BURLEY BITE OR VA BITE WHAT IS YOURS SURVEY

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RDPipes

RDPipes

Mental Illness is a Terrible thing to Waste!
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I’m going to try and do a survey to see why some have bite when only smoking one of the two, Burley or Virginia’s. Yes, I know we or at least most of us say it’s body chemistry but, I want to see if what we have done in the past; smoking cigarettes or not or just what one consumes over time has anything to do with how our chemistry forms.
The questions I would like answered are; if Burley bites you, did you ever or do you still smoke cigarettes?
If Va’s bite you, the same question.
I ask this because I don’t know of anybody besides you all and others on forums who smoke a pipe. If this proves to hold any water or not maybe we can look into what region you live and use that by what is normally consumed by those of that region. But, lets hope not, I think that can get way too confusing. Now, this is for just mine and your entertainment, no real scientific research here just inquisitive nature.
 
Burley for me. I smoked cigarettes occasionally in my 20's but never over any extended period time and I haven't smoked a cigarette is 15 years at least.

For me I think the processing of the tobacco has a lot to do with it. I have no problems with steam pressed burley flakes like Solani ABF, Mac Baren ODF, or G&H Dark Flake, yet simple standard Burleys bite me like a rabid dog.
 
A part of my family up in N. Carolina raised and sold Tobacco when I was younger (Virginia Brightleaf) and I remember when I went to th tobacco sale barns in Durham and walked into the barns where They were selling Burley and Kentucky 'bac I would start to sneeze uncontrollably and I was in my early teens then !! I tried several all Burley blends when I started smoking ( Granger in particular) and thought sneezing and watery eyes were just what happened when you smoked !! Then I found Va's and Orientals and all got BETTER !! I am aware that ALL blends/mixtures EXCEPT two have some Burley in them ( our resident expert on ALL things pipe Yuk SAYS SO !!:twisted: ) but if so the amts used are small enough NOT to bother me. :twisted: :twisted: 
 
I get a bite from some burley, cavendish, or (perhaps unsurprisingly) burley/cavendish blends, but it's not absolute.
 
I smoked cigs once upon a time, but not for very long and never a heavy volume. I don't really have a problem with biting regardless of the base tobacco, so I guess my experience is pretty much just anecdotal...no real "vote" to cast here!
 
I chose the last option, but I rarely ever have been tongue bit (bitten?). The only blend that bites me 100% of the time is the new Elizabethan Mixture. Other than that I have occasionally been bitten by MacBaren's Navy Flake, when I let it get too dry.

I have never had any problems with burleys.
 
Don't have any issues with tongue bite from any 'baccy since returning to pipes a few yrs ago.

I did occasionally get bit in my first few yrs, but I've come to understand that this was probably smoking too fast and too wet.

Never really smoked cigs. Tried them a few times in my teens, hated the taste, and never could inhale. Never could understand why anyone would want to either!


Cheers,

RR
 
Well, Burley seems to bite me like a mule no matter how much is in a blend and I smoked cigarettes and still do occasionally. The survey is showing it doesn't really matter so far but, it'll be interesting to see if there is any collation between the two if we get enough votes in.
 
Never smoked cigs. I don't get bit by burley or virginia if I keep a moderate pace. Never had burley bite though. Perique though... Instant bite.
 
I have had only one instance of bite my entire smoking career, so I don't even know if I'd blame the blend that did it or my body chemistry when I smoked it. I thought bite was a little something people exaggerated into a big deal. Nope, when you're bit there is no mistaking it. Very unpleasant and I'm glad it never happens to me.
 
OTC burley blends are the worst for me and can linger into the next day. Most burley I do pretty well with though. Especially the types drumsandbeers mentioned.
 
I have to say I have never really experienced the bite phenomenon. I have scorched my mouth smoking too fast, and I have gotten tongue fatigue from smoking too much. The smoking too fast has happened with certain very mild blends that I suck on trying to extract some flavor. I might mention that I seem to have an especially sensitive mouth and drink coffee at a cooler temp than almost anyone I know. I am very sensitive to "mouth feel" with bits, and I have pipes that are great smokers but have a bit I don't like.

I have never been a cigarette smoker.
 
Well, it's starting to look like people who have never smoked cigarettes have more tendency to have Burley bite them. But, with only 27 votes in total it's hardly conclusive, that and we don't know how many got bit because of poor packing or smoking techniques. Boy, aint this fun?
 
I'd like to see some more votes on this.
28 votes out of how many members here?
 
I smoked cigs for a lot of years. Quit in the early 80's. Burleys don't seem to bite me as much as Virginias. But I am the first to admit I am NOT a disciplined smoker. Once I fire up I usually smoke the bowl straight through. M wife calls me a chimney... well she actually calls me a lot worse when she's mad but that's another story.

Mac Baren London seems to bite me the worst. I'm letting some mature and dry for while although some say Burley doesn't improve with age.

Also letting some SG Best Brown sit for a while... I was fairly impressed with it when I tried it for the first time last week.
 
Just the opposite with me and I have been smoking cigarettes for about 45 years and have just finally cut down with the help of a pipe and Vapers.
BTW, I like your signature, sounds awful familiar for some reason. :D 
 
It oughta'... I stole it from you... by way of The Duke in "The Shooter".:lol:

Actually I tried to copy the "gun toting" warning too but couldn't figure how!
 
oldmike":xkkifg4k said:
It oughta'... I stole it from you... by way of The Duke in "The Shooter".:lol:

Actually I tried to copy the "gun toting" warning too but couldn't figure how!
Click to expand...
"The Shootist" :D 
 
I'll put steam burn aside, that being to easily confused with bite, the former, of course, being caused by puffing too hard and fast and, as we all know, virginias, in particular, absolutely must be packed correctly and sipped; until one learns that, there will usually be a problem.

I get a chuckle out of the tobbacoreviews.com where inexperienced virginia smokers give a VA blend a low review when it's clear they simply have no clue how to park and smoke a virginia blend LOL.

Putting all that aside, one has to address the physical/chemical reaction which one experiences with a certain leaf. Be it red virginias, burleys, Perique or whatever, some leaves just flat-ass do not agree with some puffers.

I could go on and on about how burley is alkaline and virginias being progressively more acidic, but I won't bore you with all that.

It's much simpler and more direct to say, flat out, that depending on the puffer at the end of the button, and while we'd all like to smoke and enjoy certain blends, the reality of life is that for many of us, there are certain tobacco leaves we have to avoid.


 
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