A question about "layering."

[Airborne]

Since I returned from my fourteen year hiatus from pipe smoking, I’ve heard a new term that I’m not familiar with: layer - as in “ . . . this billiard is stacked nicely for those who enjoy layering.”

I don’t get it!

 

[old_salt]

Think Neopolitan Ice Cream , where you have vanilla Chocolate & Strawberry.

Now think tobacco, load up your pipe with 2 or more blends. A light tamp between layers to minimize mixing . then fire the puppy up

 

[Airborne]

Think Neopolitan Ice Cream , where you have vanilla Chocolate & Strawberry.

Now think tobacco, load up your pipe with 2 or more blends. A light tamp between layers to minimize mixing . then fire the puppy up

Very clearly stated. Now I understand. Have you layered? Is it worth doing?

Thanks Old Salt.

 

[MisterE]

I love parfaits. I usually keep it to two blends but sometimes more.

Once in a while I'll add some tobacco on top of a DGT´d bowl. If I have a half bowl left and was enjoying it I'll just fill the bowl back up with that blend or perhaps something else. In some cases it really guite good. I blow some warm air through the pipe to rehydrate the previous tobacco before lighting. Worth a try.

 

[Airborne]

I love parfaits. I usually keep it to two blends but sometimes more.

Once in a while I'll add some tobacco on top of a DGT´d bowl. If I have a half bowl left and was enjoying it I'll just fill the bowl back up with that blend or perhaps something else. In some cases it really guite good. I blow some warm air through the pipe to rehydrate the previous tobacco before lighting. Worth a try.

Would Maltese Falcon and a black cavendish work well with layering or should the blends be closer together?

 

[MisterE]

I love parfaits. I usually keep it to two blends but sometimes more.

Once in a while I'll add some tobacco on top of a DGT´d bowl. If I have a half bowl left and was enjoying it I'll just fill the bowl back up with that blend or perhaps something else. In some cases it really guite good. I blow some warm air through the pipe to rehydrate the previous tobacco before lighting. Worth a try.

Would Maltese Falcon and a black cavendish work well with layering or should the blends be closer together?

Well, those two are kind of opposite ends of the spectrum but hey, why not? You might end up liking it.

I'll usually keep them within related genres or not too far off. A Va flake mixed with Vaper flake for example. One I've been enjoying a lot lately is Peterson's Irish flake mixed with GH Brown flake. Very good.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

I've done it to lighten up tobacco I've been less fond of, however, if it's a success, I usually just end up mixing the two. :lol:

Works best with aromatics, in my experience.

 

[SteveHorsfall]

Also christened, by someone on 'Smokers Forum', a 'mixed grill', which I think is a good name for it. Why 'parfait'? It's perfect if you like it, but not if you don't.

 

[Natch]

Recently, I've been layering several of my favorite Lakeland scented flakes below a lighter, Virginia tobacco. I find the heat from the burning tobacco above lets the Lakeland flavors really come forward for the first half of the bowl, before flame gets down to the lower level. Quite enjoyable. But usually I blend/mix two or more tobaccos when I'm in the mood to combine.

Natch

 

[calipuffer]

I find the heat from the burning tobacco above lets the Lakeland flavors really come forward for the first half of the bowl, before flame gets down to the lower level.

I like this concept. There are some aromatics that I like, but find the "aromatic" quality is too quickly lost in the hot coal. I will try putting the aromatic in first then a mild burley on top, hopping to enjoy the aromatic flavoring a bit longer.

 

[dshpipes]

The Rad Davis is going to see some layering now. Glad this got posted as I'd heard about this a while back but never tried it!

 

[idbowman]

I've dabbled with a bit, but to be honest its kind of hit and miss. The thing is, it's not the progression of tastes and nuances that I like about layering, it's the blended taste as one layer begins to melt into the next...so I usually end up like Kyle. I figure, if my favorite part is when the blends come almost fully together, I'd be happiest figuring out a good ratio and mixing them up right from the start!

I guess I like it more as a concept than as a method.

 

[LIPIPE]

Airborne: John, you asked a question regarding Maltese Falcon and Black Cavendish and I don't believe you received an answer so here's one from your buddy:

I love to layer tobaccos in large oom pauls. The best pipes for multiple layers obviously are those with tall bowls. Penzance is great for layering with other blends. I've also smoked Maltese Falcon and I have Black Cavendish. Layering tobaccos enables the smoker to experience the distinct flavors of each tobacco as the burn proceeds with the smoke being slighly "adjusted" by the subsequent layers below the burn layer. Layering a bowl is the opposite of mixing blends and then loading. I'm sure by now you have the picture. Insofar as the Falcon and cavendish.....I've added a pinch or two of Black Cavendish to a bowl load of balkan tobacco that I found to be sour and flat tasting. The cavendish acts as a sweetner and it made the balkan tobacco sample that I was given acceptable to smoke. I don't enjoy smoking black cavendish straight because it is far to sweet for me. If you find Maltese Falcon too latakia laden, you might certainly fold some cavendish into a one bowl at a time mix to get your smoke just the way you like it. If you have not smoked Balkan Sasieni you might try some. It's a lat blend with orientals and virginia's and it is sweeter and tastier than Maltese Falcon. Happy puffing brother.

 

[SweetSmokeLover]

Think Neopolitan Ice Cream , where you have vanilla Chocolate & Strawberry.

Don't laugh but.... I've done that. Put in chocolate tobacco, then a layer of vanilla and a pinch of cherry on top. lol Just smoking a little bit of cherry doesn't bite my tongue as bad as a full bowl, but still get the nice cherry aroma.
:bounce:

 

[LIPIPE]

Sounds outstanding. That pipe needs to be accompanied by a banana daiquiri and enjoyed poolside. Bravo!

 

[dshpipes]

Think Neopolitan Ice Cream , where you have vanilla Chocolate & Strawberry.

Don't laugh but.... I've done that. Put in chocolate tobacco, then a layer of vanilla and a pinch of cherry on top. lol Just smoking a little bit of cherry doesn't bite my tongue as bad as a full bowl, but still get the nice cherry aroma.
:bounce:

Not gonna lie, that sounds pretty brilliant.

 

[alfredo_buscatti]

In practice layering may be good; in theory, which is all I've got, I can't appreciate it. If I want to smoke a tobacco, I want to smoke that tobacco. I don't want to smoke 2 or 3 tobaccos but just one. Appreciating the flavor twists and turns of just one tobacco as the smoke progresses is flavor variation enough for me.

 

[LIPIPE]

Alfredo: I'm with you completely with respect to the purity of a one tobacco smoke. I'm the guy, you know, who started the thread on quality control after detecting a subtle change in a blend. Layering, is just a fanciful change of pace. It is more playing with a pipe and some leftover tobacco in a pipe more than anything else. My occasional layer will be some unburnt penzance between some Beck's Ol' Limey Bastard, "oreo style". You see, I never waste even a shread of leaf. I don't make tuty fruity layers because I don't buy berry cobbler tobacco. My layers are stinky delicious latakia smokes girls hate. So fret no longer, my house is a man cave.