The Pipe Tobacco Subreddit Is A Mess

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mingc

Lifer
Jun 20, 2019
3,976
11,065
The Big Rock Candy Mountains
The poor people that are learning to smoke a pipe, or about pipe tobacco in general, and use reddit as their learning grounds....

The newest source of entertainment:

https://www.reddit.com/r/PipeTobacco/comments/oglmqo
The Friends of Habanos thread is interesting. They actually paid a lab in Australia to ID plume on pipe tobacco and cigars. Unfortunately, the lab's report is not attached to the thread. Supposedly, the lab found only fungi and bacteria.
 

greeneyes

Lifer
Jun 5, 2018
2,125
12,189
That type of thing happens to more or less varying degrees everywhere, including here. I tend to avoid discussions on matters about which I'm altogether ignorant and which remain outside the realm of what can be proven or disproven, but that's not the case for most of the internet. These people might just as well be arguing, with absolute seriousness, about the nature of black holes at the instant of the Big Bang, and know nothing whatsoever about the subject. Pipe smokers are blowhards. Reddit pipe smokers more so.
 
Jan 30, 2020
1,850
6,086
New Jersey
The Friends of Habanos thread is interesting. They actually paid a lab in Australia to ID plume on pipe tobacco and cigars. Unfortunately, the lab's report is not attached to the thread. Supposedly, the lab found only fungi and bacteria.
But it seems, as others in the thread pointed out, that as soon as they identified bacteria, they ceased any more testing of the sample. The test only seems useful in confirming bacteria is present and not what else is on the sample.
 

leonidas

Starting to Get Obsessed
Mar 16, 2013
116
157
.....so the plume concept is false and we've been smoking tobacco and on occasion some fungi along with it?
 
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Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
43,248
108,345
.....so the plume concept is false and we've been smoking tobacco and on occasion some fungi along with it?
No, tobacco plume is bacterial, not fungal.

 

mingc

Lifer
Jun 20, 2019
3,976
11,065
The Big Rock Candy Mountains
But it seems, as others in the thread pointed out, that as soon as they identified bacteria, they ceased any more testing of the sample. The test only seems useful in confirming bacteria is present and not what else is on the sample.
I think the lab also IDed fungi too didn't it? The Ph.D. candidate son in the "research biologist" thread IDed sugar and yeast, which as you know is a fungus. The thread doesn't elaborate on how he IDed sugar; I doubt that a visual inspection is sufficient. As I say, it's unfortunate the FOH thread lacks the lab report itself, which may have included details on what was tested for and not found.

I happen to believe that the plume commonly found in Esoterica and sometimes SG flakes is made of minerals and compounds, perhaps including sugar, coming out of solution as the tobacco dries. Fresh Esoterica is notoriously wet as was SG. My Ken Byron Byronic Slices developed plume in the matter of weeks when it dried out. None of the plumed tobacco that I've chewed tastes sweet. The is not to say that there aren't also micro-organisms growing on the leaf as well.
 

sablebrush52

The Bard Of Barlings
Jun 15, 2013
19,621
44,833
Southern Oregon
jrs457.wixsite.com
And we know that bacteria are present. We rely upon the little darlings shitting all over our tobacco to give it that "aged" taste. I've also seen and read posts featuring micro photography and chemical analysis that indicate that "plume" is the result of the migration of mineral content in the weed.
No position regarding Reddit since I don't spend any time there.
 

Smithy

Lurker
Apr 2, 2021
4
7
Ohio
The Pipe Tobacco Reddit is almost identical to the "What are you smoking?" thread on this site and comprises about 95% of their content. Plenty of pipers bounce between Reddit and here so can't really say I've noticed more bad advice coming from one place over the other. Been smoking a pipe since '94 and never heard of the "breathe method" until I saw it on Reddit along with several excellent descriptions on how to do it. It completely changed my smoking experience for the better.
But even though Reddit in general is a free-for-all mess, their interface makes it very easy to switch from r/pipetobacco to r/gonewild (NSFW) if the mood strikes you.
 
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Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
43,248
108,345
Plenty of pipers bounce between Reddit and here so can't really say I've noticed more bad advice coming from one place over the other.
Two questions. How does one pipe, and what is Reddit?


Been smoking a pipe since '94 and never heard of the "breathe method" until I saw it on Reddit along with several excellent descriptions on how to do it.
That one's been around for decades whether it had a name or not. Wait until you come across another one called ember chasing.
 
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