P-lip Question

[kingleo]

Hi,

I've recently acquired a Peterson B10 with a p-lip. It's the first p-lip I've ever had and I decided to get it because it was my understanding that it's design is meant to reduce or eliminate tongue bite.

It's a beautiful pipe and it seems to smoke really well and it does indeed seem to eliminate the bite. However there is an issue that I don't quite understand. I can't taste the tobacco at all. I mean there is literally no flavor whatsoever. I can't even smell the tobacco. At first I thought it was the filter, as I don't use filters in my other pipes. But smoking it again without the filter was no different. No taste or smell at all. I smoke primarily English blends and in all my other pipes the flavors are very prominent. I've never encountered this issue before.

I'm guessing that this has something to do with p-lip and how the smoke is directed. Has anyone else ever experienced this? If so, what do you do about it?

I appreciate any thoughts.

KL

 

[anotherbob]

nope. Some pipes don't give much flavor and some take a while before they do. But the p-lip might change some aspects of the flavor but not eliminate it.

 

[warren]

I've never experienced such. The p-lip does direct the smoke upwards but, rolling the smoke in your mouth before exhaling through your nose might help.

 

[Skapie]

I have had two p-lips, and have not noticed any untoward effects with flavour.

They don’t suit my clench, though, which is frustrating.

 

[mso489]

I have only one P-lip, a Peterson, a 999 Rhodesian. My only complaint is that the bigger button feels like too much bit in my mouth. Otherwise, the flavor comes over about the same. Your experience may have to do with the individual structure of your mouth and the sensitivity of your taste buds. Everyone is slightly different. Now you know you need to stick with fishtail stems.

There are at least three alternatives. Smoke the pipe from time to time and see if a learning curve brings you around to getting some flavor. Have the stem replaced with a fishtail. Do as some have done and simply saw off the tip of the P-lip and turn it into a fishtail with a little filing. Or of course, you could trade in the pipe for store credit and get a fishtail bit pipe.

I like my P-lip as a minor change of pace, but I wouldn't get another. I'm just a little too aware of the bit in my mouth, even though the flavor is fine. I've learned to ignore the P-lip feature.

I have the B10 with a fishtail bit and it is a great pipe.

 

[btp79]

Once you have your technique down, P-lip or fishtail won't be more or less likely to bite. The inverse is also true, if you have poor technique, any pipe will bite. "Slow down" is a great answer to a bunch of bite/flavor/burn questions.

 

[STP]

I have an XL26 P-Lip and noticed no difference in taste. I agree w/above. Try rolling the smoke in your mouth, or retrohaling…

 

[Brewfan]

My tastebuds suck, so I do most of my tobacco tasting through the retrohale, I would suggest you master that if everything else about the bit is working out for you. I'm a recent P-lip convert myself, smoking the three I have pretty much exclusively since it fits my clench perfectly.

 

[Hillcrest]

Perhaps, you could have too heavy a bowl coating on the pipe that hasn't warn down enough yet to taste the tobacco. Some people are complaining of the new Peterson's and this problem. I believe it happened once before in their history when they dip coated the pipes and the coating got inside the bowl and caused a bad taste until it burned off. More experienced historians on this site will know more.

 

[Brewfan]

bowl coating

Good point. I took the coating off of mine with a wet paper towel, you don't even need the sandpaper people talk about.

 

[WVOldFart]

I believe your troubles will go away after about 6 or more bowls. It is a new pipe and needs to be broken in. Once the chamber has a chance to get a coating on it, you should have a great pipe.

 

[bullet08]

Bowl coating.. Hey! Let's blame it on yellow bellied sapsuckers!! The OP said he doesn't get any taste, no the other way around.

 

[kingleo]

I appreciate everyone's input. I acquired the pipe from a friend who wanted to get into pipe smoking. He bought it new and smoked it twice before deciding pipe smoking wasn't for him. So the pipe is new/used I guess you could say. It hadn't even been broken in yet. The chamber was barely charred and the heel was still bare wood. It hadn't even had a full bowl smoked through it from the looks of it. I've had new pipes before that tasted funny for the first several bowls before they started smoking well, but I've never experienced an absolute absence of flavor before. It's weird . I'm hoping that maybe it's just a matter of getting the pipe broken in and that maybe after a few more smokes it will improve. It's a gorgeous pipe and it clenches easily and is very comfortable. I'd hate to find out it's a dud.

 

[kingleo]

Perhaps, you could have too heavy a bowl coating on the pipe that hasn't warn down enough yet to taste the tobacco. Some people are complaining of the new Peterson's and this problem. I believe it happened once before in their history when they dip coated the pipes and the coating got inside the bowl and caused a bad taste until it burned off. More experienced historians on this site will know more.

There is actually no coating at all in the bowl. A very slight black char near the top and the heel was clean as a whistle. The person I got it from smoked it twice and decided pipe smoking wasn't for him. It appears as though it has never been smoked all the way down before.

 

[kingleo]

My tastebuds suck, so I do most of my tobacco tasting through the retrohale, I would suggest you master that if everything else about the bit is working out for you. I'm a recent P-lip convert myself, smoking the three I have pretty much exclusively since it fits my clench perfectly.

I'm very much a believer in the retro hale. My technique consists mainly of clenching the pipe, and very slowly drawing on it as I breathe in through my nose and then slowly exhaling the smoke through my nose. I've found that this is the best way of getting the flavors. I call it "nose tasting". But I get nothing from this pipe. I have a lot of pipes. Most of them are older estate pipes or heirloom pipes. But some of them I've purchased new and had to break them in. I've had pipes that tasted funny or downright bad until they were broken in, but I've never come across this issue before. I can only assume that it has something to do with the p-lip. This is the first one I've ever had.

 

[kingleo]

I believe your troubles will go away after about 6 or more bowls. It is a new pipe and needs to be broken in. Once the chamber has a chance to get a coating on it, you should have a great pipe.

I'm hoping that this is the issue. Thanks for your thoughts.

 

[Hillcrest]

There is actually no coating at all in the bowl. A very slight black char near the top and the heel was clean as a whistle. The person I got it from smoked it twice and decided pipe smoking wasn't for him. It appears as though it has never been smoked all the way down before.

Well, I am at a loss ! (Not an uncommon experience for me !) ... just keep smoking it and see what happens.

 

[Grangerous]

P-Lips dangerous. Ask Michael Douglass.

 

[Brewfan]

Same tobacco every time or have you tried different blends in this pipe?

 

[BobbyD]

I had the same concerns about what I perceived as a somewhat muted flavor with the p-lip. I quickly realized it's entirely my smoking style and nothing to do with the design. I usually find myself kissing and pecking at the end of the fishtail to search out the flavors when I'm having a sit down smoke. The p-lip by design just doesn't work for me there, but I find it suitable in other circumstances when I'm clenching more often.