Pipe Shape: Match the Tobacco?

[Salvaje]

Title edited- caps, but recast for clarity and brevity. Old title: Do we choose the correct pipe for the correct tobacco?

In a conversation with hoosierpipeguy he made a comment that brought me to a question. I wanted to bring it to everyones attention and see what you think?
BTW…thank you hoosierpipeguy.
It’s understandable to have a favorite pipe for a specific tobacco, but is it because it tastes and smokes better due to the shape of the pipe? Maybe we made the decision to pack it with something we enjoy and just continued to smoke it from there? How much do we actually know about the depth, diameter, draw, draft size/length…. that plays key roles in getting more flavor from certain blends?

 

[warren]

I keep my pipe smoking experience simple. So, no . . . I do not. I have a few blends I enjoy and a couple dozen pipes which produce a fine smoking experience as long as I hold up my end by loading it correctly and keeping it properly cleaned.

 

[Salvaje]

I keep my pipe smoking experience simple. So, no . . . I do not. I have a few blends I enjoy and a couple dozen pipes which produce a fine smoking experience as long as I hold up my end by loading it correctly and keeping it properly cleaned.

I just did a search and came across this article from a few years back about the same topic. Shapes of Things - https://pipesmagazine.com/blog/out-of-the-ashes/shapes-of-things/

 

[NomadOrb]

I think the pipe shape has a minimal effect if any on the actual smoke. Packing and lighting correctly are where the real nuances are.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Packing and lighting correctly are where the real nuances are.

Bingo, not to mention the moisture of the tobacco. I've never noticed a difference in flavor of a tobacco smoked in multiple pipes. Chased that idea for three decades and decided that macaroni and cheese tastes no different if eaten from a bowl than if eaten from a plate.

 

[OzPiper]

I like to keep it as simple as possible. It’s meant to be a relaxing and enjoyable activity.

But if you have OCD and like to keep a spreadsheet on each and every one of your pipes and which of the 20 or 30 blends smoke best in it or give you a near-orgasmic experience, by all means do it. ?

 

[Ahi Ka]

Bingo, not to mention the moisture of the tobacco. I've never noticed a difference in flavor of a tobacco smoked in multiple pipes. Chased that idea for three decades and decided that macaroni and cheese tastes no different if eaten from a bowl than if eaten from a plate.

Do you still have a dedicated pipe for Sakura?

 

[Chasing Embers]

Do you still have a dedicated pipe for Sakura?

Yep. ?

 

[OzPiper]

Re-reading my earlier post, I may have given the idea that I am dismissive of the idea that a particular tobacco may shine in a specific pipe.

It may happen that you experience a serendipitous conjunction of tobacco and pipe. And if that experience can be replicated, then you have your "Bingo or Ah Ha" moment.

Sad to say I have not yet experienced such a near-orgasmic smoking moment.
So my take is to rotate my blends and pipes in no particular order save what takes my fancy on the day.
I do enough thinking at work to want to overtax my brain on the weekends. ?

 

[Ahi Ka]

Yep. ?

View attachment 136110

Love that combo.

would you notice a difference between smoking Sakura in this pipe now compared to another pipe?

 

[Chasing Embers]

@Ahi Ka

You just picked what I'm taking to work today! ?

 

[Chasing Embers]

Love that combo.

would you notice a difference between smoking Sakura in this pipe now compared to another pipe?

If the other pipe wasn't ghosted by another blend, no. I just picked that one by association with Cherry Blossom Island.?

 

[Ahi Ka]

If the other pipe wasn't ghosted by another blend, no. I just picked that one by association with Cherry Blossom Island.?

yeah I remember that from when you had it commissioned. Enjoy it today.

im curious to know the extent ghosting a pipe continues to add to subsequent smokes. While the original reasoning behind dedicating a pipe to a blend/genre may not primarily be for its smoking characteristics, would continuing to dedicate a pipe be for this reason?

 

[Chasing Embers]

yeah I remember that from when you had it commissioned. Enjoy it today.

im curious to know the extent ghosting a pipe continues to add to subsequent smokes. While the original reasoning behind dedicating a pipe to a blend/genre may not primarily be for its smoking characteristics, would continuing to dedicate a pipe be for this reason?

Just to avoid cross contamination of flavors.

 

[Ahi Ka]

Just to avoid cross contamination of flavors.

Yeah I get that aspect for sure. I just assumed the residual oils would eventually add to smoke in the future.

Anyways back to the OP, I’ve found semois to smoke insanely well in two pipes I own. I enjoy it in all my pipes, but these two take it to another level, and highlight different nuances. One is a small amber stemmed billiard, the other is a gourd calabash. Both, coincidentally made by Orlik and are from the 1910s

 

[Sharp_tungsten]

I'm a novice but I smoke alot. The only time I'm saying it definitely matters is with shag cut tobacco. I'm on a Penny Farthing kick so if I load my oversize Boswell billiard with it in about 5 to 10 minutes it will be so hot you can't hold the bowl. I get nervous and stop or empty it. Now I have a small cob and a small, tall and narrow no name Canadian that likes the shag cut. So that's my .2 cents.

 

[Morrison Jeremiah]

I only smoke a few blends.
I dedicate pipes to those blends, and enjoy my smoking.
Life's too short to worry about dimensions.

Only thing I consider is, small pipes for high nicotine tobacco.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

but is it because it tastes and smokes better due to the shape of the pipe?

The outside shape of the pipe has no bearing on the taste. Besides people assuming that all dublins and all bulldogs have conical shaped chambers, which they don't... I don't think I ever hear (or pay attention to) people assigning shape to tobacco type.

How much do we actually know about the depth, diameter, draw, draft size/length…. that plays key roles in getting more flavor from certain blends?

Me? I know enough from my own experience to make my own decisions about what I smoke in each of my pipes. I can make suggestions to others, but like all suggestions, they are merely opinions and ideas based upon my experiences. This is why I use the term YMMV a lot.

 

[kola]

Put tobacco in pipe. Light.

 

[newbroom]

I would say that the dedication to a tobacco might be more influenced by its presentation.
I have some pipes that I consider to be more 'flake' friendly, depending upon how I prep 'em.
A tall, conical bowl, as in a Danish Freehand seems to lend itself to accepting and burning flakes with minimal prep.
Either fold and stuff or break em and stuff em in as staves rather than as a rubbed out or cut cube and these pipes accept the compressed staves and allow them to burn with minimal tamping. your mileage may vary