The Root Cause of Tongue Bite

[Briar Lee]

When I was starting out in pipe smoking, I was taught that pipescan cause tongue bite because the concentrated tars of the smoke stream going through a tiny hole, chemically cause a reaction on the tongue.

Today I’m researching tongue bite and lots of people believe that superheated steam causes a thermal burn.

So I’d like some help.

Is tongue bite chemical, or thermal, or maybe a little of both?

 

[TheWhale13]

I believe it's both. I know it can be steam; which is quite obvious. And I'm pretty sure that it can be chemical too, I have not seen any studies on it, but it seems quite reasonable.

But there are different situations in which tongue bite may occur, and in which the different "kinds" of bite may appear based on some factors.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

I assumed it was just hot steam, but reading various posts over time on here from many who experience it with certain types of tobacco and not others, and assuming they don't prepare it or smoke it differently, that there is a chemical component. So I'm in for a little of both and just a complete guess. Only experienced it in a minor way one time and I've made plenty of mistakes in technique and/or preparation, which is part of why I think it may be an individual, "chemical" thing (in part).

Then again, I often bite my tongue when reading certain essays on the glories of Lee pipes!

 

[blackpowderpiper]

I too believe it is a little bit of both. Obviously if you freight train wet tobacco your most likely gonna get bit. But there are certain blends that chemically bite me. This is almost 100% with certain red virginias. Sometimes I'm willing to put up with a little bit of tongue bite because I enjoy the taste of the blends so much.

 

[Piping Abe]

I have gotten tongue bite from checking the draw on my pipe from The new Half & Half. No flame was brought to the tobacco. I love Half & Half but can no longer smoke it sadly. So it would be chemical in my opinion.

 

[LotusEater]

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This brief article seems to sum things up in my opinion.

 

[Briar Lee]

I’ll have to think about it but I was surprised to read anybody considered it to be super heated steam.

If it is a thermal steam burn, what about all those kids you see puffing on vapes?

That is 100% super heated steam.

And why don’t cigarette and cigar smokers complain about tongue bite?

It’s been about fifty years since I researched why a pipe bit your tongue as a beginning pipe smoker. My tongue then was bit quite often, until I learned to subconsciously avoid it, by technique.

All these years, I’ve assumed it was a chemical burn and the way to avoid it was learning to slow down the smoke stream laden with irritants, and choosing milder tobaccos, and a filter helps a little.

But if it’s hot steam, then the only cure is to cool the smoke stream.

Which smoking slower does.

 

[mav]

I'm no expert, but in my experience I can load and smoke two different tobaccos the exact same way and one will bite me and one will not. So it's either certain tobacco's or my personal chemistry, or both. I never get bit from Burleys, and luckily those are my favorite so I'm okay.

 

[telescopes]

If I smoke all day, I am sure to get some bite. Red Virginia really whacks out my mouth. I enjoy Sutliff 515 RC and have jars of it aging. They are aging because I am afraid to smoke them, LOL. I agree that some drinks can certainly make it worse.

 

[ashdigger]

The root cause of tongue bite is an overzealous partner. The rest is nonsense.

 

[hyperstar]

So many things can cause tongue bite.
The Aromatic tobaccos can burn a little bit hotter than other non-aromatic tobaccos.

Thermal damages situations be like:
If you draw the flame too deep when you lit the pipe. Or puff frequently thus the smoke too hot can cause tongue brun.
Drying tobacco, loose packing, smoke slowly, and cool soft drinks can prevent thermal tongue bite.

There is also a chemical burn:
It is mainly the damage caused by the erosion of tar to the mucosal tissue. The surface of the human tongue is covered by many tongue papillae. So, it is easy to absorbed tar, which can easily cause damage to the tongue! It is best to clean your mouth after finish a pipe, and gently brush the surface of the tongue with a soft-bristled toothbrush, which should ease the symptoms.

 

[Chasing Embers]

If it is a thermal steam burn, what about all those kids you see puffing on vapes?

That is 100% super heated steam.

No it isn't. It's an aerosol formed by the liquid going through an atomizer like medication through a nebulizer.

 

[TheWhale13]

Inhaling pure steam would probably be very dangerous.

 

[Franco Pipenbeans]

I just thought your tongue need to form a crust and then tongue bite is a forgotten memory? No? ?

 

[Briar Lee]

No it isn't. It's an aerosol formed by the liquid going through an atomizer like medication through a nebulizer.

I thought it was steam..

Is the aerosol hot?

 

[TheWhale13]

I thought it was steam..

Is the aerosol hot?

It's reminiscent of the heat of pipe smoke. It's not cold and can be quite warm, but not close to steam.

 

[TheWhale13]

I just thought your tongue need to form a crust and then tongue bite is a forgotten memory? No? ?

You're not wrong, you'll get accustomed to most things in life with repeated exposure.

 

[CoffeeAndBourbon]

As in a lot of things in science, there is an almost certainty it is not of one singular cause

 

[Chasing Embers]

I thought it was steam..

Is the aerosol hot?

It can be warm but never quite hot. Tried a vape once and the mist was slightly cooler than my mouth.

 

[Briar Lee]

As in a lot of things in science, there is an almost certainty it is not of one singular cause

Any pipe smoker that’s made one puff too many and sucked a hot ember through knows, there can be thermal burn.

But controlling thermal burn means lowering the temperate of the smoke stream.

It means Babe Ruth, was right.



But if caused mostly by the irritants in tobacco it’s much harder to avoid.