Dublins for Virginias?

[juanmedusa]

I've been smoking my straight or predominantly Virginia based tobaccos in my Dublins recently. I find it to work great for me. I don't stuff flakes in them. I will definitely rub put my tobacco for my Dublins. What do you use for your predominately Virginia blends?

 

[balkan_boy]

.... What do you use for your predominately Virginia blends?

Pipes with long and narrow chambers. If the diameter is too wide, it's more of a Latakia pipe.

 

[monbla256]

Basically any pipe I have I have smoked Va's in and found each to be different depending on the moisture in the air, moisture of the 'baccy, whether the pipe is "fresh" from a cleaning or well used for a month or so. It all varies as does the practice of smoking a pipe !! I've not found much validity in the currently fashionable idea of a "certain style of pipe for certain 'baccys" myself though I do like how a nice wide Pot allows just about ALL types to sort of "open up" flavor wise during the smoke and the same for Bulldogs so most of my pipes are of these two shapes. :twisted: :twisted:

 

[Stick]

I do like how a nice wide Pot allows just about ALL types to sort of "open up" flavor wise during the smoke

Why do you think that is Monbla Sir? Is it down to the mechanics of the pipe? Less intense heat in one small area (heat dissipated).

 

[monbla256]

I do like how a nice wide Pot allows just about ALL types to sort of "open up" flavor wise during the smoke

Why do you think that is Monbla Sir? Is it down to the mechanics of the pipe? Less intense heat in one small area (heat dissipated).

That very well could be it but I make no claims to knowing the physics of the why of this. Much younger and wiser experts here would need be asked that !! :twisted:  In my 40+ years of smoking I've probably over smoked my tongue and palate with so much smoke that my opinions aren't up to date with todays current "reasons" !! I just know that I can load a taller, narrower bowled Billiard with th same amount of the same 'baccy as well as a nice wide bowled Pot, many times the same series from the same maker bought in the same year and when smoked, the flavor profiles and intensities will be different in each and dependeing on what my taste buds like at the time, i will choose the style of pipe accordingly!! Just some empirical knowledge from one of the old codgers and you know about them :cheers: :twisted: :twisted:

 

[Dutch]

I'm still open minded on this topic, however I tend to agree with monbla. I prefer the wider bowl for two reasons.

First, it does make your tobacco more full flavored, even though with flakes you are usually burning a very small area of tobacco in the bowl, especially during the first half of the bowl. This factor in itself should tell you that the internal shape of the bowl is affecting the flavor. Some folks believe wider bowls taste different because you can light more tobacco at once, but I don't believe this theory, especially when smoking flakes. The goal should be to have your tobacco barely lit for maximum flavor, not to set as much of the tobacco on fire as you possibly can.

Second reason I don't like tall narrow bowls for flake tobacco is because by the time you reach the bottom third of the bowl, some blends get too soggy to light and finish smoking. Then you need to give the pipe and tobacco a couple days to dry out, before it is enjoyable to finish.

I have a really small pickaxe pipe that was destined for flakes according to the pipe geometry police. Internally, the bowl is three times as tall as it is wide, so I dedicated it to FVF exclusively. Does it deliver superior flavor compared to my wider bowled pipes? Not that I can tell.

 

[ftrplt]

I do have a penchant for smoking flakes in a smaller-bowled pipe, but not always; but I've never found the shape to matter. I enjoy FVF, for instance, just as well in a large pot as a smaller one. I do have a few pipes dedicated to Burley, flake or ribbon; however, they are all sizes/shapes except for "stacks." I don't care for stacks!!!

 

[Stick]

But I need to know!!!! I'm with Dutch; I'm still open minded about such things. I'm trying to look at it from a mechanical / physics point of view; heat more dissipated in a bowl?, but then perhaps there's less heat overall in a billiard (eg) due to smaller ember surface area?... Jury's still out. I need to stroke my chin some more... :scratch:

 

[monbla256]

But I need to know!!!!   I'm with Dutch; I'm still open minded about such things.  I'm trying to look at it from a mechanical / physics point of view; heat more dissipated in a bowl?, but then perhaps there's less heat overall in a billiard (eg) due to smaller ember surface area?...  Jury's still out.  I need to stroke my chin some more... :scratch:

Please, please don't get into all the "mechanical/physics " stuff. Just pick out your pipe, pick out the 'baccy you want to smoke, load it and ENJOY!! What happened to JUST SMOKING A PIPE !! WAAAAAAAY to OCD for me !! But then I'm one of those "old codgers" so meh!! :twisted: :twisted:

 

[Stick]

But I need to know!!!!   I'm with Dutch; I'm still open minded about such things.  I'm trying to look at it from a mechanical / physics point of view; heat more dissipated in a bowl?, but then perhaps there's less heat overall in a billiard (eg) due to smaller ember surface area?...  Jury's still out.  I need to stroke my chin some more... :scratch:

Please, please don't get into all the "mechanical/physics " stuff. Just pick out your pipe, pick out the 'baccy you want to smoke, load it and ENJOY!! What happened to JUST SMOKING A PIPE !! WAAAAAAAY to OCD for me !! But then I'm one of those "old codgers" so meh!! :twisted: :twisted:

I'm so glad you said that. I have a very enquiring mind so often feel the need to understand things more fully. However! I also believe smoking a pipe to be an art not a science. So, if it's ok with you chaps, I'm just going smoke on a whim. (But if anyone does work it out, please let me know :suspect: ).

 

[Brewdude]

This thread prompted me to try some '12 HV in my '01 Pete Sherlock Holmes Mycroft Dublin this AM. Never had that combo before and it worked just fine. Can't say it tasted any different from the Pete 999 I normally smoke it in though.

One bowl does not a conclusion make though.




Cheers,

RR

 

[Dutch]

Another point I failed to mention, is that there are in existence very small 1 to 1 ratio cube shaped bowls that are perfect in my mind for flake tobacco, but not necessarily Lat blends. When I purchase a pipe in the group 1, 2, or 3 size category, it will almost always be destined for flakes.

BTW, to further confuse the issue, back before I knew any better, I dedicated a 2 to 1 ratio Moretti to Lat blends. Even though that bowl is twice as high as it is wide, it really sings with Lat blends.

When I got the calipers out of my tool box and started measuring the internals of the bowls in my pipe collection, it was actually quite difficult to find a pipe that fit the description of 2 to 1 or 3 to 1 ratio.

If most pipe smokers take the time to check the height to width ratio of most of the pipes in their collection, I think that they may be surprised at what they find.

 

[monbla256]

If most pipe smokers take the time to check the height to width ratio of most of the pipes in their collection, I think that they may be surprised at what they find.

No thank you that's just a bit to OCD for me!! :twisted: :twisted: I'll just stay ignorant about all this and load what ever bowl I have with what I feel I want to smoke in it and enjoy THAT moment for what it brings !! :twisted: :twisted:

 

[Dutch]

If most pipe smokers take the time to check the height to width ratio of most of the pipes in their collection, I think that they may be surprised at what they find.

No thank you that's just a bit to OCD for me!! :twisted: :twisted:  I'll just stay ignorant about all this and load what ever bowl I have with what I feel I want to smoke in it and enjoy THAT moment for what it brings !! :twisted: :twisted:

:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[KevinM]

My opinion is that tobaccos do best when packed loosely and smoked slowly. You've noticed my previous posts on the combustion triangle, perhaps? The large pot bowl makes it easier to pack the pipe loosely with any kind of tobacco. The smaller / narrower the bowl, the more attentive the pipe packer must be to leave a sufficient amount of air space in the packed bowl. Conical bowls -- like Dubs -- have to be packed very loosely in the bottom, loose in the top and a slightly firm, but springy surface. And it all has to do with the fire triangle -- heat, fuel, air. I've noticed some pipers get into a habit of selecting a quantity of tobacco before paying much attention to the pipe. In effect, they use a one-size-fits-all approach to packing, and wonder why their smaller bowled briars get hot, wet and in need of relights. It's overstuffing. Good idea to monitor one's own habits.