Transitioning from Prince Albert to other tobaccos

[kaboom]

Ok I know x-posting is bad mmmmkay but apparently this isn't getting much feedback at all in its current location so I've decided to place another thread in this forum in my quest for total pipe knowledge and mastery.
After a very rocky start with piping, I decided to stick to a couple of pipes and Prince Albert until I had my technique down. Its been about 2 or 3 months of smoking nothing but Prince Albert, mainly in a couple of MM pride cobs, and I am finally at the point where i'm consitently enjoying my smokes, not getting burnt or bitten and getting through the bowl with minimal relights (well minimal as opposed to the previous DOZENS of relights, let's say 4 or so per bowl) almost to the bottom with little dottle. There's a little moisture buildup but my pipes don't gurgle, even the briars. I'm using a codger scoop/two step method.
If i switch pipes, the experience is not as good but I can still enjoy it. However any of the few times I have tried smoking other tobaccos it has been an unmitigated disaster. Back to hot, bitey smoke and impossible to keep lit. I've tried EMP, squadron leader, vintage syrian and Samarra, Peterson perfect plug and Mac Baren Modern Virginia and I always have the same problems. Now I know that PA is easy burning but come on, I would expect to be able to at least smoke other blends once I'm able to smoke PA without any problems!
Any ideas as to where I may be going wrong? I love the taste of english blends but they're still way too much frustration for me. I can't wait to start sampling the wonderful world of blends out there!
Thanks in advance for your time and schooling!

 

[misterlowercase]

Did you cube cut the PPP and gravity fill?
I've never been bitten by PPP.
You might like Sillem's London,

it's one of my favorite Lats,

I have problems with Oriental biting me for some reason, and the Sillem's doesn't have any, it's also on the sweet side like PA kind of.
If you can smoke high nic baccy,

I'd suggest GH Kendal Kentucky because it's a shag and burns with ease.
Experiment with different packing techniques.
Experiment with different tobacco moisture levels.
You've had a good strategy so far I think and if you keep at it,

it'll all come together.

::

 

[youngsterpuffer]

Prince albert is generally a mild tobacco, and switching to something like Squadron Leader is a big change for your mouth. You are most likely not used to such thick or heavy smoke. If you keep smoking it, you will find your mouth and taste buds will adjust. It's just about finding a blend you like, and sticking with it.

 

[crusher47]

Maybe your packing the English blends too tight? How fast are you smoking?

 

[jazz]

I too have had my best smokes with PPP after cube cutting. Also Squadron Leader always needs drying for me other wise I end up with a steamy tasteless smoke which is unpleasant. EMP I find demands to be sipped to get the best out of.
I find that each tobacco I smoke likes to be treated a certain way. It just takes a little time to learn how to treat it.

 

[misterlowercase]

I find that each tobacco I smoke likes to be treated a certain way. It just takes a little time to learn how to treat it.

+1
So true,

no doubt.

 

[davidintexas]

With me I have found that letting it sit and dry out a good while, longer than you might think, before stuffing into the pipe, has helped my experiences quite a bit. Also, when I switched to the "swirl" method of loading the pipe, more often than not that helped as well. I dry every blend probably longer than most here, and while that might affect the taste some, for me it seems to have been key. Also, I sip all my blends, not puffing them, so that has helped with the "bites". I've been working at this for about 18 months or so, so I'm still a newbie, and like you, starting out was very frustrating with continual relights and bite, and it has taken me this long to have a marked improvement. I only smoke a couple of times a week, weather permitting, so that is why it has taken me so long, but it has been worth it. Good luck, and hang in there. :puffpipe:

 

[ejames]

I smoke a lot of PA and Carter hall. I'd quit smoking if I couldn't get those two. I like Virginias but they tend to bite me, although I do keep some of several VA blends for change of pace smokes.Don't like latakia so I don't smoke English blends etc.

You might try some Mac Baren Symphony. It is burley based with just a little VA and some cavendish. I really like it and have started to stock up on it.

 

[jackson1]

PA and Carter Hall are my choices in burley tobaccos. However, I do step off the deep end with Frog Morton blends and I have a soft spot in my head for Gawiths Best Brown Flake.

 

[jackson1]

I should add that Nor'easter and Churchwarden, from Watch City Cigar Co. both tend to blow my hat in the crick. Some of my best moments are spend with a Peterson Kinsale and Dominican Glory tobacco.

 

[andrew]

Use the rule of 3's. When packing fill up the pipe, pack it down half way, fill it up again to the top, pack it down 3/4's, fill it again and pack it just under the lip of the bowl. You should be able to sip on the pipe and it should feel like you're drinking from a coffee straw/stir stick, thin straw etc..
When lighting light the bowl, let it go out, tamp it down. Light it again, let it go out, tamp it down. Light it again, and now you're ready to smoke. These are the 2 pointers that started me off to happy smoking. And sip slowly or you'll bite the heck out of your tongue.

 

[phil67]

This may sound like a rather ridiculous question, but seeing that PA smokes so well and tends to stay lit even if smoked while taking a shower I have a question to the OP. Are you making use of a tamper while smoking other blends? The use of proper tamping occasionally is VERY important. PA is a good start/learner tobacco and I smoke it a few times each week and thoroughly enjoy it. However, going to other tobaccos can be quite a drastic change from PA as they each have their own peculiarities as for packing, and most importantly drying time before you pack a bowl. PA and CH can get one rather spoiled as to their relative ease of keeping them lit (even without tamping at times), so there is indeed a bit of a learning curve with other tobaccos due to their inherent moistness and cut, and of cf course the packing method. Just give it time, don't give up and I'm sure you'll get their. I have no patience whatsoever and yet I've been doing this for a long time. Even then, I do on occasion get a tad pissed off with certain bowls/tobaccos, but more often than not it's my fault. As they say: Shit happens at times! Be patient... :wink:

 

[buroak]

I just posted most of what follows this in another thread, but it seems relevant here, too.
You may want to try not packing the bowl tightly. When I first started smoking a pipe I followed all of the handed down wisdom about packing a bowl. The result was poor draw, frequent relights, and a lot of gurgling. Before giving up on the enterprise of pipe smoking I decided to set aside the conventional wisdom and fill my bowls with barely any packing at all (I think my method is probably what misterlowercase calls "gravity fill"). In truth, I only touched the tobacco to move it around the bowl to avoid large air pockets - there was scarcely any packing involved. I would then light the tobacco and begin using my tamper to get a good draw and consistent burn. My tamper was almost always going back in the bowl to pack the tobacco as it burned. I found that my draw was much improved, relights were few, and gurgle had nearly ceased to be a problem (though I still ran a pipe cleaner down the stem and shank periodically). This practice was annoying in its own way, but over time I got a feel for how I should actually be packing my bowl before I lit the tobacco. Once my method gave me a better feel for packing a bowl pre-light, the whole practice of pipe-smoking clicked. I have been a happy smoker ever since.
I am not sure if my method was sound, but it kept me from giving up on pipes. Unbeknownst to me a good friend of mine also adopted the same practice with good results. In our conversations we look back on the process with grudging fondness for its success, while complaining about the steep angle of our learning curves. Our conversations are now nearly always punctuated by lengthy, slow draws on pipes filled with properly packed

tobacco.
As it turned out for me the conventional wisdom about packing a bowl was not wrong, but my initial interpretation of that wisdom was inaccurate.

 

[wlrountree]

The one thing that really helped me in the beginning, other than getting away from the b&m aros was the frank method of packing. It's kinda tricky to get right, and I still mess it up sometimes, but I've found with that technique, I get a more consistent smoke. Now, he claims there is no need to tamp with the method. I've done it perfectly, to the bottom, no tamping once. I usually just tamp like I would with a three step pack.

 

[saltedplug]

I can't think of a single reason why when you smoke something other than Prince Albert, the quality of the smoke should suffer. I'd view this as bump in the road rather than portending of the future. You're doing something differently or you wouldn't be getting different results. I like the idea above that you've changed something because the tobacco is different, perhaps because the taste is so different; along the same lines, you might be anxious about the change you're trying to make, and the anxiety is causing you to change something. Your record of success with the OTCs is meaningful, and perhaps you should go back, re-establishing success, and then try to make the change again.

 

[mso489]

Maybe try some bulk tobaccos in small amounts, to keep the cost low and try more blends. C&D has a number of

tasty bulk blends that are burley forward. You probably want to stay with milder examples, but I have been surprised

to find that the "full strength" blends seem to bite the least, if you can do the nicotine. Lanes and Altadis have some

good mild blends, such as Lanes Burley Without Bite, that might work for you. Slow down your cadence. I think you've

gotten some other good advice on this thread, so I won't repeat.