Tongue and Lip Bite .... Again

[highlander]

Thanks for the additional comment. I just got some HH Old Dark Fired Ready Rubbed and I enjoyed the one bowl I smoked. I had moved to burleys and burley/cavendish mixes because I had decided that it was Virginias that were my problem. And because I like the amount of smoke that burley produces. Now I am looking forward to readdressing Virginias and tobaccos with Virginia content.
I am sensitive to nicotine, having never smoked before. C&D's Canal Boat is a burley based tobacco I like, but it almost literally knocks me back down in the chair form the nicotine hit.
I too have used MM corncobs as test pipes. However, I quit because I could taste burned corn when I smoked them -- probably because I was smoking them so hot. Another area I am looking forward to reinvestigating.

 

[blueeyedogre]

I am a notorious fast puffer as well and I found that switching to filtered pipes (9mm filters) as all but eliminated the bites I used to get. I also added using Biotene to my nightly regiment.

 

[highlander]

I have a Brigham which uses a filter. I have found it smokes slower and cooler. Will have to continue with it to see how it impacts burn.

 

[saltedplug]

Slow smoking is the key to controlling mouth/tongue irritation. As has been said, slow down and then slow down some more. I find that when I do this, I can develop an intimacy with the smoke that is always very enjoyable. Slow smoking is for me elusive, the most difficult good habit that I have to struggle attain.

 

[billypm]

Slow smoking doesn't mean how often you take a big puff-- it means how slowly the smoke passes through the stem -- at least this is my take. You can keep a pipe barely burning by sipping quite often as long as the smoke just barely trickles into your mouth. I'm talking 7 or 8 seconds to fill your mouth. You can also sometimes puff out through the stem, again just barely, to keep the pipe lit. This is not to say that relights are bad. They are most decidedly not. But once you get the hang of gently toying with the ember and nursing it along your smoking will become more enjoyable.
I sympathize with you wanting lots of smoke, but rather concentrate on lots of flavor instead-- which comes from slow smoking. Novice pipers want the most smoke they can get, and old pros want the least.

 

[jorgesoler]

One tip of advice. If you get a tongue bite, just quit smoking until you feel better. The more you smoke, even if properly, the more you are going to aggravate your tongue. When I started smoking some 20 years ago, I used to suffer from this problem a lot, but then I found out this was due to two related factors. First thing is the kind of tobacco you smoke, then how fast you draw every puff out of the bowl. I usually stay away from aromatics or cavendishes, or heavily cased tobaccos, as they will bite my tongue. My favourite tobaccos are VaPers and English blends that will have certain amount of latakia. Generally speaking, I'd say don't be too demanding when smoking and let your pipe cool down every now and again to help prevent this from happening again. This is to say, don't fight your pipe, but rather, listen to it. Pipes, sometimes, are like women. One day you find yourself you just had the most wonderful experience with one of the them, but only for the same pipe to tell you to FO the day after. If you are too impatient and demanding when your best pipe is putting up with some fight, you'll end up drawing way too hard from it, so learn to give up and let the pipe rest for a time.

 

[dann]

Hello All. I hope I am not intruding on this post. I received an early Christmas Present, and as I wished it was a pipe like my Father smoked. My wife had picked me up a nice BC pipe and some Bourbon tobacco from Briar & Beans in Oklahoma. make along story short I thank you for the tips as I also got bit.lol

 

[david555]

The one trick I have learned to prevent tongue bight is the constant avoidance of Mac Baren products.

 

[boilermakerandy]

Pipes, sometimes, are like women. One day you find yourself you just had the most wonderful experience with one of the them, but only for the same pipe to tell you to FO the day after

This analogy is sheer genius. My hat is off to you, sir.

 

[tanless1]

Smoke the occasional cigar, it helps to give your tounge a break.

 

[jorgesoler]

This analogy is sheer genius. My hat is off to you, sir.

Lol. You welcome sir.

 

[jjjarhead]

About Virginia. It's not that Virginia itself bites but rather it burns hot much more easier so you need to be really careful to prevent bite. So what is in demand if you want to smoke Virginia without bite? Yep, smoke slower then smoke slower even more. As to packing method, you probably have found a right way for you, but just a reminder: Test draw every time. As you don't have to finish a whole glass of milk to know it's bad, you don't have to light the pipe and find out it's too tight. Hope it helps. Happy puffing, oh I mean sipping.

 

[toby67]

As mentioned above slow smoking doesn't mean take one puff in three but slowing down and sipping at your pipe, I recently found that doing this gives you a better smoking experience, if your pipe is starting to burn out then hold your hand or fingers over the bowl as your sipping to reduce the air hitting the coal and making it burn like a freshly lit pipe. By sipping I am discovering deeper layers in the tobacco blends. To get a better understanding of slowing down try Aromatic's, that will force you to slow down and enjoy the smoke, I find at most I need to relight once a bowl if any unless I get busy and set my pipe down.

 

[burney]

Hi there guys, being totally blind helps me to smoke slower. Seeing that I do not need to see any smoke to enjoy myself, I tend to treat my pipe like a glass of good whiskey. I happen to own several, All of which pack differently, the way of lighting them is different and generally they just smoke differently. many of you guys like to use women in analogies, I couldn't agree more. My big Lorenzo filturo for example, handles a harder, hotter smoke better then say my small Lorenzo Spitfire, where as my Sarina Lago is easy to get going, and does really well with a slow, gentle, cool smoke. I would for example never put Rum & Maple in any of my falcon bowls, and on the other end I will never put Peterson's Irish whiskey in my Lorenzo Filturo.
For me it is all about pipe and tobacco. What Works best with a particular pipe. I don't buy tobacco randomly ever, I buy what I know will work with any one of my particular pipes. I will not recommend any particular tobacco, for I do not live in the US or Europe. Tobaccos in south Africa is rather limited.