Everything said is really good advice. I'll add two things- 1. You could try quick drying your tobacco in the microwave. (I know, some people think this is barbaric and shun the practice, but I find it quite helpful when I have neglected to properly prepare a tobacco in advance) Nuke a pipeful for 9 seconds on high and then let it sit for a few minutes. Then take stock of how dry it is, and try leaving your tobacco out however long it takes to achieve the same level of dryness. 2. Smoke slowly, as has already been said. What I mean by slowly is that a small to medium sized bowl (.7 x 1.3in, roughly ) should take at least an hour to finish, and sometimes if I am really in the zone I can nurse a small bowl along for 1.5-2 hours, without any tongue bite at all, even with a notorious blend like MacBaren Va. #1 or Plumcake. Slowly. slowly.
Tongue Bite Question
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Lots of great advice above.
I had a very similar experience, and the learning curve was very steep the first few weeks, then it just got better and better.
My first really great smoke was with tobacco I forgot on a plate and let sit out for a couple of days. Very dry, but easy to keep lit, great flavor and no burning steam.
Hang in there!
I had a very similar experience, and the learning curve was very steep the first few weeks, then it just got better and better.
My first really great smoke was with tobacco I forgot on a plate and let sit out for a couple of days. Very dry, but easy to keep lit, great flavor and no burning steam.
Hang in there!
It varies. Everyone's different. I tried many of the suggestions suggested above and they didn't work. I no longer drink while smoking and love aromatics. I still get bite sometimes but my tongue now stops complaining within hours instead of days.
Guess I can only come up with very few 'advice': 1) I hope you're not drawing on the pipe as you do a cigar, but sip so gently, even diffidently, that you can feel very, very smoke flowing into your mouth; 2) diligently practice packing and tamping: most, if not all, the bite I get comes from lighting and relighting—the more I have to relight, the more I burn myself—which brings me to the next point; 3) tobacco moisture (or lack thereof): smoke it on the drier side, without the tobacco crumbling too dust —one reason to avoid aromatics whilst you get the hang of it, since aromatics cannot be dried too much lest they lose taste; 4) don't touch the flame to the tobacco when lighting: light like a cigar, holding the flame about 1/4 inch above the rim of the bowl, letting the superheated air instead of the flame light the toby.
Guess I can only come up with very few 'advice': 1) I hope you're not drawing on the pipe as you do a cigar, but sip so gently, even diffidently, that you can feel very, very smoke flowing into your mouth; 2) diligently practice packing and tamping: most, if not all, the bite I get comes from lighting and relighting—the more I have to relight, the more I burn myself—which brings me to the next point; 3) tobacco moisture (or lack thereof): smoke it on the drier side, without the tobacco crumbling too dust —one reason to avoid aromatics whilst you get the hang of it, since aromatics cannot be dried too much lest they lose taste; 4) don't touch the flame to the tobacco when lighting: light like a cigar, holding the flame about 1/4 inch above the rim of the bowl, letting the superheated air instead of the flame light the toby.
I have been in your shoes, tempted to abandon pipes because of scorched tongue. In my experience, the problem did not just go away (as though my tongue got calloused or something). My advice (most of which others have given above):
--Dry your tobacco. Try leaving it till its crisp (multiple days of drying), if you want to go extreme as an experiment (though if you do try this, realize it will want to burn really hot, so you have to be extra careful will your cadence). I generally find that tobacco that is still pliable but feels rough on my fingertips is perfect. If you want to dry tobacco fast, 8-12 seconds (for one bowl's worth) in the microwave will dry it right out (while it's warm it will still feel really moist, but as soon it cools it will get rough or even crispy).
--keep your cadence slow, don't puff constantly, let the pipe sit and smolder. If you are trying to get big billows of smoke like you can get off a cigar (or if you are trying to get the mouthfeel you get from a cigarette) you will burn your tongue by the end of the bowl.
--use pipe cleaners liberally while smoking to sop up moisture. I use one or two pipe cleaners per bowl. I can feel the moisture in my mouth and throat (before I can hear it), and running a pipe cleaner down the stem makes a noticeable difference.
--drink something (not carbonated) as you smoke. Water, whiskey, tea, coffee.
--Dry your tobacco. Try leaving it till its crisp (multiple days of drying), if you want to go extreme as an experiment (though if you do try this, realize it will want to burn really hot, so you have to be extra careful will your cadence). I generally find that tobacco that is still pliable but feels rough on my fingertips is perfect. If you want to dry tobacco fast, 8-12 seconds (for one bowl's worth) in the microwave will dry it right out (while it's warm it will still feel really moist, but as soon it cools it will get rough or even crispy).
--keep your cadence slow, don't puff constantly, let the pipe sit and smolder. If you are trying to get big billows of smoke like you can get off a cigar (or if you are trying to get the mouthfeel you get from a cigarette) you will burn your tongue by the end of the bowl.
--use pipe cleaners liberally while smoking to sop up moisture. I use one or two pipe cleaners per bowl. I can feel the moisture in my mouth and throat (before I can hear it), and running a pipe cleaner down the stem makes a noticeable difference.
--drink something (not carbonated) as you smoke. Water, whiskey, tea, coffee.
I have learned that my tongue can't handle Virginia's, so I stick to Burley forward blends. I also dry my tobacco for at least a couple minutes before packing. I still sometimes get a little sting at times, mostly on the roof of my mouth, but that's how I left the pipe hang, and I know I smoke fast. I just deal with it.
A lot of good suggestions. I think it just goes away over time, but I think only part of that is your mouth "adapting" and the rest is just stuff you tried. Smoking a lot of different types of tobacco to see what suits might be important. As said, English blends are full of flavor and low on bite.
Try all those suggestions, but…
I'm an ex-cigar smoker but I used to smoke English blends as well back when I was mostly a cigar smoker.
Sipping is important, but as a cigar smoker you'll want that big mouthful of smoke. Rather than taking big mouthfuls at once, try this. Take a number of little sips in rapid succession, not fully blowing them out, till you have a mouthful of smoke. That's not quite as hot and can be satisfying.
Try all those suggestions, but…
I'm an ex-cigar smoker but I used to smoke English blends as well back when I was mostly a cigar smoker.
Sipping is important, but as a cigar smoker you'll want that big mouthful of smoke. Rather than taking big mouthfuls at once, try this. Take a number of little sips in rapid succession, not fully blowing them out, till you have a mouthful of smoke. That's not quite as hot and can be satisfying.
I feel your pain! The first 12 or so years I smoked a pipe, my mouth hurt like hell every single time. So I did it only occasionally, and for reasons that presently escape me. Once I quit cigarettes a few months ago (four months ago today, in fact!), I had to learn quickly how to avoid the bite because, you know, God forbid I give up nicotine altogether, so I was gonna have a pipe in my mouth all day, like it or not. Some Virginias, especially reds and brights, still get me if I get distracted and start puffing. Otherwise, I rarely get bit anymore, and it's not just because my tongue is now covered in lizard skin. All the above advice is golden, 100%, but...
100th post, woohoo!
... this is the single thing that helped me kind of get over that initial hump the most. Part of it is physics and chemistry, but a lot of it is psychology - it just slows me down and makes me focus more on treating the contents of my bowl with the attention and respect it deserves. Sometimes just one simple thing makes all the difference.
100th post, woohoo!
Looking forward to hearing from you on it!
Ron, Didi, I agree. Virginias seem to be harder for tongues to assimilate; just the cut, I think. Good solid burleys on the other hand, are often easier.
B
I have been piping off and on for years now, but the most recent time I started back up it took me about a week to get my packing technique and cadence right again, and I got bit pretty bad after my first couple of bowl. The only thing I could taste was salt and sour and for days my tounge ached and was toasted. Biotine was a life saver. Even today if I am doing something, such as reading this forum, and mindlessly puff away I will occasionally get bit. I personally have found that that Blends with a high Va content are easy to push to hard and get bit. But hang in there. Try different packing techniques and get a feel for the tobacco, work on your cadence and find what works for you and your body.
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