Still experiencing that weird feeling

[PaulTheScandinavian]

Hi folks,Couldn't help me asking you as more experienced pipers about one thing:Now after about 6 moth of constant pipe smoking,(as former and present occasional cigarette&cigr smoker I still am)I wonder if I'm doing something wrong,because after about 3 bowlfuls per day am still having that leathery feeling on my tongue,yet a bit sore throath-depending on the tobacco type used.Afterwards the use of Biotene mouthwash brings all back to a normal condition and ain't suffering not much of a tongue bite,when I figured out how to properly pack and dry tobacco.Cant stop wondering if these aforementioned'symptoms are just commonly found among newbie'pipesmokers? As always,Your advises and thoughts are highly appreciated,wishing to Y'all a nice weekend, Paul

 

[scrooge]

Sounds like your smoking a tad fast, an getting it to hot.

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

Very perhaps-

 

[stvalentine]

Are you smoking aromatic tobacco? These are prone to induce tongue bite too. This and tobacco that is too moist will create steam that burns your tongue.

 

[mothernaturewilleatusallforbreakfast]

That weird feeling can come and go for me depending on the type of blends I'm smoking and the frequency at which I'm smoking them. For example, I can smoke around 3 or 4 bowls of a straight Virginia blend before I get weird tongue; but if I haven't been smoking regularly weird tongue (bite) can happen with a bowl or two of the same straight Virginia. It's always been like anything else for me that involves conditioning. You have to be mindful of where you're at and make adjustments as needed. I use my pipes and tobaccos in ways that allow me to keep the weirdness at bay most of the time, but the key word is most. The pipe smokers who smoke upwards of 10 or more bowls a day have conditioned his/her tongue to withstand nearly anything, but I promise you that if he/she were to significantly cut down on the amount of bowls he/she smokes in a given day; the said pipe smoker would start to experience some bite from time to time. I don't think it's you, but sometimes you do have to be mindful and make choices based on what your tongue is telling you.

 

[pagan]

Moist baccky or aro's will tend to do that, try drying them a bit more

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

Thank you Gentlemen,I shall keep your advises strictly in mind,

Adding,No Aromatics for undersigned,,except perhaps for the semi aros like Mc Baren Scottish Blend and Symphony
have a nice weekend you all, Paul

 

[sk806]

While I am very much a noob, I solved this problem by drying the tobacco way down to the point it was almost crispy, but still flexible. This technique was given to me by members of this forum. It has worked wonders. I smoke three bowls a day and no leathery tongue or bite (unless I screw up and get it too hot on a relight!). The flavors are also much better for me this way. I have a couple of drying bowls and two 4 oz jars I use for this. I take out a days worth of whatever I want to smoke, dry it out in the bowl until it feels right, then put in in a jar to keep it that way. With the two bowls and jars, I can have a couple of days set up in advance without having to dry my whole stash of a blend.
Steve

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I smoke 8-12 bowls a day, starting with a quality aromatic (quality in the mind of the beholder), then Virginias, VaPers, then strong cigars, rope, plugs, or a strong English before bed. This transition from light to stronger flavors is not taxing on my tongue or taste buds throughout the day. If I smoke the same blend too many times in a row, it exhausts my taste buds also. Drink lots of water and coffee. And, if I wake up with a sore tongue, I just wait a while before my first pipe, like ten minutes or so, ha ha.

But, Mrs. Cosmic sort of likes my catlike tongue. ::

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

1-drying out baccy -lighter packing and slower cadence and finally do avoid Mc Barens light mixtures

 

[jpmcwjr]

Steve-
Good to hear. Dunno if I was the one—or among the ones— who advised that, but glad you found a path that's good for you!

 

[deathmetal]

I can smoke around 3 or 4 bowls of a straight Virginia blend before I get weird tongue

Virginias can be difficult. They create an acidity on contact with (some) tongues. Drinking beer while smoking helps.

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

I'm a bit scared when it comes to bright virginia tobaccoes,(The Most horrible experience I have ever had was with Mc Barens Nro 1 Virg)now I think I will leave my bright virgina experementings for spring-summer period,meanwhile playing around with burley forward & oriental blends,just now experimenting That Mc Barens Scottish Mixture, and yes it seem benefit from some drying and loose packing method,tastewise I find this being rather a weird mixture and may bite as hell,and Yes Beer is always nice help as well as wiskey sodas(grogs)

 

[sk806]

Steve-

Good to hear. Dunno if I was the one—or among the ones— who advised that, but glad you found a path that's good for you!

I believe it was you (and others) more than once! Finally sunk into my thick head...
Thanks!

 

[shutterbugg]

It's funny how internet forum pipe "hobbyists" blindly repeat the mantra that all tobacco needs to be almost dry, at the same time elevating garbage codger blends to cult status. Because all those blends are sprayed with PG to keep them moist and smokable, and all those codgers used to put humidifiers (sometimes even slices of apple) in their tobacco jars and pouches. Because even those old coots who smoked that unmitigated crap wouldn't smoke dry tobacco.

 

[aldecaker]

It's funny how people who claim not to be internet pipe forum hobbyists keep blindly posting on an internet forum for pipe hobbyists.

 

[mso489]

If you can find a blend designated mild that you actually enjoy, or several, I'd stick with those for a while. Non-aros are good for this purpose too.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I'm not sure that it's exactly codger blend smokers who post that tobacco should be dry. We have a wide plethora of pipesmokers with just as wide a variation of what we smoke and how dry we like it. The nice thing is that there are no rules governing dryness. We can all experiment and try different combinations till we find one that works.

FWIW, some blends, I prefer to be a bit more wet than others. I'm not a dry fundamentalist. And, very few Codger blends ever touch my pipes.
Shutterbug, as per a discussion on another thread, all Jim and I were saying is that the tobacco quality is most likely good stuff in codger blends. That doesn't mean that I sing it's virtues, nor even ever really want to smoke the stuff. Some do, and good for them. There are too many blends that I like a lot more. Unless codger blends are all that's available when I travel, or if I am going to be working in the fields. Then I might entertain some Carter Hall.

 

[voorhees]

But, Mrs. Cosmic sort of likes my catlike tongue. [::]

OMG! No one caught this as hilarious....maybe I have a slightly dirtier mind. :rofl:

 

[shutterbugg]

I agree and have been known to let dry a blend or two if it's too wet, although I do consider that a sign of poor manufacturing if the stuff is shipped too wet to stay lit. That said I like a couple SG blends and am willing to accept the inconvenience. Frankly I don't care if someone personally likes his tobacco so dry it spontaneously combusts. However there are a lot of newbies on this forum and they have no way of knowing it's merely an opinion as it is rarely phrased as such. Every time some newbie asks why his tongue got burnt he's advised to dry his tobacco. Fact is the tobacco is probably fine moisture-wise; most likely he's packing it too tight and puffing too hard. If you can pinch a clod of tobacco together and it falls apart, it doesn't need drying to smoke cooler. If you prefer the taste of it dryer, that's a whole nother issue, and one of personal taste.
As to the quality of leaf used in codger blends, most are predominantly burley, due to it's properties of absorbing the topping flavor. Most burley tends toward the high side of nicotene, yet most codger blends have almost no nic. That is a clear indication the burley used is not top-grade. And why would it be? Burley is used because it takes on the flavor of whatever it's mixed or topped with. There's no way tobacco taste would ever penetrate the veil of topping on such blends as Mixture 79, so why would a corporate manufacturer buy premium tobacco at the tobacco auction only to drown it in noxious topping?