Full disclosure, this is my second new member introduction as I kind of got out of the hobby for a few years as life happens. That being said I've been getting back into it and enjoying it immensely once again. I've enjoyed many of the blends I've tried but I always fall victim to some tongue burn/fatigue which typically led me to not finishing a bowl to the bottom, not a big deal but I felt like I was missing something.
Then, the stars aligned.
I had recently grabbed a tin of Hearth and Homes Magnum Opus, always a fan of English/Balkan/Latakia blends, it sounded perfect. Unfortunately (and little known to me) as I was jarring the tin up a small clump of leaf was stuck right between the jar seal and the threads, causing it to be ever so slightly open for a few days. As I dumped out a bowls worth I noticed it was very dry, almost to the point of crunchy (I later discovered it was only the topmost layer of the jar, the rest is still a nice moisture content). Not to be too dismayed, and since I often dried my blends out quite a bit before smoking, I decided to try it out anyways. Loaded it into my cob (honestly the best smoking pipe I have hands down), but due to it's almost crunchy nature I couldn't quite properly pack it so I basically gravity filled, tapped the sides and threw a small pinch on top and worked it down. So far so good.
When it came time to smoke I knew the tobacco being as dry as it was it would probably take to the flame quite readily so I told myself I was just going to take teeny tiny slow sips and, I have to say I think that's been my largest problem so far. Without having another pipe smoker to kind of learn the ropes, or to give me much of a frame of reference my former "small slow sips" were... not.
Sipping at the pipe this time gave me a cool, dry, flavourful smoke. Starting with some roasty bready notes, with a slightly smokey background, leading to a bit of a perique bite in the retrohale about halfway through the bowl. It was magnificent and I can't wait to bring this revelation to my other blends and other pipes. I still had a high number of relights, probably due to the light, haphazard pack which I'll still need to work on but this is the first time a blend has really sung for me in a long time and I am excited about it.
Sorry for the long post, long story short I figured out just how small and slow a "small slow sip" is and it's changed things for me.
Then, the stars aligned.
I had recently grabbed a tin of Hearth and Homes Magnum Opus, always a fan of English/Balkan/Latakia blends, it sounded perfect. Unfortunately (and little known to me) as I was jarring the tin up a small clump of leaf was stuck right between the jar seal and the threads, causing it to be ever so slightly open for a few days. As I dumped out a bowls worth I noticed it was very dry, almost to the point of crunchy (I later discovered it was only the topmost layer of the jar, the rest is still a nice moisture content). Not to be too dismayed, and since I often dried my blends out quite a bit before smoking, I decided to try it out anyways. Loaded it into my cob (honestly the best smoking pipe I have hands down), but due to it's almost crunchy nature I couldn't quite properly pack it so I basically gravity filled, tapped the sides and threw a small pinch on top and worked it down. So far so good.
When it came time to smoke I knew the tobacco being as dry as it was it would probably take to the flame quite readily so I told myself I was just going to take teeny tiny slow sips and, I have to say I think that's been my largest problem so far. Without having another pipe smoker to kind of learn the ropes, or to give me much of a frame of reference my former "small slow sips" were... not.
Sipping at the pipe this time gave me a cool, dry, flavourful smoke. Starting with some roasty bready notes, with a slightly smokey background, leading to a bit of a perique bite in the retrohale about halfway through the bowl. It was magnificent and I can't wait to bring this revelation to my other blends and other pipes. I still had a high number of relights, probably due to the light, haphazard pack which I'll still need to work on but this is the first time a blend has really sung for me in a long time and I am excited about it.
Sorry for the long post, long story short I figured out just how small and slow a "small slow sip" is and it's changed things for me.
