Total NooB - couple of easy questions.

[gahboo]

All,

Hello, this is my first post. I have been smoking about 4 months now, and I have finally progressed to the point where I am not consistently BBQing my tongue with each bowl. I do have a couple of questions that I have not found by searching the forum. Insight would be welcome.
1.) Does burley benefit from aging? I am liking burley a lot, especially Solani ABF.

2.) Why do I get hot spots in the bowl sometimes? I mean REALLY hot spots. The bowl can be progressing nicely, my cadence does not noticeably change, then bam, I get an inferno in the bowl. Is this because I am packing with inconsistent density of tobacco in the bowl?

3.) I often get a short period of bite upon lighting and in the first couple of puffs, then I compress the tobacco a bit, and it seems to go away. Again, I suppose I am packing too lightly?

4.) Am I right in assuming that tobacco that is too dry will bite me more?

5.) Finally, I have tried to smoke "chunky" tobaccos, like Frog Morton and some Pease blends which are combinations of ribbon and chunks and just cannot get them to light and burn consistently. I have tried drying it, rubbing out more, cutting the tobacco into smaller pieces with scissors, packing firmly, drizzling it in with no packing. Nothing seems to work. FM just drives me freeking crazy. It just wont burn. Is there some secret to this cut of tobacco?
I can get ribbons, thin flakes, and cube cuts to burn, but these chunky cuts are very challenging to me. Your advice would be greatly appreciated.
Man, I had no idea that there was so much to learn in this hobby. It is amazing really, and I thought getting a cigar to burn perfectly was a challenge...

 

[hobie1dog]

Welcome to the forum, and it's good that you have alot of questions this early. There will be many responses hopefully. I'm not very intelligent when it comes to pipe smoking, but many on here are.

 

[judcole]

Welcome to pipe smoking and to the forum. Let me toss out a couple of answers.
Burley does not benefit from aging. A burley/Virginia blend might, I would think,if there were a good amount of good quality Virginia leaf in there.
I have never heard about tobacco that is too dry biting more.
I have not had the experience you have had with those mixed cuts. As a non-fan of the Frogs,my advice is to pitch 'em. :P

 

[mluyckx]

Welcome to the forum !
There's smarter guys here that will be able to help with the packing. On the Frog Morton side, I hated it, got rid of them long time ago. So can't really help you with that one either.
One thing though, don't mistake "burn" for "bite". Bite is a chemical reaction to the tobacco, burn is about hot tobacco. So yes, dry tobacco burns hotter and faster, so can burn your tongue more easily.
Master Pease wrote a good article about that a while ago on this forum

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.

Hope you get some answers on the rest... and again, welcome. Sit back, relax and enjoy the ride ;-)

 

[crpntr1]

Welcome aboard. With the "chunky cuts" I found they smoke better in a more widely designed bowl, like a pot shape. I don't pack any differently for them.

 

[crpntr1]

And yes I think Burley does benefit from aging, I could be wrong, but at my house it does

 

[brewshooter]

1.) Does burley benefit from aging? I am liking burley a lot, especially Solani ABF.

2.) Why do I get hot spots in the bowl sometimes? I mean REALLY hot spots. The bowl can be progressing nicely, my cadence does not noticeably change, then bam, I get an inferno in the bowl. Is this because I am packing with inconsistent density of tobacco in the bowl?

3.) I often get a short period of bite upon lighting and in the first couple of puffs, then I compress the tobacco a bit, and it seems to go away. Again, I suppose I am packing too lightly?

4.) Am I right in assuming that tobacco that is too dry will bite me more?

5.) Finally, I have tried to smoke "chunky" tobaccos, like Frog Morton and some Pease blends which are combinations of ribbon and chunks and just cannot get them to light and burn consistently. I have tried drying it, rubbing out more, cutting the tobacco into smaller pieces with scissors, packing firmly, drizzling it in with no packing. Nothing seems to work. FM just drives me freeking crazy. It just wont burn. Is there some secret to this cut of tobacco?

I'll do my best, but I'm no expert:
1) Not sure on this, Virginias definitely benefit.

2) Could just be the nature of the pipe, weaker/thinner spots in the briar. I know I have several pipes that get REALLY hot on the bottom when I get down towards the heel. I have to be careful when smoking those pipes too quickly.

3) I get this when I'm lighting the pipe mostly. I always assumed it's just that the torch/match flame is giving me the hottest smoke I'm ever going to get from the pipe.

4) It may burn hotter. Many complain that wet tobacco tends to produce steam. So, it seems like a balancing act when it comes to moisture level.

5) Just do the best you can. I cut up a rope the other day and ended up with these gigantic pieces of tobacco. It was a pain to get lit, but, once it got going, it actually burned okay.
Welcome to the hobby!

 

[spartan]

Welcome to the wonderful (sometimes frustrating) world of pipes and tobacco lol.
Now about this Frog Morton dillema you seem to have. I really can't relate. It lights and burns so easily for me I couldn't imagine anyone having a problem with it.
So try it in different pipes, and/or dry it out. Leave a bowl or two worth of tobacco and dry it out overnight or for two days. There shouldn't be a problem once it's been properly dried.
The bite you get from the first few puffs could be from the way you are lighting your pipe? Not sure if you're using a lighter or match, some lighter fuels produce an effect on the tongue like tongue bite. Since it goes away after you light the bowl I think that could be your problem. Try a different fluid or matches, or different matches.
Hot spots in bowls, blame it on the briar. If the same spot is always hotter than others no matter what kind of packing or what kind of tobacco is used then it's a flaw in the briar and might burn out over time, or might not. It's a guessing game. Treat it regularly and it'll happen when it happens.

 

[tiltjlp]

In spite of the widespread myth that Burley doesn't age, yes it does, but in more subtle ways than other type of tobacco, As for your other questions, and general information to help you improve your technqie, you my want to read my Primer. While it was written for corncob smokers, the advice works for all sorts of pipes.
http://pipedia.org/index.php?title=The_Complete_Corncob_primer

 

[gahboo]

Thanks for the info folks. On the couple of bowls I smoked today, I tried to hold the lighter where the yellow flame just kissed the top of the tobacco instead of holding it really close. I also concentrated on doing really gentle puffs with several charring lights instead of just sucking and sucking on it. That seemed to help a lot on the initial tongue bite issue.
I will read the primer. Again, thank you guys for the datapoints. I lurk here a lot and will "pipe up" if I need more help.

 

[baronsamedi]

I also concentrated on doing really gentle puffs with several charring lights instead of just sucking and sucking on it.

That right there and just sipping will do wonders for you! Think sipping on iced tea, not a milkshake. If you're having trouble pulling the flame down, you may be packing too tight, also.
I always tell people when gravity filling that on the first fill, just tamp it hard enough to get to the midway mark. On the second fill just tamp hard enough to get it below the rim and on the last fill just tap in some smaller-cut pieces to help combustion. I also test my draw after the second and third. if the draw is too free (no resistance) you can always tamp a little more. If the draw is too tight, it's easier to redo before you light it!

 

[gwynclan]

Froggy in a wider pipe should help like metioned as

above. Welcome and cheers.

 

[cigrmaster]

To make sure you never get tongue bite, just do what I do. Before lighting up I stick my tongue in a jar of vasoline, works every time. :lol:
Seriously though, it is just going to take time to learn all there is to know about smoking a pipe. Just keep asking questions and eventually you will get it. Hell if I am not careful I can still fry my tongue from overzealous puffing.

 

[gahboo]

Man, I made total progress this weekend. I actually smoked Virginias all weekend with not a trace of bite! I am so excited! It is amazing how differently the tobacco tastes when smoked cool. For those "chunky" tobaccos, I also went with a bigger bore pipe and it made a wold of difference. I was trying to smoke them in a 19mm bowl, and when I went to the 22mm bowl, it made a world of difference. Thanks for helping improve my smoking guys. I also discovered that the moisture content of the tobacco makes a huge difference - I was smoking it too dry, hence the inferno phenomenon. I went a little moister with a wider pipe, and voila. The tobaccos are TOTALLY different.

 

[spartan]

Yeah, I always thought these yahoos were full of horse poo when they were telling me things like, "your tobacco is too dry"
The moisture content can really make it sing for you when it's juuuust right.

 

[baronsamedi]

It certainly feels great when you have a smoke and know you got it juuuuust right!