Where do you Find Peak Enjoyment?

[hoipolloiglasgow]

I smoke mainly medium Englishes. My question is; where do you find the peak enjoyment in a blend? I have heard for some people it's in the beginning where as others it is later. Also, I've heard some say it is different for every blend they smoke. For me, regardless of what blend it is, after about 20 minutes of smoking-that is the best the bowl tastes and it stays that way til it gets close to the end. Even when it changes slightly it seems to be welcome. My palette adjusts to the blend after a bit and that's where I get the best smoke. What say you?

 

[Chasing Embers]

From start to finish.

 

[The Amish Tyrant]

I seem to get peak enjoyment just before the ladies of the house interrupt me and need something.

 

[El Capitán]

When the puppy is asleep.

 

[warren]

When I stand by the log pile, pipe in jaw, smoldering away and observe, after a few days at the splitter that, it is indeed stacked sufficiently for winter. I'm a bit full of myself and the pipe adds to that.

 

[Bbailey324]

Depends on the tobacco and pipe for me. Some tobaccos it seems to be early on, just having gotten it lit and a good ember established. Other blends I find to peak near the end of the bowl as flavors have evolved and concentrated and I'm smoking at a slight smolder.

 

[WerewolfOfLondon]

It depends. I find that with lakelands, the very start of the bowl is best for those specific flavours. However, the further you move down the bowl, the more those flavours dissipate, with the real tobacco flavours coming through. If it is not too heavily cased that is. If it is a heavy lakeland, like ennerdale, the lakeland flavour will remain till the last draw. A more sophisticated lakeland like coniston cut plug allows one to have half a bowl of lakeland, and another half of a seriously good vaber. Virginias and vapers meanwhile, only really start to taste good about a third of the way down. As ever though, YMMV.

 

[K.E. Powell]

Once I am past the charring light and the tobacco takes to the flame accordingly, that's when I get the most enjoyment. But the whole of it brings me joy. A nice pipe, a good beer, and some good music are the pieces of alchemy needed for me to transmute the baser things into true relaxation and joy.

 

[Grangerous]

With Granger it is “start to finish” as Granger maintains its flavor throughout. I happen to love that flavor, albiet-one dimensional, and I appreciate Granger’s ability to maintain its flavor. Not many blends can make this claim for me.

With the majority of other blends, including Pegasus; I enjoy the initial light most and first third to one half of the bowl.

Many will either fall flat at this point or change their flavor significantly.

Seldom is this change for the better. Despite what many others experience, unless I’m not paying attention, I’ll rarely reach the dottle.

On edit. And perhaps this is more helpful.. at about the 30 to 40 minute mark. I’m a slow, easy smoker and could easily coax an hour out of a bowl. If I want to go longer I prefer to dump and reload or grab the next pipe.

 

[hoipolloiglasgow]

It depends. I find that with lakelands, the very start of the bowl is best for those specific flavours. However, the further you move down the bowl, the more those flavours dissipate, with the real tobacco flavours coming through. If it is not too heavily cased that is. If it is a heavy lakeland, like ennerdale, the lakeland flavour will remain till the last draw. A more sophisticated lakeland like coniston cut plug allows one to have half a bowl of lakeland, and another half of a seriously good vaber. Virginias and vapers meanwhile, only really start to taste good about a third of the way down. As ever though, YMMV.

I hear you on that. I like Lakelands sometimes and the flavorings do come on strongest at the beginning. However, I like when the tobaccos marry with the sauce too. I taste the chocolate in Bob's Chocolate almost til the end of the bowl. It's wonderful and I'm not that big into aros. I only enjoy aros that have a stronger tobacco taste to them.

 

[WerewolfOfLondon]

I hear you on that. I like Lakelands sometimes and the flavorings do come on strongest at the beginning. However, I like when the tobaccos marry with the sauce too. I taste the chocolate in Bob's Chocolate almost til the end of the bowl. It's wonderful and I'm not that big into aros. I only enjoy aros that have a stronger tobacco taste to them.

Snap! Same as, can only have aros that are tobacco forward. Makes me wonder if they are aros at all though. Right now I'm smoking a bowl of Rum Flake, but somehow I just can't see it as an aro.

 

[hoipolloiglasgow]

Snap! Same as, can only have aros that are tobacco forward. Makes me wonder if they are aros at all though. Right now I'm smoking a bowl of Rum Flake, but somehow I just can't see it as an aro.

English aromatics/cross overs I call them. They definitely have casings and toppings, but they're using top quality tobaccos and they give a decent buzz too. Totally unlike the many strongly flavored light tobaccos/cavendished stuff used in Danish/American style aros.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Snap! Same as, can only have aros that are tobacco forward. Makes me wonder if they are aros at all though. Right now I'm smoking a bowl of Rum Flake, but somehow I just can't see it as an aro.

Just a few years ago, blends like Rum Flake, Glengarry Flake, and the like had nearly zero tobacco flavor. The topping was their defining characteristic.

 

[ThermionicScott]

When I started smoking a pipe, it never seemed to get better than the charring light. An explosion of flavor that was as close to the tin/pouch note as it would get. Then, progressively less flavor and more tongue bite, and the last third was a thankless slog if I didn't dump it out by that point.

Thankfully, things have improved a bunch and the middle third is very enjoyable, and the last third is usually decent. I've read some folks talk about bowls that got really sweet or the flavor took an unusual twist right at the end, but it hasn't happened for me yet. I assume that experience is waiting until I've learned to slow things down even more.

 

[OzPiper]

Flavour is always worst for me immediately after lighting up or after a relight. Flavour improves immeasurably after the cherry cools somewhat.
I seldom have a bad tasting dottle anymore - not since I started using meer chips or Nording Keystones regularly

 

[Singed]

Behind a lit pipe.

 

[anotherbob]

I seem to get peak enjoyment just before the ladies of the house interrupt me and need something.

They must have some kind of gland that senses the worst time to bug you. Every woman I have lived with has this gland.

 

[anotherbob]

As long as I am comfortable and not overly distracted.

 

[kcghost]

I enjoy my pipe the most when I have it burning properly and it is staying lit. Then I just concentratre on the smoke.

 

[RnjSch33]

For me it’s a Va/Per or a stout Va about the half way mark. Just starts to sing. Specifically a bowl of Stonehenge flake just seems to always come together at that halfway spot and the flavors meld to a creamy, chocolatey, mildly spicy, fruit symphony.