I’ve been smoking for quite a while but I had a revelation recently that changed the game of smoking. Normally, I’d smoke with a tight mouth and tongue: the smoke would really on ever tough the tip/top of my tongue which never really delivered much flavor for me for blends that were Virginia forwarded. As silly as it seems I’ve been trying to work on widening the space in my mouth and tongue and letting the smoke rollover my full tongue all at once. For the first time in my pipe smoking tenure I have definitely been able to taste the “stewed fruits” and “figs”people talk about. Frankly it tastes just like the tin smells. This of course also should be done with slow smoking
The Biggest Revelation I’ve Ever Had That Changed Pipe Smoking For Me Forever
- Thread starter fishmansf
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That's awesome. Yeah the smoke needs room to flow and breath or something like that.
Funny would have never thought someone would need this advice, because it's something I never thought of. Which means you get to have the joy of soon knowing you've helped some other random person enjoy smoking a pipe more.
It's awesome when you get that smoke that really hits, and it's awesome to hear someone else get that point too.
When I was introduced to wine tasting years ago, I was taught to take in some air with my sips of wine.
Then slosh the aerated wine all over the mouth and tongue before swallowing. Or spitting out that mouthful.
Doing that exposes the wine fully to your tastebuds and olfactory passages (a most important part of your tasting sensors).
Retrohaling (smoke, not wine) also helps
Totally agree, I've been smoking a pipe for nearly 10 years and this is just the first time I have ever focused on that. I was smoking some Ellypsis Flake (which is amazing and will have its own designated corner in my cellar) and could clearly and potently taste all of those "stewed fruits"
fun thing for me at least. Is I never or almost never get the nuance on the first smoke of a new blend. So I still get a little bit of that magical wow when I have smoked a bowl or two of a new blend.
Very good advice for people. I also like yhe retrohale technique; mainly because it makes me feel like a bull.
I get most flavor, if not all, from retrohaling. Whenever I try to puff away without blowing the smoke from my nose, I only get texture or "fullness" of the smoke. creamy, harsh, sour, etc. but never really a pronounced flavor and definitely not any nuance to it whenever I feel I caught a whim of something.
I used to retrohale with rolled cigs. With pipes I don't like it as much. Weirdly I get less flavor and more ash notes.
forgot. But if I really want to taste the tobacco I swish the smoke around in my mouth while letting it sort slowly roll out. Especially if my cadeance goes off and the smoke starts to get hot. I find it not only gives more flavor but helps let the bowl have a few seconds to cool down a bit.
So what you're saying is that those perpetual nosebleeds I've been having are not in fact nosebleeds...
Whats funny is that for many years I agreed but within the last two years, I have gotten very little from retrohaling which is why this discovery in my journey was such a welcomed surprise
When I started pipe smoking 5 years ago, I was a non smoker and was very concerned about not inhaling. This caused me to have that tight mouth you mentioned. I was trying to block my throat from the smoke and keep it all right at the front of my mouth. The tension made my mouth sore and I didn't get all the flavors. In the last year maybe I discovered, as you did, that to let the smoke have its way and go where ever it wants (back of my mouth, up my nose, out my nose etc.) and just relax my tongue, allowed for all the flavour and relaxation to happen.
thats blood. I keep saying a pick is for digging earth, not for digging in ones nose.
Oz, you are spot on with these practices. It sounds counterintuitive to veer away from a concentrated shot of something, but a blending some air with the wine or the smoke or whatever will help.
I used to have a good friend who loved to drink all kinds of beers and ales and he was a firm believer in this practice.
Of course, I would always call him a "mouthbreather." Ha.....
This thread is super helpful. I have tried retrohaling and get some more flavor this way, but I am going to start focusing on letting it sit and fill my mouth. Unfortunately I think I’ve burnt off all of my important tastebuds. So this might not work for me.
I recently had to take a break of 3 and a half weeks due to some sinus issues. What I found was that when I started back up i could taste flavors very very clearly.
It took me about a year to start distinguishing aromas to some extent. What I can immediately recognize is Latakia, which fortunately is one of my favorites. I smoke exclusively English and Balkan blends. Holding and chewing the smoke in the mouth and exhaling through the nose definitely helps a lot. Quality pipes also make a big difference.
But for me, the greatest revelation was the G.L. Pease blends. For whatever reason, I can perceive the aromas in them more clearly and stronger than in other tobaccos, even if those are high-end.
I think I’ll rephrase. What ten Dunhills, a few Caminettos, Radice, Charatan, Savinelli, Chacom etc. failed to do—that is, keep me away from the cancer sticks—the Castellos managed almost from the very first day.
It doesn’t matter whether it’s because they smoke wonderfully, are beautiful, have a name and history, etc. What matters is that when I smoke them, I forget about cigarettes and enjoy the whole package with my mouth, eyes, and hands. My wallet may disagree, but in the long run Castellos will prove cheaper than chain cigarette smoking.
It doesn’t matter whether it’s because they smoke wonderfully, are beautiful, have a name and history, etc. What matters is that when I smoke them, I forget about cigarettes and enjoy the whole package with my mouth, eyes, and hands. My wallet may disagree, but in the long run Castellos will prove cheaper than chain cigarette smoking.