Sipper or Puffer?

[Chasing Embers]

I know. That was an interesting and informative piece.

 

[jvnshr]

Found them Duane, will be sharing soon.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Thanks, that will be good to read again, and great for those who haven't before.

 

[jvnshr]

Here they are:
http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/dottle-diggers-by-lawrence

 

[virginialover]

It depends on the tobacco but usually I puff the hell out of my pipe. I recently acquired this 10 to 15 seconds between puffs technique and now I'm on to something. I just like to see billows of smoke, it's part of the whole smoking experience.

 

[hawky454]

I love both the cigars and the tobacco. It’s a very balanced blend, much more so than Billy Budd, IMO. The Latakia and cigar make for a chewy Smokey smoke. A fat pipe on a snowy afternoon with either the cigar or the pipe tobacco is a great way to waste away a few hours. The cigar has some strength to it as well. But, the stodgy and the tobacco are different, different in ways you’d expect. Billy Budd can be kind of harsh, IMO.

Thanks! I love Billy Budd and I've been meaning to try more cigar blends. Spectre intrigues me, especially the cigar, isn't it the first cigar to use Latakia?
A snowy afternoon... what's that? lol. I know what ya mean though, nothing beats a nice Lat blend when it's cold outside! My go to blend for that is Exotique and/or Margate. Although Margate hasn't been tasting as good as I remember it.... something tastes off, like it's not very well balanced. I remember it being an amazing, sweet and soft smoke. I need to try to evenly mix up the contents of the bag to see if that helps.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Hawk-'
My last three or four bags of Margate came in very wet- over 90% RH @ 70º!!... You may need to dry it down significantly.

 

[jorchamp]

I try to be a sipper: relaxing into the moments with the pipe and the tobacco. But occasionally I forget my self and become a puffer. But such is life: consistent relaxation is hard to find in is complex life.

 

[smokinginquirer]

When I first tried a pipe, I thought puffing was the way to go. I learned it bites the tongue and made my pipe too hot. I try to sip, but I'm not skilled enough yet to keep it going, so I have to throw in a puff or two periodically. Sometimes I just do it because it's amusing to watch wisps of smoke curl in the air :D

But sipping helps me get more out of the tobacco.

 

[chilipalmer]

I am a proud puffer! That said, like most others, I do moderate my puffing if a blend starts to get harsh or bite.
Cheers,
Chili

 

[thomasw]

I sip. Like jpm* said, I puff to get it going but start breath smoking after the second match. For the tobacco I enjoy, I have found that I get the best flavours when I sip. (FWIW, I smoke mostly burley and Va-Bur blends and some straight Vas. I would admit that other tobaccos might taste better for me if I smoked them with a different technique.)

 

[deathmetal]

I ran a few tests, for ¡science!
Even with Latakia blends, for me, the breath-smoking method works best. Among other things, it creates a sort of kiln effect where the blend partially caramelizes for the bottom three-quarters of the bowl.
It also enables me to do other stuff while smoking, including think. I can remember to breathe, but not puff. Also cannot walk and chew gum at the same time.
The best aspect of it, however, is the saturation of flavor. Instead of rough off/on, I sort of feel like I am living life through a cloud of tobacco that is always present like a lifeline, and since it is never too extreme, it becomes part of the surrounding environment and sort of colors it with a sense of well-being and tastiness. I am steeped in the flavor of the blend, and the experience emerges from contemplation of that over time.
For the three Latakia blends I have tried in this experiment, the tangy edge came off the Latakia, allowing the spicy underlying flavor to pop out, and it melded quite well with the Virginias and Orientals, making that sweet-sour taste that people love in barbecue sauce, Chinese food and dead relationships.

 

[barepipe]

I like the tone of the original post. Whatever works for you is best. Personally I am all of he above in every bowl. Puff, puff, sig, sip, sip, puff, breath, sip sip...

 

[jpmcwjr]

Smoke what you like, and like how you smoke it!
Are we all agreed now?

 

[5star]

I'm a pipe sipper. I'm also a long time cigar smoker, but after my first couple of bowls discovered I didn't have to match the volume of smoke from my typical cigar. I got much better taste results from my pipe afterwards. - Mac

 

[deathmetal]

Ultimately, that is what made me a breath-smoker as well. You get more flavor and a gentler, steadier dose of delicious Nicotine.