| Author | Message | ||
     Jeff Member Username: Smokinoboe Post Number: 27 Registered: 09-2008 |
Hi everyone, I've enjoyed reading these posts for the past two years or so-- there's one thing I keep reading this and that about, and I can't quite decipher what you mean: How do you determine what size/shape bowl most suitably complements what kind of tobacco? (general terms, ie: VA flake, aromatics, burleys, english-- paired with bowl size, etc.) Thanks! | ||
| Todd Bannard Member Username: Sasquatch Post Number: 686 Registered: 05-2006 |
I think it's personal, Jeff. I can tell you the combinations that tend to work for me, but it's based on how I pack, how I smoke, and the cuts of tobaccos in general. I have very low nicotene tolerance, so big pipes are not used for strong blends. A lot of people will say that flakes are best smoked in a not-too-big pipe - say 3/4" bore and maybe 1.5" deep at most. But I also get excellent smokes with flakes in extra large conically drilled danish pipes, but the packing method is completely different. Mood and time of day play a role - a huge heavy pipe for your day time "active" smoke is probably silly. Save that pipe for your 2 hour bedtime smoke. And finally, certain pipes seem to bring certain flavors forward, regardless of being otherwise equivalent to other pipes. The internal mechanics, the briar, the shape of the mouthpiece can all play a role. So sometimes you have a "magic" smoke in a particular pipe, and in my mind, that pipe will get reserved for that tobacco, or that kind of tobacco. | ||
| Gabriel Houghton Member Username: Gabriel Post Number: 9 Registered: 04-2009 |
This is an excellent question that I cannot answwer but eagerly await responses from the more sage contributors to these posts. I started off smoking English blends so most of my pipes are devoted to them but since I've begun smoking VAs I use the two pipes I've acquired since that time for VAs. However, I didn't purchase the pipes on the basis of any understanding of what bowl size, shape, thickness etc. might best complement the smoking experience of the particular blend. Again, any light more experienced members of this forum can shed on the pairing of pipe and tobacco would be appreciated. | ||
| Harvey Click Member Username: Fafhrd Post Number: 1484 Registered: 03-2006 |
I just let my pipes figure out what tobaccos they prefer. | ||
| Drew Bahlmann Member Username: Smokingphoenix Post Number: 116 Registered: 08-2004 |
I've been on a 'pipe sabbatical' for the past few months (16 or so, give or take a few) and recently took up a pipe a day habit. I've found that no matter what tobacco I've been smoking, after a day of acclimation, the flavor is what I want, regardless of pipe. The only tobacco I've been smoking is Butera's Sweet Cavendish and of the past seven pipefulls I've smoked (in a Grabow freehand, Boswell sprial, S&R freehand, Kiess Volcano, Stanwell Majestic, Brigham prince, and an Upshall poker) only the last pipefull (the Upshall) was partially unpleasant. I think that may be due to the fact that I got the pipe in trade and haven't had the materials to give it a proper sweetening. I agree with Harvey in letting the pipes find what they like. Trial and error is the best way to find what works in most avenues of life, and pipe smoking is no exception. Good luck! | ||
| Jeff Member Username: Smokinoboe Post Number: 30 Registered: 09-2008 |
These are fantastic responses, thank you! I had a feelin' it might just be personal preference, but I'm anxious to test the waters and put a flake in a small bowl, etc. I have my favorites from the local shop, but I also suspect that my Boswell blends are the only quality leaf I've yet tried in the first place. Sometimes I get psychological by color-- I put the cherry blends in the darker, redder, pipes, and the sweeter cavendish in the really dark stained pipes, and the butter rum in the lighter stained pipes, and convince myself that it's a perfect fit. Strangely, I had a pleasant experience breaking one of my pipes in with Ashton's Artisan, then smoking sweet aromatics from it afterward. | ||
| Thomas Tkach Member Username: Thomas_tkach Post Number: 13 Registered: 07-2009 |
somewhat like you, Jeff, I use my bulldogs for English blends--I guess I just think of the actual breed. Otherwise I have randomly picked which pipes I will smoked what sort of blends in, with several pipes for each genre, so hopefully with time I'll start to notice differences. I'm guessing that this is akin to the difference in cigar vitolas within the same cigar blend. If that is the case, it is up to personal preference, because each blend is sold in a variety of sizes. | ||
| Ian Minton Member Username: Ian_minton Post Number: 57 Registered: 03-2008 |
I agree with the consensus that it's a personal preference... Myself, I enjoy Virginia and Virginia perique blends, and smoke them in every pipe I own. I reserve my Meerschaums for aromatics to smoke when the mood strikes me- which comes and goes with the changing winds. | ||
| Jeff Member Username: Smokinoboe Post Number: 36 Registered: 09-2008 |
I can go with personal preference, for sure. I'm finally coming around to really liking some english blends, but I find they're much better when they're "really" english, and not described as "mild." And mixing just a dash of cherry aromatic on top is usually a real delight for me. But I'm still baffled as to why many of the online retailers make the pitch that "this small size bowl is perfect for your virgina flakes." I suppose I can rationalize that the flake tobacco I've experienced as of late seems to burn much slower, so a bigger bowl of flakes might just take all day long-- or is this just a sales pitch? |