Tobacco Pairings with Pipe Shapes

[The Amish Tyrant]

No different than outside the pipe smoking world (and the online pipe forums within that world), everyone has a different perspective, style, thought process, life history, and quirks.

Regarding pipes and tobacco pairings, some people dedicate a pipe to a tobacco genre (possibly including a pipe dedicated to a specific blend) in order to allow the genre/blend flavors to thrive without muddling with ghosts. Others follow in the steps of our forefathers and smoke all types of tobacco out of the same pipe. Yet some will segregate solely to avoid a pipe being haunted by latakia or Lakeland essence.

This thread is to get thoughts and opinions on how/why you pair tobacco with a particular pipe shape, style, or chamber size.

I don't smoke a pipe as often as I'd like based on the hustling and bustling of life while working as a grey-collared professional and raising a toddler. As a result, I try to enjoy my pipes as a form of contemplation and relaxation while either preparing for the day or and unwinding after the day concludes (while the household is asleep).

As a result, I find that designating a pipe to a specific tobacco genre allows me to enjoy the flavors and nuances more than when the flavors got muddled using just one or two pipes. However, I have yet to dedicate a pipe solely in one blend.

I have a Towne Cobbler cob dedicated to burleys, a Dublin for English blends, a pear wood brandy for Virginia's (which will be replaced by a rhodesian shortly), and a cayuga brandy with a larger chamber for aromatics.

What pipe and tobacco pairings do you have/ use and why, including the chamber size for a particular genre if you feel it smokes better in a wider/smaller diameter chamber with a deeper/shallower depth.

Inquiring minds would like to know.

 

[Grangerous]

It depends on the blend. Most of my collection are sweet spot depth and diameter and will smoke most anything well.

But Bob Runowski suggests a wider bowl to allow the flavors of his C&D’s Pegasus to meld together. I believe him — he’s the blender.

Many others say that Virginia’s and Flake smoke best in taller, narrower bowls. I’m not a VA smoker but I don’t doubt that either.

However, I don’t know that the difference will be mind blowing. I’m quite comfortable with simple cobs and most of my briars are .75 to .80 inner diameter and none are deeper than 1.5”.

My cobs are far narrower but smoke very well. They also have a wide open draw. I guess it’s down to your experimentation and personal conclusions.

 

[sablebrush52]

The pipe smoking world is filled with myths that many hold onto like a life preserver. Bowl size and shape vs blend type is one of those. Frankly, it's bullshit. Some blends do better in large bowls, other do well in smaller bowls, but it's nothing to do with blend type. Try out a blend in different bowls and see what happens.

Your life preserver's been popped. Time to learn how to swim for it.

 

[Chasing Embers]

This thread is to get thoughts and opinions on how/why you pair tobacco with a particular pipe shape, style, or chamber size.

Whatever the blend name or components remind me of.

Looks like a pirate island hideout : Black Frigate.


A three peaked volcano like Sakurajima Island : Sakura.


Mardi Gras colorful : King Cake.


Looks like hot chocolate with marshmallows : English Chocolate.


It's purple and gives me Lovecraftian vibes : Visions of Celephäis.


etc.

 

[Chasing Embers]

why, including the chamber size for a particular genre if you feel it smokes better in a wider/smaller diameter chamber with a deeper/shallower depth.

Other than duration of smoking, chamber dimensions affect nothing for me.

 

[olkofri]

So far the only rigorous pairing I have is my Vauen Basic apple to latakia-containing blends. This came about from the plasticky taste Dr Perl's 9 mm filters give off when they get moist to the point that not too long into the smoke all you taste is filter and not blend. I decided that maybe the overpowering taste of the latakia would, well, overpower the plasticky taste: it kinda worked.

 

[renfield]

I’ve found that taller aspect ratio chambers allow straight Virginias to present the subtler flavors more easily.

Apart from that, the cut of the blend may work better in some chambers than others. From shag to fold and stuff flakes, they all have a preference of burner.

Figure out what works best for you. That’s all that matters.

 

[cigrmaster]

Chasing, great pics man. I have two of Bruce Weavers pipes and both look great and smoke great.

I can only explain my experience with different shaped bowls and certain types of blends.
I smoke flakes, plugs and a rope almost exclusively. Group 4-5 sized pipes are what work best for me. I don't believe the shape is as important as the size. If you are trying to fold and stuff a flake, it could work best with a large group4 to a small group 5. Or it could work conversely. I have the following shapes in my collection as of today.
Billiards
Dublins
Apples
Rhodesians
Bulldogs
Brandy's
Lovats
1 Volcano
I think that is it. I favor the classic shapes sand blasted and made by American artisans. I had years of totally different pipes and since 2012 I have been almost exclusively American made. I guess I am just a Homer. I had my turns with Former, Barbi, Castello, Radice, Old Caminetto's made by Ascorti/Radice, and many more Italian and English Dunhills. I still have a 1966 Dunhill LB that is a pure classic and a Jose Rubio.

Would I smoke a group 6 sized pipe full of flakes? No, not happening. The pipe is too big. I do smoke a ready rubbed blend which is 2013 Capstan Gold RR. It smokes about a good 1.5-2.0 hours cut like that. If it were a straight flake like Capstan Blue Flake that would take close to 3 plus hours which can be a bit much. I like my flakes to burn right around 1.5-2.0 hours and I have it down to a science for the most part.

 

[SBC]

I can see how a broader burning surface might allow the various components of a complex mixture to burn all at the same time.

I can't say that I've tasted the difference myself, but in theory it makes sense.

But as for narrow chambers for VAs -- could the origins of this norm be simply that narrow chambers fit folded-and-stuffed flakes perfectly?

 

[STP]

This pairing is “catchy”. Bing’s Favorite and Crooner… ?

 

[STP]

… and maybe this one. Sherlock Holmes in a Sherlock Holmes ?

 

[mso489]

The only fixed idea I have about matching pipes with blends is that blends with more than three tobaccos tend to do better in chambers with more diameter, so more of the several tobaccos can be fully expressed at once. That's the only "rule" that I feel I have actually experienced. Sometimes I'll smoke strong blends in small bowls, depending on how much of that strength I want. Mostly, I have no set ideas about this. A good Virginia tastes good in large and small chambers -- good but different. Burley nearly always tastes good to me regardless of the pipe, though cobs do an especially good job.

 

[anotherbob]

well I find smaller chambers to be punchier then larger but larger chambers evolve as you smoke them. And if nothing else how a pipe feels can effect how you smoke it. Took me a while for instance to realize that a churchwarden can be sipped the same way any other pipe can, just takes a half second longer to get to you.

 

[The Amish Tyrant]

… and maybe this one. Sherlock Holmes in a Sherlock Holmes ?

View attachment 111652

Agreed, it is a neat concept to pair pipes with tobacco of "famous" smokers. There are a few threads on the merits of Tolkien favoring Capstan Blue.

According to @jiminks Basil Rathbone smoked Wilkie 515 and POTY is based off of Sherlock Holmes.

I'm intrigued by the pipes people dedicate to various blends and the reasoning behind it. I feel it is a little more interesting and unique than say Lemmy Kilmister of Motorhead smoking Marlboro reds and drinking a fifth a Jack Daniels a day, whether he needed to or not.

 

[jewman22]

English blends in something short and fat. Virginias in anything that appeals to me.
Aromatics get a Stanwell.