Tongue Bite Question

[ashman]

Is tongue bite caused more by the type of tobacco or the rate at which you smoke your pipe. Having smoked cigars for many years, i have learned to puff slowly. Being new to pipes, I have yet to experience any tongue bite, and from the sounds of it, I would prefer to keep it that way.

 

[warren]

My experience is that the volume of the smoke and the rate together are the predominate factors in tongue bite. I'm sure the dryness of the tobacco makes a contribution as well as the distance the smoke travels from the combustion point to the tongue. Also, you can reduce the chance of tongue bite if you move the bit around in your mouth a little so as not to have the hot gases hitting the same spot on the tongue.

 

[puffy]

I think one reason could be a chemical reaction.I smoke many blends with Virginia in them.Try as I may though I just can't smoke Straight Virginias.

 

[phil67]

Aromatics seem to be more prone to it what with their toppings, and Virginia's with their sugar content. Also, the cadence of smoking is an important factor. I rarely, if at all encounter it anymore but that could be attributed to the fact that my tongue is more likely than not dead and more petrified than that of a mummy.

Drinking milk before or after smoking may be of help.

The day I have to resort to doing that to simply enjoy a bowl of baccy is the day I quit... yuk! Don't get me wrong as I like milk, but NOT while smoking a pipe.

Russ Ouellette of P&C wrote an article about the various combinations of drinks with smoking a pipe and included trying milk. Bottom line... it was a terrible experience and not at all recommended! :wink:

 

[phil67]

please note I wrote before or after smoking, not during. Aged sherry or port is my preference while smoking.

That's more like it. Then again, milk before or after drinking sherry or port? Now we're back to square one! Sorry, couldn't pass that by and only joking! :lol:

 

[mso489]

Moisture in the tobacco creates steam which contributes to tongue bite, I think. Non-tobacco

ingredients sometimes create fumes that cause irritation. Many aromatics are both moist and

heavily flavored, so they cause a problem sometimes. I was surprised with some full strength

burley blends that they have little or no bite.
My worst experience was with a holiday blend that smelled like cinnamon that really made it painful

to brush my teeth with minty toothpaste, for example. It wasn't the tobacco, it was the flavorings.

I swore off holiday blends right there.

 

[cortezattic]

Most people who complain of tongue bite aren’t experiencing bite at all; they’ve simply burnt their tongues. Tongue bite is a chemical reaction, usually caused by alkalinity. The sensation is similar to a cramp and is different than “leather tongue” (a sore, heat damaged tongue). The common causes of leather tongue can include improper packing, smoking too fast and tobacco that is either too dry or too moist, among others. True tongue bite doesn’t leave the tongue raw and bumpy as is common following heat damage. Since Burley can produce alkaline smoke, it is commonly targeted as the culprit regarding bite, but other tobaccos can have a higher pH as well.

from Russ Ouellette's article, "Common Misconceptions Redux", Feb 1, 2011

 

[ashman]

Thanks for all the feedback guys. I will try to absorb it all.

 

[clarkj734]

Personally....i think its different for everyone based on body chemistry. For me its caused by moisture in the tobacco. Too much moisture causes more steam which irritates my tongue. That said, certain blenders seem to bother certain people, I've never had bite from MacBaren but others can't tolerate it.
The rate you smoke , temp of the bowl can cause an effect as well...but for me its moisture.

 

[gamxiaoyuan]

Most people who complain of tongue bite aren’t experiencing bite at all; they’ve simply burnt their tongues. Tongue bite is a chemical reaction, usually caused by alkalinity. The sensation is similar to a cramp and is different than “leather tongue” (a sore, heat damaged tongue). The common causes of leather tongue can include improper packing, smoking too fast and tobacco that is either too dry or too moist, among others. True tongue bite doesn’t leave the tongue raw and bumpy as is common following heat damage. Since Burley can produce alkaline smoke, it is commonly targeted as the culprit regarding bite, but other tobaccos can have a higher pH as well.

That makes a lot sense.

 

[mcitinner1]

"let your tobacco dry until it just starts feeling crunchy"
The dozen or so partially used tins I have been sampling from for around six months now have all dried to the

'just crunchy' stage, and smoke very nice. I usually smoke from bulk and need to start just slightly drying a bowls worth of the more moist ones before smoking them. Don't have anything that needs much more drying than maybe an hour or two.
tinner, Stan

 

[saltedplug]

Most of the time what is referred to as tongue-bite is actually scorched oral tissues, either the tongue or whatever other surface has been burned. Formally tongue bite is actually a chemical reaction, and I've never had this happen, but I have had a good deal of scorching. The pipe may be the most elegant way to use tobacco, but it doesn't come easily. If you learn to smoke slowly at the outset of the hobby, you will be spared a good deal or frustration.

 

[johnnyreb]

I agree with 4nogginsmike. And after you have scorched your tongue even ever so lightly, don't go out and drink a Margarita! Don't ask me how I know.

 

[carytobacco]

I think I'm one of the people confusing tongue bite with simply burning my tongue.