Smoking Not Pleasant Need Advice

[billethemighty]

hello there. im new to this forum and pretty new to pipe smoking. ive read a few threads on this forum but cant seem to find an answer. ive been smoking cigarettes since i was around 14-15 years old (22 now, well 23 around the corner). ive tried pipe smoking a few times but picked the hobby up seriously in december 2015. i have two pipes one that i just got today and the other since the beginning and i also have 7-8 blends. my problem is that for all the blends i have i havent tried one yet that was pleasant to smoke all the way. most of them are harsh, dry, bitterish? just not tasting very good. most of the tobacco is ''my own blend' (the brand, not actually my own blend) and then i have sweet dublin and three nuns. and i just find it hard to believe that what i thought would be a nice way to enjoy tobacco is actually a very unpleasant experience. i am sure that i am the problem somehow. so i would really like some advice on what tobacco would be a really good starter tobacco and what i could be doing wrong. i pack my pipe lightly i dont just puff away like im busy. i take long slow draws but i always end up disappointed because i just feel im doing something wrong since i dont get a pleasant smooth smoke with or without any taste. every time the smoke bites, gets dry and harsh or just ending up tasting like the bottom of a ashtray. most of the tobacco i have is aromatic but i do have some virginia ive tried to mix 50/50 with the aromatics to get a bit milder. ive also tried the virginia only. but i cant quite get it right. the only time ive had a pleasant smoke was outside when it was minus degrees. i smoke mostly inside since the weather in denmark is shit this time of the year. i would just really love to experience the smoke from a pipe to taste like it smells and be smooth and enjoyable to smoke. im not giving up! and i would love some advice. please say so if this topic is up in some other thread ive been looking but havent found it yet.
thanks. Andreas
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[michaelmirza]

What is your draw like? Try "sipping" the pipe instead of puffing hard. This was a game changer. Sip like you're drinking hot chocolate out of a straw, very gently and with just enough suction to let it fill your mouth without fulling inhaling. I'm guessing that if you're pulling on the pipe like you would a cigarette, you're burning the tobacco way too hot.

 

[billethemighty]

my pipes do get hot but not so hot that i cant do the ''cheek-test''. my draw is slow and long. im not smoking the pipe like i smoke a cigarette. i get the same amount of smoke as i would get from a cigarette. maybe it could just be me not being used to smoke a pipe. i just thought it would be different. i just feel like im doing something wrong. i watch a lot of the youtubers stogiefarts, dagners etc. and i cant help but wonder how i try to mimic their smoking and getting the same amount of smoke that they do from a draw. but not enjoy as much as they do. it is so unpleasant some times that i really cant imagine anyone would keep smoking a pipe for years if it is as unpleasant as it seems to be. i have to say its not all the time but 80-90% of the time i smoke. and its mostly when im outside where it is cold that i get enjoyable smokes.
but thanks for the reply ill try that sipping technique

 

[tarheel1]

Most likely as a cigarette smoker you are smoking too fast and too strong. It causes the tobacco to burn way too hot. Another thing is how you light the tobacco. What kind of flame? Are you using a torch? I'd using a soft flame are you using it too much and for too long causing the tobacco to char too much and taste like crap? Do you clean the pipe?

 

[admin]

Thanks for being a member and participating.
Thread title fixed.
Please use your Shift key in body text as well.
Please see rule 9 here along with the rest of the forum rules
Thanks!

 

[billethemighty]

Sorry will use the shift key

 

[deuce26]

Bille, sounds like you have the right idea going. I would just try some different tobacco blends. What exactly are you smoking right now? Have you tried blends with Latakia? How about straight virginia, VA/Pers, etc?

 

[billethemighty]

I have a Xikar Pipeline butane lighter i use for everything i have to light. When i light the pipe i draw slow while moving the lighter in circular motion over the tobacco for about 2-3 seconds. Charing could be the problem i will have to read up on that. And i clean my pipes after every smoke when its cool. I just clean them with pipe cleansers i have not smoked that much on them yet so i have not given them a big cleansing with alcohol and salt yet. I also have trouble with keeping the pipe lid without it getting to hot. Im thinking there could maybe be a connection to the taste problem?

 

[Chasing Embers]

Try this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0o8Sfg6EH9k&feature=youtube_gdata_player

 

[billethemighty]

Oh i forgot to mention that i do the to step lightning. Char/light the top, tamp then do the real light.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Most likely, your tobacco is way to moist going in to the bowl. Dry it down substantially before your next trial. The other advice is great, but if you're doing those things and still getting harshness, baccy is too wet, or is just poor tobacco. I'd avoid aromatics for the time being.
Best of luck!

 

[bentbob]

Hi Billie,
All the above advice is spot on. Don't take long draws on the pipe as you might a cigarette, small sips are definitely best. It's your choice, but pipe smoke is not usually inhaled but held in the mouth to allow the flavour to develop.
If you bought a new pipe, did you break it in? I once had a new pipe that did not smoke at all well for quite some time even though I broke it in gently. I nearly gave up on it and then, for some mysterious reason, it smoked perfectly from then onwards. A corn cob pipe is useful when you start out as it doesn't require breaking in. Similarly, some people swear by using filters and/or a gauze in the bottom of the bowl - particularly for aromatics.
Experiment with packing styles - there is plenty of information on this forum and youtube as to different methods.
Also experiment with different tobacco styles: English, VaPer, Lakeland, etc rather than different blends of aromatics (some virginia's can smoke slightly hot too). Some prefer to dry the tobacco before smoking, other's prefer it moist, but if you are finding it harsh, do try drying it (you can air dry or put a small amount in a microwave for a few seconds).
In terms of flavour, the difference between the average cigarette and pipe smoking is like comparing dog food to a gourmet meal, so stick with it, you'll get there. Pipe smoking is an art and does take some time to master.

 

[billethemighty]

Thanks very much. Actually the tobacco being too wet was my first thought. It did get better when i dried some of my aromatics. But it did not solve the problem a 100%. Ive just smoked a bawl of sweet dublin trying some of your advices and i think it is the way i smoke that might be the problem. This time it did taste a lot better. Well more like i imagined it should taste. All i did was ''relax'' more and smoke it even slower and in smaller draws and stopping as soon as the pipe got hot.
The blends i have right now is as follows. My Own Blend: After nine, First press, Dads liquorice and Individual 100. Individual 100 being the only that is non flavored/non aromatic. And then i have a tin of Three nuns and a pouch of white Sweet dublin. And then a bag of red virginia to mix with aromatics and my own version of First press for cigarette rolling. The aromatics i dry a lot before smoking. I dry them for 24-36 hours before smoking them and then they will bite less but stil give a little bite. All the others just taste really strong and get harsh and dry when im 1/4 - 1/2 way through the bawl. But i really do think that ive got my lighting/smoking technique wrong although i thought i got it right.
I might just have to spend more money on tobacco until i find a blend that i like. Its a shame i cant find/get 1Q and frog morton in denmark/europe. Ive read so many good reviews about both of them and i would like to try them. Im looking for a tobacco that is like a cigarette to smoke. A little stronger in taste than a cigarette yet still mild and smooth and has a sweet taste to it. I got into to pipe smoking because i sometimes buy bali shag and mix it with pipe tobacco and roll it up as a cigarette as it is hard to just roll a cigarette of pipe tobacco. The taste i get out of that is exactly how i imagined it would be/would like it to be to smoke a pipe. Maybe its just not how things work but i still dont want to give up on pipe smoking as i do enjoy it dispite my so far not so pleasant experience

 

[billethemighty]

I do not inhale the pipe smoke only when i use it in hand rolled cigarettes. The two pipes ive got has that premade carbon layer inside the bawl. Both of them are Stanwells. Featherweight 245 just got it today and the other is a 86. Ive smoked the 86 around 30 times since i got it and i think it is broken in as i have a little cake building nicely inside the bawl.

 

[deuce26]

Try a mild Virginia based blend like Orlick Golden Sliced. I believed it's called Orlick Red in Europe.

 

[stvalentine]

Sometimes it´s just a simple "your tongue needs to get used to pipe tobacco". Smoke of a pipe can be very harsh to the uninitiated tongue. Keep at it and try english mixtures or Latakia blends. Your problems remind me a lot of the times when I started pipe smoking....

 

[prairiedruid]

Dunhill blends like EMP, MM965, London Mixture, Elizabethan Mixture, and Nightcap are good beginner blends that come ready to smoke moisture wise and the ribbon cut is easy to pack and keep lit. Nightcap and Elizabethan Mixture have more nicotine which my appeal to you as a previous cigarette smoker. A less expensive route would be some of Peter Stokkebye's bulk blends that you can pick up an ounce for $2 to try. Recommend the Proper English, Oriental Balkan Supreme, Luxury Bulls Eye Flake, and the Luxury Navy Flake. Welcome to the forums.
It does take awhile to find a packing method and smoking pace that works best for you. It does get better relatively quickly.

 

[prairiedruid]

John Cotton's Smyrna is also a tasty, easy smoking blend

 

[jpmcwjr]

And it's American made! Even easier blends are John Cotton's No. 1 and "1 and 2".

 

[mayfair70]

Welcome !
I think everything has been touched on. The only thing I could add is you say you pack your pipe "lightly." Try to pack a little more tobacco in and make sure the "wad" is firm and a little spongy, not hard. So pack tighter and check your draw from the bit before you light up. If there is not much airflow it is packed too tight. If there is easy flow and plenty of tobacco, it should draw and smoke fine once lit. I was in the habit of packing too much too tightly and it resulted in strong, unpleasant smokes.
Good Luck !