I have been trying different blends, everything from Vapers to Englishes and Aros. Some blends kinda make my mouth feel super dry and even numb sometimes. And this does not happen everytime. Is this normal for new pipe smokers?
Numb and Dry Mouth
- Thread starter Ray in Bangkok
- Start date
SmokingPipes.com Updates
Watch for Updates Twice a Week
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
Site Sponsors
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
I would suggest maybe reducing your smoking to just four pipes a day, until you can build up some calluses on your tongue. Space those four out a little, like maybe a cup of coffee between them. I also wouldn't drink alcohol with your pipe till you get some tolerance built up. I mostly drink coffee and ice water while I smoke. YMMV
Happens to me too sometimes. Im not sure if it's from smoking too fast or too hot. Could be a specific leaf varietal like burley, which tends to cause dry mouth for some due to the pH.
Also, smoking through my rotation of tobaccos through the day, I will start with an aromatic, if I am going to smoke an aro, and then move to Virginias, Vapers, burleys, and then latakias at night. This makes it so that really strongly flavored tobaccos don't overtax my palate before I get to more subtle ones.
If I do smoke a latakia earlier in the day, I just have a hard time tasting tobaccos for the rest of the day.
If I do smoke a latakia earlier in the day, I just have a hard time tasting tobaccos for the rest of the day.
Drawing or pulling on the pipe can be a recipe for a dry mouth.
But if you breathe in through your nose with the back of the throat closed, and then breathe the smoke out through your mouth, things should improve.
Definitely make sure you drink plenty, but not alcohol, as this strips bare the delicate linings of the tongue and cheeks.
But if you breathe in through your nose with the back of the throat closed, and then breathe the smoke out through your mouth, things should improve.
Definitely make sure you drink plenty, but not alcohol, as this strips bare the delicate linings of the tongue and cheeks.
Get you a small spray bottle of Biotene Dry Mouth Spray, it works wonders for pipe smokers. I use it all the time and believe me you won't have a dry mouth or tongue bite again. I don't know if you can get it where you live. I buy mine at Walmart or my local pharmacy.
When I start my day I always start drinking my coffee and smoking my pipes. I always start with Cafe Dumonde coffee. I drink 2, 30 oz cups in my Yeti. After my coffee is done for the day I usually drink some kind of vitamin water with my pipes for the rest of the day and night. I never smoke without having a drink next to me.
The one blends that dried my mouth really bad even with a drink in my hand were Boswell aromatics which I dabbled in back in 2012. I thing the PG in them was just way too much.
Now the only aromatics in my cellar are Cult Blood Red Moon and Sutliff Molto Dolce and neither of them dry my mouth.
The one blends that dried my mouth really bad even with a drink in my hand were Boswell aromatics which I dabbled in back in 2012. I thing the PG in them was just way too much.
Now the only aromatics in my cellar are Cult Blood Red Moon and Sutliff Molto Dolce and neither of them dry my mouth.
normal. Different blends effect me differently. Latakia gives me a weird numb feeling. Not a bad thing and it doesn't last. Like a mild anesthetic thing. Like lidocaine if it was watered down a lot. Some tobaccos are just harsher not to a point of being an issue but to the point I can feel a difference. Seems normal to me.
First thing that came to my mind......... Are you on any meds? Some medication makes your mouth dry up. Especially if you are smoking or talking a lot. Also, certain foods will do that.
I've noticed that the astringency is oriental and Turkish tobaccos will dry my mouth out in a heartbeat. Another reason to leave Englishes until the end of the day. Abingdon come to mind. Great blend though
I swish with CVS dry mouth mouthwash, you might find an equivalent mouthwash, but it should have enzymes to promote healthy saliva production and restore pH when you’ve finished smoking. From what I’ve read Biotene changed their formula and no longer have those enzymes. I’ve also learned perique heavy blends irritate the heck out of my mouth, a heavy handed Vaper will tear me up.
Smoke a little slower and maybe a little less each day until it gets better. Drink something nonalcoholic. Use Biotene regularly. A brief resting period is a good idea - maybe a week. All great advice above!
You might try smoking a single blend or genre for a week and make notes about the mouthfeel. Rest your palate for a few days. Repeat with a different blend or genre. It’s possible your body chemistry is just not loving a particular leaf or something and if you can isolate and identify that component you can avoid it in the future. Red Virginia is infamous for that. Orientals can annoy some people’s palate. Perique is wonderful but I need to be a little careful with it or my lips tingle for longer than is comfortable or pleasant. Latakia is great but too much leaves my palate feeling “greasy” for lack of a better term and makes it difficult to taste the nuances of, well everything.
Good luck, I hope you can figure it out!
You might try smoking a single blend or genre for a week and make notes about the mouthfeel. Rest your palate for a few days. Repeat with a different blend or genre. It’s possible your body chemistry is just not loving a particular leaf or something and if you can isolate and identify that component you can avoid it in the future. Red Virginia is infamous for that. Orientals can annoy some people’s palate. Perique is wonderful but I need to be a little careful with it or my lips tingle for longer than is comfortable or pleasant. Latakia is great but too much leaves my palate feeling “greasy” for lack of a better term and makes it difficult to taste the nuances of, well everything.
Good luck, I hope you can figure it out!
Allow a bit of air to pass into your mouth when drawing to cool your mouth and the smoke.
It's not just a newbie thing. I've been smoking weed for over 45 years and . . . oh, you're talking about tobacco. Right.
I'm unable to recall dry mouth when I first switched to a pipe.
Tongue bite and mouth irritation was an issue at first. Apart from poor technique, certain blends were usually the culprit but after some time my mouth just became accustomed to pipe tobacco.
The one exception was when I first tried a VaPer with a decent percentage of Perique.
Love aged Aj's VaPer. That's got a nice balance of Perique for my tastes.
I've noticed when a bowl has a few chunks of Perique, that will leave my mouth tingling, a touch numb and a little dry.
Not that that stops me from finishing the bowl.
“You might try smoking a single blend or genre for a week and make notes about the mouthfeel.” - @verporchting
I agree. PH varies for each of us. When you find, as I have, a tasty blend so agreeable that one can retro every puff… it’s hard to not reach for it. — I don’t envy those whom have a wandering pallet, tongue-bite etc come with the territory. — I understand many don’t envy those of us whom enjoy a handful of favorites. To each his own. ??