I´m new at smoking a pipe and I originally picked it up as an exercise in mindfulness but I´m starting to get really hooked. When I smoke my pipes I often find the first half of the bowl tasteless, i.e. it doesn´t taste bad but it really doesn´t taste anything (I prefer aromatics but I also smoke english blends). When I reach the “half bowl line” the pipe starts to taste good and during the last third of the bowl it tastes really good. Is it supposed to be like this or am I making some sort of mistake? Packing it the wrong way? Smoking too fast? Too hot?
Tasteless first half
- Thread starter saoirse
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Taste does tend to build throughout the bowl, it just doesn't necessarily get better. I often find the midway point to be tastiest and with some blends things can get raunchy near the bottom.
There are so many factors that work in conjunction for the perfect bowl - top to bottom. Those are the ones that make it all worthwhile. Over time, you tend to be able to bring everything together much more often.
All in all, it sounds as if you are doing quite well and it doesn't sound like you're having any packing issues to me, or any of the other concerns you mentioned for that matter.
There are so many factors that work in conjunction for the perfect bowl - top to bottom. Those are the ones that make it all worthwhile. Over time, you tend to be able to bring everything together much more often.
All in all, it sounds as if you are doing quite well and it doesn't sound like you're having any packing issues to me, or any of the other concerns you mentioned for that matter.
You have just started smoking a pipe so making some mistakes is not a big deal. If you think you are smoking too fast, then slow it down a little bit. Check the bowl all the time, if it is too hot give it a rest for few minutes. Try to pack as loose as you can, but not too much. Everyone here will give you tons of advice, but you will achieve your best by experience. Just enjoy it.
As you smoke, tars are deposited on the underlying tobacco, sort of like a filter. For some like me, it gets to tasting nasty and I prefer to dump the last third because it's just to harsh, ashy and bitter for my taste. But I smoke strong, natural blends. The fact that you find the first half of the bowl of an aro tasteless but like the second half taste, two things you might try are 1)smoking a better class of aro, a more natural aro, such as 4th Generation 1931 Flake, where the taste matches the room note and lasts throughout the smoke; and/or 2)try a flavorful non-aromatic (that is, NOT a straight VA flake or the like).
I´ve been checking out some non-aromatics and I´m thinking of getting Peterson Old Dublin. I´m a sucker for anything Irish so I´d like to try Peterson and their Old Dublin seems to carry quite a lot of taste. Taste wise - is a flake much better than say a ribbon cut?
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