Pipe sizes, tobacco smoking.

[Aaron]

I have a question about pairing pipes and tobacco for you guys.

My main question (because I'm just full of questions) is, what size pipe do you smoke different kinds of tobacco in? For example, do you smoke Virginias in smaller bowled pipes and your Latakia blends in larger bowled pipes? Or does it not really matter to you? I suppose my curiosity lies in how to get the most out of any specific tobacco. I realize that there is a lot of trial and error involved in the art of pipe smoking. I’m just curious as to what you all tend to do. And if this topic has been discussed ad nauseam just point me to the right thread. 8)

Cheers!

Aaron.

 

[Sasquatch]

First off, a pleasant smoke is where you find it, so even if there's some kind of "ideal" to be had, the exact circumstances of any given bowl are what they are.

I think in general a smaller bowl pipe tends to muddle up the flavor much less than a huge bowl. There is less time for the bottom tobacco to be "infected" by 2 hours of smoke passing through it, for example. So if a guy has a delicated flavored blend and wants to find that hint of wild Czechoslovakian pepper plant or whatever the hell the blend is supposed to have in it, then that's a good bet. It is for this reason that many pipers who fancy lighter virginias will smoke them in a smaller bowl.

Converserly, of course (cuz there's an equal and opposite reaction for everything in pipes) you will find blends that seem to shine or somehow exhibit different flavors when you load a great wad into some huge-chambered chimnet and just let it cruise for a couple hours. Certain developments of flavor, intensification of some tastes etc, will occur in a big pipe (an extended smoke, let us say) that won't in a small pipe.

I find larger pipes are my preference overall - I like prolonged smokes and I'm a big dude so small pipes feel silly to me. But I've had some great smokes from small pipes - a Pete 303 and a GBD warden, for example. But if someone offers me a "borrowed" pipeful of a light English, they better be ready for about 1/4 of the tin to disappear into my Ser Jac Maxima. The only advantage for the "lender" is that I shut up for a couple hours!

 

[Harlock999]

Sas knows what he's talking about!

 

[Midnight Blues]

Hi Aaron, welcome back. Neill Roan posted recently on his blog about this very subject,
and you being an educated man might find this a very interesting read.

Here's the link: Neill Roan

 

[Aaron]

Hi Aaron, welcome back. Neill Roan posted recently on his blog about this very subject,
and you being an educated man might find this a very interesting read.

Here's the link: Neill Roan

Thanks for the link MB, it was an interesting read. I think I may try that experiment.

 

[Greenleaf]

Thanks for the education, Sasquatch. I'd read as much several years ago but had since forgotten.

 

[Mikem]

As a "General" rule, and I do mean "General" I tend to use small bowl pipes with a 1/2" to 3/4" diameter bowl chamber for straight Virginia flakes. English blends I tend to migrate to larger bowl pipes with a chamber diameter of 7/8" and above. Burley's usually fall somewhere in between.

 

[glpease]

As a "General" rule, and I do mean "General" I tend to use small bowl pipes with a 1/2" to 3/4" diameter bowl chamber for straight Virginia flakes. English blends I tend to migrate to larger bowl pipes with a chamber diameter of 7/8" and above. Burley's usually fall somewhere in between.

I'm usually the opposite! For the most part, I find VAs absolutely delicious in capacious bowls, and tend to smoke Latakia blends in smaller pipes. Of course, there are plenty of exceptions, but this is more or less my general strategy.

The whole VA in a pot thing was an accident. I was testing out Stonehenge before I released it, and smoking it in quite a few different pipes, just to get a feel for how the blend would gel with different smokers' preferences. I filled a GBD 9493—more or less a lovat with a pot bowl—and the results were so amazing, it turned me into a pot fan, especially for VAs.

The exceptions? I think every pipe has its own personality, and whenever we attempt to assert rules, some will cooperate, and some will protest. I've got pots that LOVE latakia, and I've got small bowls that bring out the best of virginias.

And, different tobaccos play a role, too. I'm working on a new blend, quite strong, and so far, it's smoked best for me in smaller bowls overall. But, there was one bowl in a big Castello pot that was magical—until the room started spinning, and I saw the small phial of potion labeled "Drink Me" on the table...

 

[bluedigital]

And, different tobaccos play a role, too. I'm working on a new blend, quite strong, and so far, it's smoked best for me in smaller bowls overall. But, there was one bowl in a big Castello pot that was magical—until the room started spinning, and I saw the small phial of potion labeled "Drink Me" on the table...

Methinks I'm going to like this new blend :drunken:

 

[Zeno Marx]

Smaller bowls (but not small) for Virginia. Larger bowls for English. In Dunhill terms, though I don't care for Dunhills all that much: group 4 for Virginias and group 5-6 for Englishes. But I don't buy small or huge pipes anymore. They're all relatively similar, so they can be used for either type tobacco. For me, it's more about availability of time. Big bowls of Virginias simply take too much time to smoke. Englishes burn a bit more quickly, so I can take a bit more of a pipe for them.

 

[Greenleaf]

For quick smokes, I just load the pipe halfway or whatever. I've come to rely on my large cobs so much that I'll have to order another two. They're great for smoking in the wind, I'd definitely recommend them. My briars, which are medium-sized, just can't perform very well outside this time of year. At any rate, even my tallest bowls only last me 45 minutes (I guess), then it's time to load another.

 

[Handsome Dynamite]

I was looking for that link, thanks for posting it.

I still pretty much have a pipe of different sizes for the various types of tobaccos. Sometimes I want it in a small bowl, sometimes in a large one. Of course as Greenleaf said, just fill the bowl part ways up. I have a large Armellini that I've never smoked a full bowl out of.

But I have noticed that some of my tobaccos don't go through a large bowl well. Some just taste burnt towards the end. Haven't found a pattern of which do that though....

 

[LIPIPE]

I tend to gravitate towards English/Balkan blends; love latakia and I always prefer larger bowls. I'm also a clencher so I usually just lose myself in my smokes and prefer the longer pleasure rather than the shorter smoke. My overall favorite pipes are rather large oom pauls. The only straight Va that I smoke on occasion in a smaller bowl is OGS so the majority of my pipes are large.