Grettings all.

My understanding at this point is that sugary Virginias are not responsible for tongue bite, as it is usually thought. But rather, a higher pH smoke, like Burley, is responsible for the dreaded bite, which seems to be a chemical burn of sorts. And that actually, mixing Virginia with Burley helps reduce the bite thanks to Virginia's natural sugar component.

If this is the case, would not choosing an acidic beverage to smoke with be another remedy? Especially something like Coca-Cola with its pH of 2.44? Sugary and acidic? Likewise, might something like Fiji water be a bad choice, due to its higher pH level? 7.5 which I believe is pH neutral for the human mouth. So, maybe that is the best choice? I think Coffee has a pH of 5 (average i guess), and Aquafina has a pH of 2!!

That is another good question with teas and coffees. Are there certain bean roasts that you like with certain blends? And might that have something to do with the pH level of both the coffee roast, vs the blend components?

I am just a simple musician, with NO real head for science, so I leave all the hard thinkin' to you fine gentlemen. This is just a thought I had, and I thought I'd get your input.

Cheers to all!

Jon


Jon

Hey Jon, I'm hoping Greg Pease will jump in on this one as he's definitely got the 411 on these issues. For me though anything carbonated bothers my tongue when I'm smoking and it seems it doesn't matter what type of tobacco or the beverage. Never understood how folks could drink beer and smoke a pipe at the same time. For me it seems that tea (green, oolong, black, etc.) seem to work the best for keeping my mouth right while I smoke. Maybe it depends more on personal body chemistry?

You drink carbonated beer? Beera-Cola?

Hi Jason. I find that a pipe and a pint of Guiness Stout go quite nicely together. So far I've tried it with burley and with english blends and both are scrumptious.

Carbonation can be naturally occurring or added as far as I'm aware... Being I drink cheap beer most of the time I'm guessing it is added anyway. So, yeah.

Amazing... I'd never heard of such a thing.

Beer is carbonated.

Where did you think the bubbles came from?

J I honestly never thought much about it... I guess I thought it was natural..

I understand Rum.. matter o fact me and Rum go waaaaaaay back.. Beer.. umm not so much, I know of beer but beer and I aren't really friends.

I'm definitely with Jason on this one, Tea (hot or iced) goes great with a pipe!

I'm by no means an expert, but this is one area that I have done some experimenting in. To be honest, in the end any sort of beverage has helped ease the bite. It is the experience during the smoke that is different.

Acidic beverages (beer, soda, etc...) - These drinks during the smoke really seems to irritate the tongue ten-fold when in the mouth, but make the tongue feel cooler after. I think there is a correlation between the amount of carbonation and the irritation that occurs. Soda seems to be a lot worse than any beer I have had a bowl with, which is really a shame cause I LOVE Dr. Pepper.

Water - Water really doesn't complement the taste of anything that I have found. The only thing it seems to do is keep the tongue wet and cool.

Tea - I don't have much experience with hot tea's, but iced tea is something that is truly delicious if you ask me and I will have a bowl with iced tea any day. I have not found it to bring out the flavor in any of the tobacco's I am currently smoking, but I've no doubt there is something out there that it will do so to. Both the hot tea and the iced tea also cool the tongue. Hot tea I found can sting a bit if the tongue is already irritated, but it is by no means as bad as the acidic beverages.

And that is my two cents. Perhaps it is worth something?

Tongue bite, in my opinion, isn't the result of any one thing for all pipe smokers ... we all have different body chemistries, and there are many things that will cause bite. For instance, some people have serious trouble with burlies, while I can go through 6 or 7 bowls of burley in a day with no bite. My absolute maximum number of bowls of Va per day, however, is two before my tongue is a throbbing mess (and that includes English/Balkan mixtures).
How fast you smoke, how hot you let the tobacco get, the moisture level of the tobacco, the type of flavoring added ... all of these things can make your tongue feel like it's been ripped to pieces while having absolutely no effect on the next guy.

For me, colas are the absolute worst thing I can drink while smoking. Teas, on the other hand, actually seem to help ease the bite. Citrus juices also can help, as will coffee. Biotene mouthwash is sometimes an effective treatment ....

Again, though, I'd be cautious about drawing any universal conclusions about tongue bite or what eases it. Find what works for you, and stick with it!

Gentlemen, You're all missing the universal beverage that negates any concern of pH or body chemistry; Bourbon. Cheap, expensive, straight up, on the rocks it doesn't matter. Drink copious amounts before and during smoking any pipe/tobacco combination and there will be no concern or awareness of tongue bite, (or the tongue for that matter).

My work here is done,

Natch

Red wine curbs tounge bite.