Pipe Styles for Different Tobacco

[Waning Embers]

To say a pipe does not influence the blends flavor is foolishness.

And totally subjective and opinion only. It's true for some but not others. Hearing it prior to starting smoking may have some impact on the smoker's perception as well. I was 20 years in prior to hearing the notion and find it no more true than the difference in flavor of food eaten from a plate versus a bowl. To me it's just a marketing gimmick like the notion of needing more pipes to allow rest or the fear of using alcohol to clean meerschaum. The majority of smokers aren't professional world-class taste testers.

 

[warren]

Pipes are not all created equal. Palates are not equal. And, blends, well, they can vary from tin to tin, pouch to pouch, etc. So to say, based only on anecdotal (personal experience), certainties are ... possible ... is simply ... staggering. When one smoker states something as unequivocally true for all smokers ... don't you believe it. He/she is simply speaking of personal experience. What is their reality will, most likely mot resemble, yours. That's it! Nothing more! 'nuff said.

 

[JOHN72]

Just as different shapes of glasses are used to taste alcoholic drinks, whisky, wine, etc., I think that the internal shape of the pipe could cause different changes in the perception, some change in tone or nuance, aftertaste, changes, of the aromas. During combustion, with a long bowl in the shape of a tube, or egg, square, etc. But, it is only a personal opinion. Although it seems to be, as has been said here, that it is more linked to the form of packaging, and the state of the tobacco, fresh, old, moist, crunchy, loose, folded, in short, you know what I mean.

 

[Mr North]

I would like to thank everyone for their insight. As a whisky and wine guy for decades I do use specific glasses for my scotch and wine. I felt this may have trickled over into the pipe world. That said I also have felt that what works for one person doesn't necessarily work for another.

I will now have to wait for a bit to smoke as I plan to smoke either outside or in the garage, but the weather doesn't seem to want to cooperate as it's a lovely -29 C and with the wind more like -38. A great day to stay inside drink coffee and read a book.

Again thanks for all the input.

 

[MisterBadger]

Just tossing a metaphysical monkey-wrench into the machinery of mentation, here: estate pipes. What if something of the spirit of a previous owner - an habitual user of a certain tobacco type, say - had over the years infused the pipe with a particular sense of pleasure whenever that blend/type was smoked in it? And what then, if the latent psychic faculty of the new owner unconsciously picks up on this?

You may scoff, but I could tell you the story of military issue wristwatch acquired by my father during WW2 from the body of a deceased comrade (who had no family) and given to my mother while they were courting during the war. Mother wore it all the time and one evening - some years later - they both went to a demonstration of claivoyance and psychometry. The medium asked for volunteers in the audience to put a personal object in an envelope so she could 'read' it without opening it. When the time came for her to pick up Mother's wristwatch, the medium had a bad time and described the details of the original owner's death on the battlefield, which my father, having been there at the time, was able to verify.

There are more things in Heaven and Earth, and all that...

 

[Zamora]

I do dedicate pipes by genre but I'm mostly concerned about ghosting. I know a general rule many follow is narrow bowls for VAs and VaPers and wide bowls for English, the latter because more of the components will be burning at once. None of my pipes have a particularly wide bowl but I wouldn't mind trying one for English. I have a meer I smoke anything in, it has a narrow conical bowl and I actually like the way the flavors can change drastically over the smoke. Mac Baren Scottish for instance can become very spicy if the Kentucky becomes more concentrated down the bowl.

 

[Zamora]

Just as different shapes of glasses are used to taste alcoholic drinks, whisky, wine, etc., I think that the internal shape of the pipe could cause different changes in the perception, some change in tone or nuance, aftertaste, changes, of the aromas. During combustion, with a long bowl in the shape of a tube, or egg, square, etc. But, it is only a personal opinion. Although it seems to be, as has been said here, that it is more linked to the form of packaging, and the state of the tobacco, fresh, old, moist, crunchy, loose, folded, in short, you know what I mean.

I find bent pipes make it much easier for me to smell the aroma, some moreso than others. It makes sense since the bowl is below the nose rather than level with a straight pipe.

 

[Cigar City Piper]

Interesting idea but it has to be somewhat true. Pipes have various mechanics to them some draw open some closed or tight, some concentrate flavors like a conical bowl and some disperse or mix more air into the tobacco . I have pipes that smoke incredibly hot no matter what I put into them and others cooler. I am not trying to establish a rule here that one is better than another, that's for you to decide what blend performs better in what pipe as taste perception supersedes all the so called rules. I do have blends that perform very well in some of my pipes and not others at least to me. It may be that I am fulfilling my own expectations when I reach for a pipe and pair it with a blend but I am the smoker and it holds true.

 

[Hillcrest]

Just tossing a metaphysical monkey-wrench into the machinery of mentation, here: estate pipes. What if something of the spirit of a previous owner - an habitual user of a certain tobacco type, say - had over the years infused the pipe with a particular sense of pleasure whenever that blend/type was smoked in it? And what then, if the latent psychic faculty of the new owner unconsciously picks up on this?

You may scoff, but I could tell you the story of military issue wristwatch acquired by my father during WW2 from the body of a deceased comrade (who had no family) and given to my mother while they were courting during the war. Mother wore it all the time and one evening - some years later - they both went to a demonstration of claivoyance and psychometry. The medium asked for volunteers in the audience to put a personal object in an envelope so she could 'read' it without opening it. When the time came for her to pick up Mother's wristwatch, the medium had a bad time and described the details of the original owner's death on the battlefield, which my father, having been there at the time, was able to verify.

There are more things in Heaven and Earth, and all that...

Well ... that story may effect estate pipe sales on the forum ...

 

[MisterBadger]

Well ... that story may effect estate pipe sales on the forum ...

Gives a whole new meaning to 'ghosting'...

I have 20 pipes, and only 3 of them are not estates, and as far as I am able to tell none of the previous owners died in agony with one clenched between their teeth (can tell that because none of the mouthpieces has been bitten through). The original owner of my mother's watch took 2-3 days to die in no-man's-land with a bullet in his gut, he was - according to my father - screaming for a fair bit of that time. No one in the company wanted to risk a posthumous medal trying to get him back under enemy fire (and apparently he wasn't popular anyway), but my mother continued to wear that watch all her life and never received any impressions from it.

 

[Hillcrest]

I have 20 pipes, and only 3 of them are not estates, and as far as I am able to tell none of the previous owners died in agony with one clenched between their teeth

You probably bought them prior to the news from STG ...

 

[Pipesandbourbon]

I like larger pipes for virginia and vapers. They usually keep my Virginia cool and I like a bigger bowl so I smoke the most tobacco possible using the gravity fill method.

I like smaller pipes for something that’s isn’t very complex. Like briar fox or something similar. Something I know I can puff on fast and it still taste good. Marlin flake would be another

And for English blends I only have a handful of dedicated English pipes and they are all rather large except for the cheep Dr grabows

 

[markjones]

Are there different styles of pipes better for different tobacco? Example, I'm thinking that the Peterson 1307 I have would be used for English style tobacco. Wondering what everyone take is on this. I understand/believe that over time each pipe will be ghosted with the tobacco used in it.

Do you have a specific/style of pipe for different blend type?

Yes, many pipe smokers do use different pipes for different types of tobacco. Over time, a pipe can absorb the flavors and aromas of the tobacco smoked in it—this is called "ghosting." For example, a pipe used for strong blends like English tobacco may carry that smoky, spicy scent, which could affect the taste of milder tobaccos later.

Here are some common blends:

• English Blends
• Aromatic Blends
• Virginia and Va/Per Blends
• Burley Blends

Many smokers find that using different pipes for each blend type keeps the flavors pure and enjoyable. But in the end, it’s all about personal preference—if you enjoy the taste, there’s no wrong way to do it!

 

[Sigmund]

The only thing I know for sure is I dont want pipes with chambers near 1 inch wide/25mm
For me they are just to airy. I can see using them if you want to tame a super heavy blend but otherwise I find I dont get the level of taste that I will with a 18-21mm chamber.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

The shape and design of the outer pipe, no affect on anything except your enjoyment. However, Like Hosierpipe, I find that inner geometry of the pipe's chamber does, for me. I prefer latakia blends in pipes that has a ratio of width to depth of the chamber of about Height A x width A+1/2A, so 1"X1.5", or .80"x1.20", or close to that ratio. I don't usually smoke latakia blends in pipes less that .80" wide anyways. But for Virginias I do like a tall conical shaped chamber, but these aren't hard fast rules... just things I keep in mind when I select a pipe for a particular blend.
Not everyone is going to have the same concepts, as there are no rules to any of this. I would also encourage people to just try different chamber sizes to find what they love the best. As to the shapes of the pipes... that is just up to your own personal aesthetics.

 

[Peterson314]

I have found that putting my tobacco into a pipe is much more effective than lighting the tin on fire.

 

[sablebrush52]

Bowl shape is meaningless. The size and shape of the chamber and airway may play a role. In my experience I've found that some blends expand in larger chambers and some concentrate in smaller chambers, but for the most part I can enjoyably smoke anything in anything.
Smoke slowly and coolly. It's 25% equipment and 75% technique.

 

[anthonyrosenthal74]

I have personally found that complex blends and many aromatics offer more flavor and smoke better in a wide chamber while Virginias and or flakes are better in a narrow chamber. The pipe however could be any shape and wouldn't a difference. Sometimes however, I just want to grab any old pipe and fill it with any old tobacco.

 

[Jebi]

And totally subjective and opinion only. It's true for some but not others. Hearing it prior to starting smoking may have some impact on the smoker's perception as well. I was 20 years in prior to hearing the notion and find it no more true than the difference in flavor of food eaten from a plate versus a bowl. To me it's just a marketing gimmick like the notion of needing more pipes to allow rest or the fear of using alcohol to clean meerschaum. The majority of smokers aren't professional world-class taste testers.

I don't think it's subjective or opinionated to say that the shape of the bowl affects the tobacco flavor as the shape of the bowl also determines how hot it burns or how much ash is allowed to build up. Now if we are talking about an apple vs a billiard with similar bowl dimensions then I find that non-sense, but to say a tall skinny bowl will affect the tobacco and flavors the same as a wide more shallow bowl is pretty in line with chemistry I believe.

Now, that being said, if you can't discern the difference then it really does not matter. I can really only discern the difference when smoking pure VAs. They just always smoke better in a tall skinny bowl and that's including those that are not in my collection and something I just picked up on rather than being told. I have no personal preference to long or skinny stems/shanks as I find that to affect the temperature more than the flavor.

I do agree with the others though in needing more pipes to allow it to rest. Just pass a pipe cleaner through it and smoke it again!


P.S.
I see you are a man of culture having the Battleship Yamato 2199 as your profile picture! I think they did excellent on the updated one and the original greatly inspired my favorite brand in Gundam.

 

[Waning Embers]

I don't think it's subjective or opinionated

Which makes it so.

the shape of the bowl also determines how hot it burns or how much ash is allowed to build up.

Neither the bowl's nor the chamber's shape affect that. Those are up to the technique of the smoker.