Best blend in a really large bowl?

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Blackhorse

Blackhorse

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I've got 4 pipes that have gigantic bowls. One is a Charatan Special X Pot, then there's the huge new CAO Meer (easily XL and kind of a Dublin with a slightly volcano shaped bowl that I just got, and a Danish P. Jeppersen 5 Poker with quite a long stem (almost Canadian-like...and REALLY tall), and a Mastro de Paja 1981 3A 3/4 bent apple.

So there are two with bowls that are normally proportioned, but BIG...the Charatan that is low and very, very wide...and the Jeppersen that is something like 2" tallwith a pretty stancard bore. Three different configurations, all behemoths. All my other pipes are what I could call normal sized (except a few that are small that I use for strong or stinky flakes and Tambolaka).

I normally smoke plugs and flakes...US and Brit stuff, most pretty strong. I smoke few if any blends with Latakia...by choice. I like a few Balkans, but not many. I love Burley blends and also VA/Per's. and have many, many 'other' tobaccos on hand to work with. I don't smoke what most would call 'aromatics' very often...nothin' against 'em, just don't like 'em much. My favorite tobaccos tend to be pretty straight blends with a strong and natural tobacco flavor. So I'm just wondering what you guys would suggest both in terms of cut (shag vs. flake vs. ?) and in terms of blends. Any thoughts on packing...standard vs. the Frank thing? Etc. Help me out here!
 
Still haven't found the right blend for that pot yet huh? Sorry bud, hopefully someone with more pot experience than I (so to speak ) will chime in with some suggestions.

Maybe some rubbed out jacknife plug? Just a wild guess based on it's packability. Reiner LGF, Stokebey Bullseye Flake and maybe Escudo comed to mind also...they kinda rub out into a nice ribbonish cut that wads up easilly and well and don't seem to suffer too much (to me) from rubbing out a bit.

I only do Lat on occasion, but Chelsea morning, DH 965 or EMP all seem to me as if they have a good cut for stuffin' and waddin', which is kinda what I think a big wide bowl like a pot needs, based on limited experience and research.

Thinking back, I seem to recall finding an old thread somewhere around here discussing this very topic. I'll see if I can find it.

As for the poker, I have a brissett poker that is definitely the tallest bowl in my racks, and probably has the most capacity. I have been using it for Old Joe Krantz for a while, but 3 friars seems to do even better in it. Might just be 'cause I like 3 friars better though :lol:
 
Here are a couple of tidbits i found with some searching...not a whole lot of info but might help a bit if you haven't seen them already.

Sas has a post in this thread that might shed some light: https://www.brothersofbriar.com/t7821-frustrations-with-new-pipe


And Neil Roan has some stuff to say about chamber geometry here: http://www.apassionforpipes.com/neills-blog/2010/10/28/finding-that-magic-fit-between-pipe-and-tobacco.html


Ctrl + F for "pot" on that one if you don't feel like readin the whole thing, but it is an interesting read. Mr Roan seems to feel that a big wide bowl favors English blends and that the shape "underscores" the "robustness and complexity".
 
Hmmm. Interesting suggestions. Re: the Charatan, I'll bypass the 905 and Chelsea a.m. due to the Latakia content...though perhaps Samarra or Durbar would be good (for some reason I like both of those, esp. Samarra). I tried a couple of rubbed out flakes and they were OK - but didn't really shine. I did a few very lightly crumpled flakes and those seemed to do better that a full rub. While reading your comments I got to thinking that maybe a blend that allowed a true gravity fill would be good. Something that had the consistancy of a cube cut...like maybe Edgeworth RR or something with a bunch of cubed Burley in it. I think C&D's Canal Boat, or maybe Pennington Gap. OH! I've got a tub of aged Nut Brown Burley! I should find something in that group that would give the story on how well cube cut does!

If you find that thread re: the large bowl pipes, etc. be sure to pass it along. I'd love to read it!
 
Big bowls do well with low-nicotene loose-cut mixtures. I mean, I guess a guy could ram a whole tin of FVF into a Maxima, but that's probably not good for you or the tobacco.

Certain tobaccos seems to need a little room to expand - I find the Mac Baren coins are this way. So I'll recommend my current favorite "sleeper" - Mac Baren Latakia Mixture. This is a virginia with a little latakia component just for depth. Natural, but pretty sweet. Smoked slow in a big pipe it SINGS.

If you want something with No latakia - hit the Club Blend. It's like a fake Va/Per I guess. But it comes out in a big bowl.
 
Allow me to soapbox for a moment here.

I enjoy big pipes. Real monsters. 7/8" wide by 2" deep is my "average" pipe.

I don't smoke strong mixtures in terms of nicotene. They make me feel ucky.

But. Big pipes come up to a sort of operational temperature that is... just lukewarm. And they stay there. And stay there. And stay there. They are SO easy to smoke, they just seem to dial right in. It takes probably 15 minutes to get the briar up to temperature, but once you do, it's just like hitting "Set Cruise" in the Cadillac.

Smoking along at a relatively low temperature, I find big pipes easier to keep lit and I also find that the flavor at this "just barely burning" temperature is far superior (as per Neill's blog).

So that's what I look for - medium/low nic blends, generally sweeter ones (a personal thing), and usually blends where I'm not looking for that hint of virgin-harvested honey or something super complicated. A big, long, easy smoke.

For flavor delineation, for "testing", I think small pipes are probably better. Big pipes muddle things up after an hour or so, ya know? But it's a good kind of muddled sometimes. :geek:
 
Frost - the Passion for Pipes article and subsequent comments were of great interest...though I took them as opinion rather that gospel. As I think on the Pot or Prince (square) vs. Dublin (conical) vs. Apple (rectangular) combustion chamber thing...I know why I like the Prince Shape so much. Maybe I'll just treat that Charatan as though it were a giant Prince (in shape) which I do know how to feed. If that IS the case, then it should handle Solani's Silver Flake really well. THAT, my friend, will be my next experiment! I'll let you know.

I'm still, however, shy on information as to bowls of great size - as opposed to normal sizes. Maybe I'll try Bing instead of Google.
 
I'm with Mr. E and Sasquach: I love a really large bowl with a low to light nic tobacco. Latakia is perfect to smoke in a large bowl. Penzance, Balkan Sasieni, Three Oaks Syrian, and GLP Oddessy come to mind.
 
Currently smoking Virginia Woods in a real deep bowl Butz-Choqin calabash (briar). I think what you really want is a blend that changes considerably over the course of a single smoke.

Tobacco reviews often report changes in flavour at the 25%, 50% and 75% mark. But would that be the same for a big bowl? Not in my experience. If I smoked a pipe that was half the size of this bowl (and I have some), by time I got to the end, it would essentially be the halfway point of this one (not exactly, because I think the interaction with the ash and dottle are factors, but you get my drift). So by time I get to to the bottom of this bowl, I'll be tasting things that smaller pipes can never deliver.

So exploit that.

(Virgina Woods might not be the best choice for that, but it wasn't my purpose when I filled it up.)
 
I'll occasionally smoke a big Preben Holm, or a Nording, and Latakia does seem the way to go. Davidoff Royalty or Dunhill London Mixture.
 
Good luck in your search, Blackhorse. I have pretty much given up on large pipes (I'm keeping the ones I have but not buying new ones). For me, most blends loose a lot in large bowls (say, size 6 and larger). In particular, they tend to loose sweetness and flavor intensity. But some blends completely change character.

To me, what saves big bowls are american blends, i.e., burley-based blends with little or no Latakia. GLP Cumberland and Robusto are two blends that seem to do well in large bowls. See if that works for you...
 
Blackhorse":156k3zae said:
. Something that had the consistancy of a cube cut...like maybe Edgeworth RR or something with a bunch of cubed Burley in it. I think C&D's Canal Boat, or maybe Pennington Gap. OH! I've got a tub of aged Nut Brown Burley! I should find something in that group that would give the story on how well cube cut does!
Click to expand...
You familiar w/ Uhles' Burleys? In particular I enjoy their blends #300 & Crushed White Burley. Both have a nice cube cut and gravity feed well. Both lean just a tiny bit toward the aro end of the spectrum, but not enough to detract from the actual tobac...for a while I smoked them exclusively in a Brissett that has a somewhat wide & deep bowl compared to alot of my other pipes and they did really well in it.
 
For a Magnum size bowl, I tried a "vertical sundae" approach a few times: A Virginia Flake (SG Full Virginia) in the center of the bowl, with some C&D Redwood packed around the flake. Smoked it VERY slow and kept tamping.....It was interesting, flavors pleasant, but not necessarily unique enough to do it routiinely given the hassle of packing the bowl. Magnum bowls are also suitable for layered "sundaes", but I have only done that a few of times.....I tried a Virginia topped with a Full English topped with a Virginia. Result was also pleasant, as the tobaccos transitioned; would not do it routinley, as I like to keep separate bowls for Latakia-based tobaccos versus Virginias. In any case, I recommend trying the various "sundae" approaches in large bowls just to try something different once in a while.
 
Hey Nero: I've done the layered smoke. I call it my oreo sandwich. Lots of fun as you hit layer upon layer. My favorite is Penzance in the middle layer. There is a definite change from one tobacco to the next.
 
I think there is the tendancy in all of us to believe information that corresponds to the prejudices we already hold. Thus the data...

what saves big bowls are american blends, i.e., burley-based blends with little or no Latakia
Click to expand...
...is doubtless true!! lol

All the help in the form of personal experiences and advice that's been freely given is most appreciated. The Uhle's blends would be new to me, Frost...but worthy candidates no doubt. I'll keep them in mind. As well the comments re: the benefits of Latakia in the large format bowls. Where used with a more subtle, condimental touch, Latakia and I can get along...and the sweet Orientals and I can be quite friendly.

All this leads me to think back on blends that have stood by me over time. I think there are a few of the VA/Per blends that deserve to be considered...like Night Train, and perhaps St. James Woods as just a couple with which to start. Also, as has been suggested, Cumberland and related items (I would also consider JackKnife to be among these) featuring American tobaccos such as Kentucky, Maryland, etc. and which may or may not contain subtle flavors or casings which enhance the original tobaccos, rather than bury them (Pennington Gap is an example). And in these C&D and GLP's offerings abound. So as this aspect of my quest dwindles down (as these threads tend to do) I feel that I should now take on the responsibility of my own search. Any of you with, um, large bowls...ahem...are free to join me as I proclaim the game, at least on my end of things, to be afoot!


To the bowls, men!
 
Just for the record, everybody probably knows I like my large bowls with large doses of latakia, but like you, I'm also a soon to be 63 year old and I to "Like mine large and in Pairs" . When I smoke a great large bowl, my pair grow even larger. At 63 I'm still grow'in and I'm damn proud of it. Tit men, we are!
 
I have several large pipes the biggest has a 1 inch by 2.5 inch bowl I usually smoke C&D Pirate Kake out of it.
 
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