Oh-Oh, the Retrohale

[judcasper]

be it puffing, retrohaling or (hopefully not) inhaling.

Definitely not inhaling. It happens by accident, occasionally, but for someone who's never smoked cigarettes it's a very unpleasant sensation.

 

[rdavid]

it's a very unpleasant sensation.

Yes... yes it is. And I’m a previous cigarette smoker. Very unpleasant.

 

[bullet08]

retrohale is hard to explain. smoked cig for 35 yrs before changing to vape then pipe. it's just something i do while smoking. tho, it doesn't really help me with picking more details from the smoke. i get some taste/smell, but doesn't really add more to enjoyment of smoking for me.

 

[lordofthepiperings]

The retrohale definitely brings out different flavors and accentuates some.
It takes some practice to get it down. I was trying it for a few months before I got it to the point I'm at now where it's just second nature and I'll find myself just randomly doing a retrohale from time to time during a bowl.
The major thing though is learning to slow down your cadence. If you're getting that down don't worry about the retrohale.

 

[judcasper]

The major thing though is learning to slow down your cadence. If you're getting that down don't worry about the retrohale.

What I find tough about cadence is finding that balance between slowing down and keeping the pipe lit. I know we’re told not to worry about re-lights and I don’t. In fact in an odd way I enjoy the process as it feels like pipe smoking punctuation to me. Would be nice, however, to just sit with the pipe without feeling the need to puff on it every 10 seconds to keep it going.

 

[haparnold]

Would be nice to just sit with the pipe without feeling the need to puff on it every 10 seconds to keep it going.

I'm going to say this loudly for the people in the back of the hall: "BREATH SMOKING!!!!"
I used to struggle with cadence all the time until I got the knack of what I think Cosmic once called "just walking around with a pipe in your mouth". I don't know if you should try breath smoking at the very beginning of your pipe smoking journey, but I find it to be really rewarding. It allows me to do just what you say: just sit and read, or walk around, or drive my car, with a pipe giving me delicious flavor that doesn't require constant attention. And occasionally I retrohale for a little uptick in flavor.

 

[judcasper]

It allows me to do just what you say: just sit and read, or walk around, or drive my car, with a pipe giving me delicious flavor that doesn't require constant attention.

I’ve experimented with breathe smoking but I’m not entirely sure I’m doing it right. But anyway, when I say ‘just sit’ I actually mean going for periods without the pipe in my mouth. Maybe I’m missing the whole point of pipe smoking by saying that, but I don’t particularly like clenching and find that it’s even quite difficult with some pipes.

 

[olkofri]

I can't do breath smoking either. Something with my anatomy, I guess. I've stopped trying. My cadence is about 5-7 sips per minute.
Maybe I should get an OHM POWL pipe and just park it in my mouth.

 

[judcasper]

Maybe I should get an OHM POWL pipe and just park it in my mouth.

Park it. I like that :D

My cadence is about 5-7 sips per minute.

Is that 5-7 sips evenly spaced over the 60 seconds? As in one sip every 12 seconds or so?
Something tells me I’m over-thinking this to a biblical scale :D

 

[sablebrush52]

For some, retrohale is central to their enjoyment, but I suspect for most, it isn't even done. I don't disparage those who enjoy it, but I'd posit that you don't have do this to get full enjoyment out of blends. Just to say.

Full enjoyment is a different matter from full flavor. You can't experience the full range of flavor without smelling the smoke. There are more flavor receptors in your schnoz than in your mouth. If you're an indoor smoker, it's no problem as you're sitting in a cloud of smoke, inhaling and smelling it. If you're an outdoor smoker, it's a different matter, where slowly easing the smoke out through your schnoz provides a great many flavors that you won't get by mouth alone.

 

[rdavid]

slowly easing the smoke out through your schnoz provides a great many flavors that you won't get by mouth alone.

Yes. This exactly^^^^

 

[olkofri]

Is that 5-7 sips evenly spaced over the 60 seconds? As in one sip every 12 seconds or so?

Yup. I started counting to 16 between sippuffs, for a slower cadence, then I just fell into sipping more frequently. The downside of this is that you can quickly saturate (and irritate) your taste buds, leading to a tongue-bite-like feeling. The harsher the blend, the slower the cadence should be, methinks.

 

[tjsgarden]

Hey guys and gals.

This is my first post on this forum. I want to thank Embers, the 4th post in this thread. His explanation helped me to expel smoke out my nose on the first try. Thanks

 

[madox07]

Olkofri I find that Embers explained it pretty well, at least it works for me. I don't get an imense sense of enjoyment out of retro haling, but I do it every so often. I guess that for some smokers it has become a habit.

 

[unkleyoda]

I retrohale nearly all puffs. To me most of the flavor is had during the retrohale. How to explain it, I have no idea.

 

[tjsgarden]

Embers wrote:
"Draw smoke into your mouth like drinking with a straw, not using your inhale to do it. When exhaling, press your tongue against the roof of your mouth to force the smoke into your throat and out your nose with the exhaled air."
The only thing I can add is after inhaling, I lift my tongue up and back and then I sort-of relax my throat muscles before exhaling through my nose. I think the up and back movement of my tongue combined with relaxing throat muscles closes off the airway to my lungs and opens up the nasal pathway.
Thanks Embers for your description.

 

[johnbrody15]

If you make a pretend snoring sound, mouth closed, the position of everything in your mouth is where is should be for a retrohale. You could also try making the "K" sound and pay attention to where your tongue is, it's kind of like that....I think.

 

[gregjl]

I retrohale almost every puff. I don't know how to explain the process. I just exhale from my nose. Maybe try using more force?

I don't know if this will be useful at this point but think of it as the very beginning of a swallow. I just got it today no pipe, mouth closed and like I said beginning of a swallow. Worked every time.

 

[seanv]

I guess you could think of it this way, close your mouth and exhale through your nose. Now do that exact thing after taking a draw on your pipe. Boom - you just retrohaled

 

[cigrmaster]

I started retrohaling Marlboro Reds at 13. In the next 50 years I believe I have retrohaled anything worth smoking. My medical marijuana can sting like a bitch when I take too big a hit.

To really enjoy the flavor, take a hit, close your eyes, close your mouth, cover your ears and blow it out of your ass, now you are talking flava.