tongue bite

[pipedisciple]

As I said when I came to this sight that I was a cigar smoke and was returning to my pipes for a while. My question is what is causing the tongue bite? I don't smoke too fast, could it be the Tobacco? I use Lane 1Q and C&D Serenity series. I contend it may be the tobacco, I am at a loss. I do admit while smoking one of my Comoy's last night it was somewhat better, Help Please. Thanks, Sam. PS Should I consider going to an English blend and get away from the aromamatics? :?

 

[thesmokindragon]

Could be pack isn't tight enough or could mean the bacci is too wet (use pinch test), smoke'in

Slow is also key to not heat up the bacci too much as well...but also I know

Some smokers that just get the damn bite no matter what they do with some bacci
I always pushed the limits with MC blends when I started, that is a big NO-NO,

Too fast, too wet, pack not right (all beginner things you learn) but

You do learn fast when your mouth turns to road-rash helps if you

Have it to use the biotene mouthwash or warm salt-water rinse, hold back

A few days and let mouth rest, I know others have said aloe juice helps as well

 

[cyndi]

It really does depend on the tobacco. I've found that Colgate's new Peroxyl mouthwash works wonders!

 

[fshu2]

i have never smoked 1Q but i believe it is an aromatic. the case with aromatics is the the additives' casings they use to add that great aroma can burn too hot and give what i can best describe as a chemical burn and can give your tongue that bite. at least that was what i was taught.

 

[cortezattic]

Inappropriate packing is almost always the cause of most pipe smoking related problems, from tongue bite to the splitting of a pipe bowl. That sounds like an extreme generalization, doesn't it? Some trial and error testing is in order.
Too loose and the tobacco will burn hot, scorching your tongue; too tight and the excess (hot) moisture may scald your tongue; just right and you may need a more acidic blend to suit your mouth chemistry.
GL Pease observed:

I often hear about tobaccos that bite, yet rarely is this quality attributed to a pipe, however much it may be deserved. I’ve had pipes that would take the smoothest tobacco on the planet, and render it unsmokable, turning its smoke into a bite-sized version of a nuclear reactor meltdown on my tongue.

Read more about this in Dogs That Bite, and other blog entries on his website.
Russ Ouellette also has some very informative writing on the subject in Common Misconceptions.

 

[menckenite]

There are many helpful articles on this fine site and sometimes someone just needs assistance in finding them. I hope the following helps you.
First, I would ask if you are familiar with the difference between tongue bite and tongue burn. If not, please read the third paragraph down in this article.
Second, carefully read (and repeat reading) this entire article. The advice about puffing is essential in my opinion. Even though you say that you are not smoking too fast, if your pipe is packed properly, then I would say you are if you pipe is more than warm.
Good luck, practice, give it some time, and let us know if things improve.

 

[bigvan]

I agree with fshu2. I smoked 1Q for over 10 years and just assumed that tongue bite was part of the smoking process. Then I tried a high quality English blend (McClelland's British Woods, I believe) and the tongue bite was GONE.

 

[spyder71]

I have discovered that most aro's light my mouth on fire! It wasn't until I learned a lot of tobaccos use propaline glycol*sp(PG)as a suspender for the flavorings and such. I have been mildly allergic to PG my whole life and when I put 2 and 2 together I quit ALL aro's and have since been able to enjoy my pipes without the fire and redness of before. I only mention it because I stumbled across the info by accident and thought it may be worth a try. For me a tell tale sign was redness of the tongue, roof, and gums. Also, when I mentioned this experience to my Tobacconist he pulled out a sheet that described allergic and other tobacco related reactions. Turns out PG reactions are quite common according to him and my experience fit the description to a T. It's all good though because I like the taste of non-flavored tobaccos and "room note" isn't a big concern. Strong English blends rock!

 

[menckenite]

cortez,
Thank you for your post and the link. I've never considered this issue could be caused by the pipe. I've only considered two parts of the equation: The smoker or the tobacco (and nine time out of ten it being the smoker). I have to change my ways of thinking on this now.

 

[lordofthepiperings]

All I smoke is aromatics and I hardly ever get tongue bite. I think it's not so much how fast or slow you smoke, but more so the way in which you bring in the smoke. If I just sip on it lightly and easily like I'm sipping on a nice wine everything usually goes fine, but when I guzzle it down like a Gatorade after a hockey game my tongue bites like hell. So after learning to sip gently and less often I've almost completely lost the tongue bite problem.

 

[whitebriar]

slightly different tack--
if by chance you are on any medicines (who isn't?) they may affect you in that way--i have a BP med that causes mouth irritation--Cyndi mentioned that peroxyl mouthwash--that is good--i also use hydrogen peroxide mixed with my regular mouthwash--should be about the same thing--works for me--

 

[romeowood]

LOTPR and whitebriar are making very good points, OP. Don't be discouraged by the occasional bite from aromatics, back off on the cadence and adjust your smoking to fit the blend. Also a little investigation may help determine how much your body chemistry is playing into it--note when you smoke after meals, the beverages you drink, of course the blends you smoke, et cetera, and then look for commonalities. Sometimes just switching from a burley to a Va will counter tongue bite. Sometimes it's the steak you ate for dinner and the vitamin you took.

 

[ssjones]

The articles William suggested are of course spot on. I eliminated tongue bite by switching from aromatics and learning how to smoke properly. I suspect the learning aspect had more to do with my success than my choice of tobaccos. I am gravitating towards mild English blends at the same time. Packing is hard to describe, it's definitely a "feel" thing. I also don't try to get the absolute last of the bowl. If the bottom of the bowl doesn't want to stay lit, I dump it out. Experience cut my relights in half, which was another tongue bite problem for me. I like my Vector butane insert for that purpose. I don't have to "beat up" the tobacco or pipe top as much with the insert and keep the flame adjusted way down.
This last sentence in the 2nd article sums it up nicely:

Less packing, less tamping, less aggressive lighting and slower puffing equals more enjoyment. Make the time to learn new habits.

 

[choch]

could someone elaborate a little bit on the 'pinch test' to gauge if a tobacco is too wet?
Cheers,
Craig

 

[lordofthepiperings]

The pinch test is just pinching together a bit of the tobacco from the tin/pouch and if it sticks together and stays clumped up it's too wet. Everyone has their own preferences as to how moist or dry they like their tobacco, but if it's so moist it's still staying clumped together like that it definitely will need a little drying out (leave the tin or pouch open for about 15 minutes and try the pinch test again) otherwise it will be difficult to light, stay lit, and will more than likely gurgle like hell when you smoke the moisture out of the to tobacco at the bottom of the bowl.

 

[unclearthur]

I like my tobacco dry but not as Dad used to say "Dry as a popcorn fart"

 

[nathaniel]

"Dry as a popcorn fart"

:rofl: :laughat: I'm not sure how this thread can go on after a post like that. 8O

 

[cortezattic]

I just found a treatise on the subject: Tongue Bite The Bane Of Pipe Smokers by David Peterson.

 

[thesmokindragon]

After smoke'in a year now, no bite...mouth a leather-strap

 

[romeowood]

The introduction of burning vegetable matter to the human body is outside its normal operating parameters, period. There's an adjustment period with pipes, for sure; whether you've been chugging cigars or cigarettes for decades, your mouth and sinuses will experience a bit of a willy-nilly moment when you first take up the pipe (forgive the technical jargon). Learning how not to get bitten is half the fun, from where I'm standing--balance out the alkalinity with an acidic beverage like tea or coffee, balance out the blends you smoke, balance your own smoking cadence and packing...it's all about balance, in the end.