Put Your Theoretical Science Hats on Please

[sandollars]

Okay. So as I sit here waiting for my Tabac Manil Fleur de Semois to get to the right moisture level, I thought I would point out some observations I have made:

• Pure Burley tobacco like the TB mentioned above does not cause chemical burns on the roof of my mouth and tongue.
• Other tobaccos do to varying degrees and the variable seems to be the amount of Red Virginia is in the blend. The higher the red, the harder the burn
• Pure Virginia like FVF and OGS causes it the worst.

Now before you all say I need to slow down, I AM THE CHOIR when it comes to cadence. I generally make 1.5 grams of tobacco last 90+ minutes so that isn't it. I am slow to draw and slow to release so I can enjoy a retro-hale or occasionaloly blow it out through my nose. Consequently, the smoke is in my mouth for a while and this is why I think I get a chemical burn.

The point here is The tobacco above is pure Burley with ZERO additives according to everything I have read and I get ZERO burn from it and no sinus pain when blowing it out through my nose. Is the Ph different in Burley than it is in Virginia?

I am getting closer to an answer so I can come up with a cure. Does anybody have any ideas?

My FdS is ready now. Hope to hear your theories....

 

[Country Bladesmith]

I’ve always heard that Burleys tend to have a higher pH, and Virginias a lower pH, but as to the validity of that, or whether that information considers casing at all, I don’t know.

 

[Old School 3319]

There are several people that can not smoke virginias

 

[ashdigger]

It’s a chemistry thing. There are certain tobaccos I can’t smoke without mouth or throat irritation. So I steer clear. Motzek Strang is one that is highly irritating to me.

 

[rajangan]

Okay. So as I sit here waiting for my Tabac Manil Fleur de Semois to get to the right moisture level, I thought I would point out some observations I have made:

• Pure Burley tobacco like the TB mentioned above does not cause chemical burns on the roof of my mouth and tongue.
• Other tobaccos do to varying degrees and the variable seems to be the amount of Red Virginia is in the blend. The higher the red, the harder the burn
• Pure Virginia like FVF and OGS causes it the worst.

Now before you all say I need to slow down, I AM THE CHOIR when it comes to cadence. I generally make 1.5 grams of tobacco last 90+ minutes so that isn't it. I am slow to draw and slow to release so I can enjoy a retro-hale or occasionaloly blow it out through my nose. Consequently, the smoke is in my mouth for a while and this is why I think I get a chemical burn.

The point here is The tobacco above is pure Burley with ZERO additives according to everything I have read and I get ZERO burn from it and no sinus pain when blowing it out through my nose. Is the Ph different in Burley than it is in Virginia?

I am getting closer to an answer so I can come up with a cure. Does anybody have any ideas?

My FdS is ready now. Hope to hear your theories....

Flue cured tobacco burns the mouth because it contains high levels of sugar. When simple sugars burn, a major combustion product is formic acid. So, you are steaming your mouth with hot formic acid.

Burley does not contain sugar and it is relatively higher in protein content. When it burns, it releases ammonia which is alkaline.

Blends that contain both are intended to be balanced so the pH is neither high, nor low.

Semois has had much of the protein toasted away, and this makes the pH not as high as an untoasted burley.

http://www.leffingwell.com/download/Leffingwell%20-%20Tobacco%20production%20chemistry%20and%20technology.pdf

 

[lightmybriar]

Almost every Gawith tobacco, as much as I love them, does this to me. For my case, I’m still assuming that as dry as I get them, they’re still not dry enough. I think it’s a steam burn rather than chemical. Your case may be different than mine, though.

 

[highwaycobbery]

Virginia has a high sugar content I’ve been smoking for 14 years and Macbaren Virginia no.1 still gives me a bite. A good science experiment would to be find a drink, or maybe vinegar would work to zero out PH? Don’t know haven’t had the bite in forever

 

[wolflarsen]

What exactly is Red Virginia anyway?
Leaf from a specific type of virginia tobacco seed? The result of a specific method of processing virginia leaf? Something else?

 

[rajangan]

What exactly is Red Virginia anyway?
Leaf from a specific type of virginia tobacco seed? The result of a specific method of processing virginia leaf? Something else?

There are different theories, but the consensus is that it's simply made with leaves from higher up on the plant.

To use cigar primings as an analogy, red is ligero, bright is seco, and lemon is volado.

 

[pantsBoots]

There are different theories, but the consensus is that it's simply made with leaves from higher up on the plant.

To use cigar primings as an analogy, red is ligero, bright is seco, and lemon is volado.

Interesting. Now I'm left wondering if there is a pipe tobacco that capitalizes on the rare twin "medio tiempo" leaves that sometimes show up on cigar leaf plants.

 

[Country Bladesmith]

Flue cured tobacco burns the mouth because it contains high levels of sugar. When simple sugars burn, a major combustion product is formic acid. So, you are steaming your mouth with hot formic acid.

I don’t know, man. Formic acid does get produced when sugar is caramelized, but as far as I know, it’s a very tiny amount in terms of molarity, and even then, it’s a weak acid. Temperature could drive up the Ka I suppose, but even giving it the full benefit of the doubt, 100% ionization, I’d be pretty surprised if it’s enough concentration to cause burns. I think the fact that only some people seem to be sensitive to Virginias backs that up. If it were as simple as an acid burn, I think everyone would feel it. Don’t you think? ?‍

 

[olkofri]

What's the pH of your tongue/mouth?

 

[Country Bladesmith]

What's the pH of your tongue/mouth?

Just slightly acidic. Around 6.7-ish, but that depends on a lot of variables.

 

[anantaandroscoggin]

Formic Acid, eh ? ? ? From what I understand, that's what's in a wasp's stinger when she jabs you with it.

 

[olkofri]

Just slightly acidic. Around 6.7-ish, but that depends on a lot of variables.

We need HIS VERY OWN mouth's pH. Averages are meaningless. ?

 

[Country Bladesmith]

Formic Acid, eh ? ? ? From what I understand, that's what's in a wasp's stinger when she jabs you with it.

I don’t know about wasps, maybe so. I know fire ants have it.

 

[Country Bladesmith]

We need HIS VERY OWN mouth's pH. Averages are meaningless. ?

Sorry! I see what you mean now. ?

 

[Chasing Embers]

No idea, I smoke everything in magnum sized pipes with no issues.

 

[olkofri]

*Olkofri dips all of chasingembers's magnum pipes in chlorine

What about now? ?

 

[Worknman]

I'm not a scientist but I'd guess it has something to do with Ph as alluded to previously.