Difference between tongue bite and spicy taste

[forsooth]

Hello, brothers --

I started smoking a pipe in mid-January, so I'm still not sure of lots of things. One issue is the difference between tongue bite and a blend being "spicy" or "tangy."

Now, Billy Budd DID BITE me. I loved it, but my tongue paid a 36-to-48-hour price, even though I self-consciously smoked it slowly.

I bought the following burley blends: Lane's "Burley Light Without Bite," Carter Hall, McClelland's Biteless Burley, and McClelland's Just Plain Nuts.

Each one seemed to "bite." However, after each smoke was finished, I did not have any residual tongue bite issues.

So, I'm wondering if what I experienced with these burleys was just a spiciness, and not tongue bite.

 

[Frost]

I can't speak for others, but when I would use "spicy" to describe a blend I would tend to be referring more to a flavor and less of a sensation. An exception would be the sort of nose tingle I get from a few blends, almost a peppery sort of sensation, like if you accidentally (or purposely I guess) sniffed a little to close to the chile powder or curry or pepper or whathaveyou. I don't think it is is really on the tongue though...almost in between a flavor/scent and a sensation.

Bite on the other hand is rare for me, but when it does occur it leaves a distinct burning/burnt sensation on the tongue that generally sticks around for a while. Very tongue-centric.


Edit: If you have ever touched a lit cigarette to the tip of your tongue for some inexplicable reason (do you have to ask?), the way your tongue feels after that is more similar to bite in my experience. Compare/contrast this with the experience of sniffing and/or licking black pepper or chile powder off of the palm of your hand, which would be closer to the "spicy" I think. There may be some minor similarity there, but there is no doubt they are two entirely different experiences.

 

[forsooth]

Frost --

Thanks for the reply. Well, it seems that what I am experiencing, then, is at least some level of tongue bite with these burleys.

I'm going to pack my supply of burleys away and wait 6-12 months before I try them again. Maybe by that time, my sensitivity will have subsided a bit.

 

[DAL]

There are, indeed, some tobaccos I might well describe as "spicy" but tongue-bite, for me, is entirely different. I tend to experience it when, for whatever reason, I have had occasion to stop smoking for awhile -- say, 6 months or more.

When returning to the pipe after such a break, I'll forget myself and start to puff instead of sipping my pipe -- usually when engrossed in something like a book or work. Once my tongue has been bitten, I'll feel the effects for several days.

Have you ever tried a sip of a carbonated beverage after puffing a bit too aggressively on your pipe? That "licking the 9-volt battery" sensation as the carbonation attacks the tongue is very close to the sensation I think of as tongue-bite. Except it doesn't go away for a few days.

Don't know if that helps or confuses the situation even more. I hope you're enjoying your new hobby! The tongue-bite thing really does go away.

-DAL

 

[JaySmokesAlot]

I'm new to BoB as you can see, so I hope I'm not speaking out of place.

I have to agree with Frost on this one. When I think of "spicy", I associate it with flavor. Perique especially (Escudo to be specific). It can almost give me heartburn. I rarely experience it with Burley all that much, but everyone is different. The best way for me to describe "spicy" (at least in my opinion) would be like putting way to much pepper on those fried potatoes that we all love, and then immediately have to reach for the Rolaids.

Tongue bite on the other hand is more painful and directly on the tongue. I remember the first time for me and it made me think of drinking a screaming hot cup of coffee that tore the tip of my tongue. Aromatics get me alot, so I stick with my Virginians.

My question to you would be are you smoking out of the same pipe with all of the different blends? If so, you could be tasting what is not agreeing with you from the previous blend.

Cheers,
Jay

 

[Blackhorse]

Just a couple of thoughts re: spice vs. bite.

1) I've always thought that Tongue Bite, per se, was the result of burning speicifc tobacco blends that combusted to form high levels of alkaline smoke. And that some blends lead to bite, while others create it far more rarely.

But from Pipedia:

"Tongue bite," an intense burning sensation of the tongue, is an unpleasant side effect often experienced by the new pipe smoker (it is also experienced by non-newbies who take up the pipe again after a period of abstinence). While irritating, it will usually go away after a week or so of smoking. If you experience this problem for an extended period, then you may be smoking a tobacco that's too moist, you may have failed to pack the bowl properly, or you're smoking too fast. Some tongue bite sufferers have also experienced relief by using an oral rinse sold under the name "Biotene." It works for some; you might want to try it. Others have suggested that red wine may also ease the sufferer's symptoms and many have reported their success with this method.

The above is from a supposedly knowledgable source. (google Pipedia for an amazing amount of pipe lore, etc.) The thing with moisture is totally new to me...but might be accurate, I'll have to remember to pay attention to that. The pack, or how firmly or loosely a bowl is packed...is I think something that will lead a bowl to smoke either hot or not so much. I know of several blends during which I have to watch my 'tamp' closely, as they burn rapidly at the start then slow down later in the bowl. Some of the leafier Burleys seem to do this for me...like Storm Watch, Nut Brown Burley, and some from Boswell and Uhle's as well. But that effect isn't limited to Burley blends by any means. A number of VA's that have a leafy cut or shags on up to coarse cut will do this. Keeping a light tamp on the bowl seems to remedy this 'forest fire' kind of burn. The whole point of all this is that if one let's the bowl burn unchecked it will heat up like a furnace and damage not only your tongue (due to the heat alone) but potentially damage the bowl as well. There was a thread here recently that was hillarious...re: a Dunhill with a hole in the side on eBay, described by the seller as "in good condition with a hole in the side"...and aside from the point of that maybe being due to 'power smoking' the darn thing sold for a pretty good chunk of change. Weird.

Anyway, smoke slowly (I just keep a light sip going when I smoke and seem to have little problem), dry your tobacco out prior to smoking it, if possible (forget this with PG laced blends...they NEVER dry much) and keep a light tamp on your bowl and you should alleviate much of the problem. Hopefully. At any rate, good luck.

2) "Spice"...aside from that used by the desert dwellers in "Dune"...on the other hand has always meant a blend that created a really kind of picante or powerfull level of flavor...yes, as with many perique blends, among others...including some orientals. Some of the blends that were mentioned here, including McClelland's Biteless Burley, and McClelland's Just Plain Nuts should be pretty darn free of both bite and spice, I would think.

 

[forsooth]

Thanks for the replies and thoughts about this...

I'm of the "school" that bite is a chemical interaction of the smoker's unique oral chemistry and tobacco smoke. I really don't think it has THAT much to do with puffing cadence, although faster puffing probably brings bite on faster because it brings in more smoke. I posted the following in another forum in a discussion about bite...

tobaccoreviews.com has 66 reviews on Middleton Walnut. As an exercise, I compiled what was said about tongue bite:
--------------------
No, it does not bite
--------------------
*Lights easy, stays lit and if not pushed real hard, no bite.
*There is absolutely no tongue bite and it lights up easily...
*No trace of trying to bite.
*It taste good, Smokes good No real bite.
*It will not bite, I've tried to incite it, but it was no use.
*Always cool smoking without bite.
*A very nice smoke that never tried to bite and that did not gunk up my pipe at all.
*When smoked slow I experienced no bite at all.
*It does have superb burning qualities, doesn't bite and it is inexpensive...
*It has a nice aroma, burns well, and doesn't bite.
*There is no heat, bite, or harshness to this blend.
*It burns easily, never bites, and lasts long enough...
*Walnut also lacked a bite, even when I smoked it hot.
*I tried it because everyone said it smelled like s**t, but didn't bite.
*No bite was detected -- this was true for all the pipes I smoked with...
-----------------
:| Yes, it does bite
-----------------
*I've tried this in a briar and a cob, and it always bites me...
*It smokes hot, and doesn't need much coaxing to bite.
*The other characteristic I have noticed is a peppery nip on the tongue...
*At first, I was put off by the bite and the flavor was very one dimensional.
*Good aroma, but I'm experiencing a nasty chemical aftertaste and alittle tongue bite.
*Tongue bite is present, but at a much lesser extent than offerings...
*Somewhat of a bite, but nice flavor and great "car note".
*There is a little bite.

 

[Natch]

Simple, it's "ouch" and "yum".

Natch

 

[bandkbrooks]

I could be off base (usually am), but I've always thought of it this way. If you are smoking a really moist tobacco and you add fire, that moisture has to go somewhere. I've thought that maybe the extra moisture in the smoke becomes steam to an extent and actually scalds your tongue as opposed to burning it.

 

[alfredo_buscatti]

The pipe burns hottest and fastest at the top of the bowl. I almost expect the top to cause my tongue some discomfort.

For me the blends that bite the most, and unfortunately the ones that I love the most, are VAs. But I know that if I'm sipping, that discomfort, and for me this continues throughout the bowl, is only temporary.

I used to gage how much I'd been bitten when I brushed my teeth with cold water before going to bed. Even though there may be, by then, discomfort, by the morning you've got a brand new tongue.

Tongue-bite, where you really have zorched your tongue, will stay with you for a couple of days. The only cure is laying off smoking. If you watch how your mouth is feeling while smoking, you'll know when you have transgressed.

I think tongue-bite is individually-based, depending on your particular mouth chemistry. For instance I know that if I smoke bowl after bowl, I'm going to get bitten. I need to space my smokes some three hours apart.