Tongue Bite v. Tongue Burn

[shillelagh3]

I hear a lot about people complaining about "tongue bite," and I've read somewhere on this site (I embarassingly forget where.) that people often confuse tongue burn with tongue bite.
So, my question is this: How do you know when you are a victim of tongue bite, rather than tongue burn? Thanks in advance.

 

[fatman]

Shill, I used to get the BITE from overly PG's baccy and ofcourse, smoking like a train..the moisture produced the steam which bit like hell during the smoke. The burn effect, for me is after the fact..the next morning awakening w/my tounge on fire, sore, raw...the feeling as if it were burned. So all that to say..bite goes away fairly soon, and the burn, at least for me, lasted a day or few.

 

[admin]

You probably read about it in Russ' article from last month, 3rd paragraph down ...
Common Misconceptions Redux

 

[collindow]

I'm yet to experience tongue bite, as Russ defines it, but I'm perfectly happy to continue calling burn bite until the day I die.

 

[colonelmcmuf]

Oh I know all too well the feel of a burn. I made the mistake of smoking an entire ounce once while out with some friends. I just kept packing it, mind you this was within my first month of smoking, and when I woke the next day my tongue was burned baddly. I couldn't feel or taste anything for a good three weeks. A hard lesson learned, but a funny story so I guess that's a trade.

 

[hobie1dog]

Does anyone also get an irritated throat the next day, from smoking too many bowls?

 

[mlaug]

Yep, Hobie.
Also dry lips and cheeks.
The only real bite experience I've had even left me with blistered lips, besides cooking off my tounge. I'm never touching that weed again. 8O

 

[schmitzbitz]

I'm with Colin on this one, very happy to keep referring to burn as bite, and avoiding the real McCoy (as defined by Russ).
Hobie and Mlaug, I've come across the same issue - particularly dry/cracked top lip (from French inhaling in my case, I'm sure). Although this seemed to cure itself in short order, I've found that dabbing a bit of chapstick or petroleum jelly on the lip of the stem seems to have helped (as some of it is bound to xfer to your lips during the smoke).

 

[tedvig]

I get bit all the time. I have fissured tongue though. Makes me wonder when I have a week with NO bite how all of a sudden I get it. Kinda weird but the best way for me is smoking cobs without filter packed tight. The free draw is enough to keep it going even though it is a tight frank method style pack. I've tried my briars with a light pack, medium pack, frank method, 3-step, 2-step, anti-gravity (good results with that), air pocket... I've tried slowing my pace to the point of breath smoking. I have three 9mm filter pipes I'm breaking in... We'll see. Any advice would be MOST appreciated!

 

[tiltjlp]

I must be either lucky, or I live right. In 52 years of pipe smoking I've never had any issues with my mouth or tongue.

 

[acme]

Holy cow. I have issues with my mouth all the time.

Course, I've been told that I was only indifferently socialized.

anthony

 

[philip]

@ tedvig & acme

Welcome to the forum. If you have the same question as shillelagh3...
First make sure you are packing your pipe properly (whatever method works for you) with tobacco that is not too wet, then smoke as slowly as possible. If the bite/burn goes away, you were probably just burning your tongue.
If that doesn't help try a different type of tobacco. If the bite/burn then goes away, it was probably a chemical bite from the tobacco. Different tobaccos affect us all differently.
Either way, it's a good problem to avoid. From my experience, most problems were solved by letting the tobacco dry a little, packing it loosely, and smoking slowly.
I hope that helps. If not, don't give up. Others here have more experience than I and may have more practical suggestions. Please share with us how you are progressing.

 

[tobakenist]

The Peterson P-Lip was designed to help eliminate tounge bite, many Peterson smokers out there love them, some hate them though.

 

[seakayak]

Bite is generally a function of tobacco type. Burn is often caused by steam forming on a too moist pack.

 

[nsfisher]

i find worst prob is with some blends, especially Mr. B's, which i believe is fairly new, i git a dry tounge and the roof of my mouth drys out as well. Not really sore just really dry and thick feeling. Then for a day or 2 i have to use a 9mm pipe with filter in

 

[mlaug]

Burn is preventable, bite is not, so a bit of exploration and experimentation is needed to find which tobaccos one can't tolerate.

 

[barkar]

Over the years sadly I have and still do get both bite and burn sometimes. Usually happens to me when I try a new brand or sometimes when breaking in a new pipe.

Different chemicals in tobacco can bite one person and not another. As an example, for reasons I do not know the answer to, if I smoke anything that is a burley or a high burley content I seldom have any problems at all.

If anyone knows why, I would love to hear it.

 

[nsfisher]

I can tolerate Butternut Burley and similiar ones. I cannot smoke MOST Va's however. It only takes a few puffs for me to feel my tounge going South. I can, and do, however, layer Va's and can take them at small amounts. Hal O The Wind, for example, I enjoy very much but cannot smoke it as a stand alone. I have to layer it with Drum, 5 Bro's or Birdseye in order to smoke it.

 

[arabpipesmoker]

After three months in the hobby i start taking the lead and control tongue bite by study the baccy I am smoking and treat it according to its designed especially with seeping type baccy that meant to bite you before you know.
My advice is to study your baccy within first 3-4 bowls to get the full knowledge on who to treat it right