hits center of my tongue. It’s still good but the tip of my tongue is better suited for some flavors.
It was a great day of learning and tastes. I want to retry the SWRA again using this technique to confirm if it’s more technique or the tobacco?
My mild asthma has me worried because I am realizing it better to just breath normally rather than trying to avoid all the second hand smoke in the lungs.
Long Term Goal - to manage a good smoke but not think about smoking. To do it but free my mind to read, daydream, or contemplate other things, as i can do without smoking. I am sure this comes with time.