Struggles

[pokerpiperguy]

For the past 3-4 years I've been getting into pipe smoking in the fall-winter months. I seem to be making little progress. I've found some things that I enjoy but I feel I'm missing out on a lot.

Right now I'm using all of the Frog Morton collection in a pipe that I had crafted from pimo.

I seem to be getting 2 different "flavors." 1 when the tobacco is barely lit and it smells more like the fresh tobacco and the sent of the smoke I draw matches the sent coming out of the bowl. And the other is when I have the pipe rolling pretty hot.. On the verge of tongue bite hot.

I enjoy both, but which is the actual flavor I should be going for and trying to achieve with other blends? I feel like the flavor of the pipe dying is what I should be going for because it actually matches the scent coming from the bowl. But at the same type I see tutorials where people are drawing huge amounts and have there pipes burning pretty hot.

Side note.. Why do all my frog Morton blends leave my truck smelling like rotten tomatoes the next day? Or even later in the same day.
I've tried orlik golden slice.. Absolutely awesome, but only when my pipe was dying. I was using a cheap $50 pipe from pipes and cigars.
Maybe I need to try a quality and some different blends?

I'll probably be getting a cob and a couple different blends soon.

 

[hawke]

Tobacco taste will change as it burns down often. I personally like the hot core at times letting it roll out my nose for a little burn and nicotine hit. However I stop that behavior pretty quick to allow the bowl to cool. In the car during the summer I will cool my pipe in front of the A/C vent between bowls and even during at times. Normally tongue bite will occur when the tobacco and bowl is too hot, even with the mildest tobaccos.

 

[sablebrush52]

Welcome to the forum. Those youtube videos featuring some smiling bearded manly man out in the woods, firing up his defenseless briar and sending huge billowing clouds of smoke into the air are perfect examples of how not to smoke a pipe.
If you want to get the most flavor out of your smoke, sip the smoke slowly, like sipping scotch, and exhale slowly through your nose. The only time you need to puff is when you're getting the load lit. If your pipe is getting hot, stop smoking and let it cool down. When you know what you're doing, you pipe won't get hot, maybe toasty warm, but not scorching fingertips hot.

 

[wilson]

Agree with sablebrush on this. You need to back off a few notches from the "almost tongue bite" stage. Probably too hot. Slow down and you'll develop fuller flavors.

 

[ravenwolf]

The reverse, and more fruitful challenge, is to smoke a pipe while keeping it on the verge of going out. That's typically where you want to be. The advice on sipping is excellent.
Rotten tomatoes? Probably the old smell of latakia, maybe mixed with perique smell. Or maybe you're actually smoking the pipe so hot that the briar itself is charring and burning.

 

[aggravatedfarmer]

It's ok to let it cool and let it relight. Take your time and enjoy.

 

[ray47]

I'll probably be getting a cob and a couple different blends soon.
Posted 9 hours ago #

I've been smoking a pipe on a regular basis since 1983 and if I could turn back the clock I would have only bought MM Corn Cob pipes and with the money I would have saved I would have bought as much tobacco as I could. Welcome to the forum, we look forward to your participation.

 

[aldecaker]

"...orlik golden slice...Absolutely awesome, but only when my pipe was dying."
That's it! That's it right there! You've figured out how to make the tobacco taste "awesome". Now the only thing left is to do it more. Want huge volumes of smoke? Build a smokehouse for meats. Piping is for flavor, not making smoke.

 

[pokerpiperguy]

Thanks for all the help.

I have found when packing Frog Morton straight out of the can it is impossible to get any type of a cherry w/o burning my tongue. I have been packing the bowl after a smoke to let it dry out until I use it again, which is usually a day or two. Is that an okay practice? I have a feeling that once I get a good feel for different blends I'm going to want to pick what I want to smoke that day.. Not necessarily the blend I picked the day before.
I also want to have a designated Latakia, Virginia, etc pipes. Will I be alright hand crafting predrilled pipes or should I invest in a new pipe. I want experiment with different size pipes by drilling everything myself, but part of me thinks it might be better to find some quality pipes that I enjoy first and then try to mimic those and use those as a guideline for experimenting.
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Also, any recommendations on pipes and blends are welcome too. Like I said before, I like all the frog Morton stuff and really enjoyed orlik golden slice when I was able to get a good smoke going.

 

[robwoodall]

I find a lot of blends benefit from some drying time. I sometimes pack a bowl the night before, to smoke in the morning, but I usually just lay the tobacco out on a paper towel for 30 to 60 minutes.
Keeping it at the "almost out" stage is still challenging for me, but that is where I get my best smokes.
If you like Frog Morton, you might try Hearth & Home's BlackHouse. I once described it as "what Frog Morton wants to be when it grows up." Actually, though, I don't think I've met a single English blend that I haven't liked.

 

[maxx]

Taste can vary because of what you've been eating or drinking. Sometimes a blend seems too lose its flavor, but the reason isn't the tobacco or the pipe. It's because of the mouth.

 

[deuce26]

It's really such an organic process with so many variables. Some times you nail the perfect pack with the perfect amount of moisture in the tobacco and the experience is sublime. Other times, your tobacco may be too moist or the pack wrong. It may cause you to work the pipe a little more with relights, etc. in either event, after three years my biggest breakthrough was to tell myself not to stress. It's a process of relaxation and once I let go of my frustration to find perfection, suddenly perfection was much more attainable. If that makes any sense. Lol.

 

[shroedingerscat]

Getting a Missouri Meerschaum cob will make a huge difference. There is not a better smoking pipe anywhere in the world, at any price.