Put Your Theoretical Science Hats on Please

[musicman]

I occasionally experience the same burning sensations from red Virginias, but I find it's only an occasional thing, and dependent on many factors, such as what I ate that day, etc. This all leads me to believe it's a PH thing, and that sometimes the PH in my mouth is not conducive to smoking these tobaccos. However, when they don't burn, I find Red Vas to be some of the tastiest tobaccos around, so I still smoke them.

 

[Country Bladesmith]

I agree that the smoke isn't exceedingly hot, but other theories I've heard about tongue bite include plain old steam, so are we questioning that it's at least 212° altogether?

I reckon it depends on your definition of “steam.” ?
That sounds dumb as hell, and a little “nitpicky,” but I say it because what people commonly call steam, myself included, really isn’t steam produced from boiling, but just suspended water droplets in the air. Kind of like when you take a hot shower. It “steams” up the bathroom, but I doubt you were taking a 212 F/100 C shower, unless you’re the devil himself.
Is the smoke that temp when it reaches the mouth? I doubt it, because I think that would be the same sensation as having super-hot food in your mouth, you’d probably get scalded and yank/drop the pipe right out of your mouth as a reflex.
I’ve had pipes that “steamed,” but only in the colloquial sense. Usually ones with constricted airways, and they did induce tongue irritation, but it certainly didn’t feel like 212 F/100 C. It wasn’t a temperature burn. Felt more like a chemical burn. Do other people get true temperature burns? ?‍

 

[anantaandroscoggin]

As I understand it, all it takes for water vapor of any temperature to be visible, is for the air it is released into to be colder than the water vapor. That's what we have when the ground hugging fractostratus clouds known as "fog" block our view. That's why one's breath shows up when exhaling on a cold day, quickly dispersing and cooling and becoming unseen in short order.

 

[olkofri]

Steam (i.e. pure gaseous water) is invisible. If you see 'smoke' the water's already back to liquid form, having condensed on the ambient's particulates.

 

[rajangan]

I reckon it depends on your definition of “steam.” ?
That sounds dumb as hell, and a little “nitpicky,” but I say it because what people commonly call steam, myself included, really isn’t steam produced from boiling, but just suspended water droplets in the air. Kind of like when you take a hot shower. It “steams” up the bathroom, but I doubt you were taking a 212 F/100 C shower, unless you’re the devil himself.
Is the smoke that temp when it reaches the mouth? I doubt it, because I think that would be the same sensation as having super-hot food in your mouth, you’d probably get scalded and yank/drop the pipe right out of your mouth as a reflex.
I’ve had pipes that “steamed,” but only in the colloquial sense. Usually ones with constricted airways, and they did induce tongue irritation, but it certainly didn’t feel like 212 F/100 C. It wasn’t a temperature burn. Felt more like a chemical burn. Do other people get true temperature burns? ?‍

Well, jeepers. Yeah. I guess it's condensate then. Not steam. And I'm all for the chemical burn theory anyway.

 

[mso489]

My chemical burn "tongue bite" and gum bite problems may be a little different than those mentioned so far. I don't associate them with tobacco at all. When i changed to non-aromatics, the bite and burn diminished to almost nothing, with burley or Virginias or blends of any kind. It was the heavily flavored aromatics, especially "holiday" blends that set my mouth afire, and I associated it with the cinnamon, mint and other flavorings added for the holiday room note. When I brushed my teeth with minty toothpaste after aromatic blends, the burn started all over again. So in my case, I feel it was the flavorings, not the tobacco, that caused the problem. Now I can smoke "tobacco forward" aromatics with a variety of flavorings with no problem, but I tend toward subtly flavored or non-aromatic blends.

 

[olkofri]

Some time ago someone posted a link to an article of somebody who had actually measured the temperatures of the smoke coming into the mouth, and who had found out it's no hotter than the average cup of coffee.

I thought I had bookmarked the link but I didn't, apparently. Maybe somebody can repost it.

 

[sandollars]

Is it just red virginias that burn your mouth? Dont bright virginias have a higher sugar content than red?

I am still trying to figure it out.

FOR SURE straight Burleys work for me. Other burley forward blends work too. I tried some Fleur de Semois (80%) and Hal o the Wynd (20%) today and it worked great and if I recall, that's kind of a VaPerKy.... Stonehaven, aged 7 years works too. I haven't tried fresh because, like, why?

Straight Virginias seem to react the most. ie. Full Virginia Flake and RC 515.

 

[sandollars]

However, when they don't burn, I find Red Vas to be some of the tastiest tobaccos around, so I still smoke them.

ME TOO! This is EXACTLY why I am trying to figure it out. Red virginias are excellent.

 

[Ahi Ka]

I gave up on red va forward blends due to the bite. I’ve since been playing around with them either straight or as VaPer using whole leaf tobacco. Zero bite whatsoever.

i personally feel a lot has to do with ph, but I think casings/humectants and case of tobacco play a significant factor too. I’m smoking the home blended stuff crispy dry.

 

[Country Bladesmith]

ME TOO! This is EXACTLY why I am trying to figure it out. Red virginias are excellent.

They’ve never bothered me. I guess I should consider myself lucky. Same with Burleys. Some folks can’t smoke those either. The only blends that have ever given me issues are some aromatics, mainly the ones heavy with humectants. They dry my mouth out so bad that I won’t want to smoke anything else the rest of the day. Obviously, I avoid them now.

 

[rajangan]

I gave up on red va forward blends due to the bite. I’ve since been playing around with them either straight or as VaPer using whole leaf tobacco. Zero bite whatsoever.

i personally feel a lot has to do with ph, but I think casings/humectants and case of tobacco play a significant factor too. I’m smoking the home blended stuff crispy dry.

The only red VA I've had is the WLT red, and I never noticed a difference in the amount of bite it gave compared to bright or lemon.

As a new pipe smoker in the 90s, I started with bulk Lane tobacco which never burned my tongue, but then I went to Seattle and tried some other candy like bulk tobacco, and every blend had a different feel to it. It was wetter, and there was a common aroma in each jar. Burned like hell.

 

[B.Fee]

All this Science talk is giving me the heebie jeebies , I'm going to have a big bowl of McCranie's Red Flake.

 

[yaddy306]

Some time ago someone posted a link to an article of somebody who had actually measured the temperatures of the smoke coming into the mouth, and who had found out it's no hotter than the average cup of coffee.

I thought I had bookmarked the link but I didn't, apparently. Maybe somebody can repost it.

This one?
PIPE SHOW - https://web.archive.org/web/20160125002127/http://tobaccodays.com:80/2014/03/100-proven-reverse-calabash-pipes-provide-a-cooler-smoke/

 

[didimauw]

The tobacco's I smoke have to have at the most VERY LITTLE virginia's. Straight Burley is my favorite. VA burns me every time. I've just learned to accept it.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Do other people get true temperature burns?

I would have to say it's likely. I've cleaned up estate pipes with melted tenons before.

 

[Country Bladesmith]

I would have to say it's likely. I've cleaned up estate pipes with melted tenons before.

Holy crap! ?

 

[rajangan]

I would have to say it's likely. I've cleaned up estate pipes with melted tenons before.

The next question is, how hot was the smoker?

 

[hawky454]

This one?
PIPE SHOW - https://web.archive.org/web/20160125002127/http://tobaccodays.com:80/2014/03/100-proven-reverse-calabash-pipes-provide-a-cooler-smoke/

That was a great read! Thanks for providing that link.

 

[elnoblecigarro]

I have only been bitten by two blends so far (in four years of smoking). Both Macbaren blends. Macbaren's Harmony/Symphony hurts my tongue even though the pipe isn't even warm. I read that Macbaren uses honey in some of their blends so perhaps this could be the reason? Or perhaps they use some sort of processing or substance that causes this. "Macbite" seems to be a common complaint with certain blends.