Smoking Virginias

[jeff59]

Am I way off base but I noticed, as most of you know already, different pipes smoke tobaccos differently. I love Virginias but I must smoke them in a smaller bowl pipe, which in turn burns them hotter. Then they dont bite. Anyone notice anything similar to this?

 

[jchaplick]

That was one of my biggest problems when starting, I smoked to fast so I bought all big pipes, no I have learned to slow down so they are all too big. I do agree that smaller pipes make for better VA smokers, mileage may vary

 

[captainbob]

I realize that I am at odds with the opinions given already. This is strictly from my own experience. Personally, a deeper bowl is more likely to terminate early due to the large amount of moisture gathered in the heel of a very deep bowl. Generally, I find that the "wider" the bowl the better the Virginia smoke. Maybe it is because it is easier to pack a Flake in a large bow. Specifically, a quarter bent Savinelli Pot as pictured below delivers and excellent Virginia Flake smoke for me. Still, I believe one can have an enjoyable Virginia smoke in any pipe if packed and smoked correctly. Perhaps more is owed to rubbed out leaf and moisture content rather than the bowl size. (Just my two-cents worth)

click on picture to enlarge

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[jchaplick]

@ captain bob, see I agree with that too. For me on the whole smaller pipes smoke them better, Buuuuuut, my big pipes that smoke them well, smoke them better than the small ones....hope that made sense.

 

[puffy]

I know i've said this before but i've never been able to get the knack of smoking Virginias.I just stopped trying.

 

[brian64]

I'd have to weigh in somewhere in the middle on this. I love VA's, but in my experience, some smaller pipes (especially lower end ones) seem to smoke hot no matter how slowly you smoke. That said, I don't know what all of the factors are...perhaps cheaper grade briar requires a heavier bowl to not smoke hot? Not really sure. But I have to admit that I don't really enjoy smoking super slow most of the time...medium speed is usually where I'm at...if the pipe gets too hot I don't smoke VA's in it.

 

[nsfisher]

Only way I can handle VA is in a Churchwarden of 10 inches minimum

 

[slowpuffer]

The great thing about pipe smoking is that every pipe smoker has a completely different experience. As an absolute rule, I always smoke wide bowls. As Captain Bob noted, they are just easier to pack correctly. As also noted, large bowls collect more moisture. I dry out my tobacco a lot and that helps keep the moisture down and it allows me to smoke slower and cooler. And as for the overall size of the bowl, I like average to large pipes. The reason is a shallow one: I like the way they look and feel.