Help. O and hello

So I used to post all the time on the cigar side of things. Life is quirky in things as now I'm working back out of town for the past almost 5 months now. I get home about once every week or so and never get to enjoy cigars. Thus the reason for this long winded intro. I recently got a mm country gentleman and some SWR both plain and aromatic. I have read methods of packing storing and the like such as all of us crazy hobby havers do. My issue is the constant relighting the tongue bite and I think the taste of the pipe. I didn't take the time to read stickies. Pardon please. Any recommendations or help maybe I need a really expensive briar hahaha and everything will be better. Or maybe since I'm a cigar snob I'm a pipe snob unknowingly. Anyhow here I am. Now a pipe noob. Workaholic cigar snob. Howdy.


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SWR to me, like Prince Albert, always seemed sort of tasteless, so it might just be that you don't agree with that tobacco. Nothing wrong with that. Additionally, being a cigar smoker (mainly) means that you'll have an adjustment period - pipe tobacco naturally isn't as strong or forceful in flavor.

Tongue bite can come from your biology or from too hot moisture being released from the tobacco and hitting your tongue. Dry out your tobacco by allowing it to sit on a paper towel or plate for a while, anywhere from 15 minutes to overnight depending. SWR shouldn't take too long.

As for packing - you'll get a thousand different answers but try the Frank method. I'll save you the 4 1/2 hour instructional video and make it as quick of a teaching process as possible.

1. Drip tobacco into the bowl, and when it reaches the top gently tap the side of the bowl with your finger to allow the tobacco to settle.
2. Pinch a nugget of tobacco about the size of the bowl between your thumb, pointer, and middle finger.
3. Place that nugget on top of the bowl and do your best to hold it loosely with one finger. It will be messy.
4. Using whatever free fingers you can muster gently push IN (not down) to the tobacco while applying a light touch of pressure to the top to allow the nugget to slowly work its way into the bowl.
5. If there are any stragglers pull them off/out.
6. Take a draw. As with any decent fill, there should be about the same amount of resistance as when you drink a liquid with a straw. If the draw is too open you can push a bit more tobacco in, although some people will say to dump everything and start over at that point. If it feels like you're trying to drink concrete, definitely dump everything and start over.

Make sure you're using the initial char light, then gentle tamp, then steady light method to get the whole thing going, and make sure you're also gently tamping along the way to keep the burning tobacco against the unlit tobacco.

Good luck!

Hey Sparky,
Keep in mind it takes a few bowls to get a good char in a cob but then it settles down to where you taste the tobacco and not the cob.I myself like Captain Black original,but you would need to let it dry about twenty minutes.It is kind of a gooper.When you tamp go around the edges and let the tamper do the work,don't press down.The weight of the tamper should be plenty to keep the ember down.When you draw on the pipe keep it small light puffs,you will be able to taste the flavors without a steam jet burning your tongue.

I think that's part of my issue. I'm taking a nice long draw like its a corona gorda.


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Any recommendations on other good tobaccos.


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Originally Posted by sparky426

I think that's part of my issue. I'm taking a nice long draw like its a corona gorda.


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Just think of it as if you were sipping hot perked coffee.Small sips.

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Originally Posted by sparky426

Any recommendations on other good tobaccos.


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Seattle Pipe Club, Mississippi River
Dunhill, Nightcap
Samuel Gawith, Full Virginia Flake
Escudo
Dan Tobacco, Sweet Vanilla Honeydew

That ought to give you a decent spread to cut your teeth on.
Find the ones you like the most and report back for MOAR recommendations

Welcome, Sparky, although I've seen you around before :)

In my world, SWR means standing wave ratio, but I'm sure it means something else here. Would someone please enlighten me?

As far as recommendations go, @Emperor Zurg made some good ones. I would add Cornell & Diehl Pirate Kake, any of the C&D burley blends, and Peter Stokkybe has some good Virginia flakes. There are thousands of different pipe tobacco blends, so my advice is to get a pound or two of every one of them and start smokin'!

Sir Walter Raleigh

Have you signed up for the noob piper trade thread? Do eet!

Lots of good advice here so far. Here's the deal. Pipe Baccy is far more subtle in flavor and note than cigars, but there is a ton more variety in the blends than there is with cigars. Try some different blends, but keep in mind that as your skill level improves you will get a lot more flavors.

Packing is an art that is individual to different pipes and pipers, and even blends. Don't worry about re lights - as you get more experience, you will get better. Even so, relights are not out of the ordinary as they are with cigars.

Slow down, then slow down more. Sip the pipe rather than pulling on it. If you don't like a blend, set it aside and try again sometime down the line. Cobs are great pipes, and good for learning. Briars are good too, but both will impart different characters to the smoke.

Above all, don't give up. You will reach a point where it just plain works, upon which you will really start to enjoy things. Codger blends like SWR and PA are great to learn with, but they aren't the only ones. If you can't abide them, try something else that agrees with you while you learn. I started with Sutliff Maple Street and tried a lot of different blends when I started. Used to hate VAs and VaPers, but now they are my favorites. What used to just taste like a cigarette is sublime now.

And I've really come to enjoy SWR!

Thanks guys for the input. I've got a three day weekend starting tomorrow. I'll have to put all this excellent advice to use. Thanks again.


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Originally Posted by GWBowman

Sir Walter Raleigh

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Tnx. I didn't know they made that stuff anymore. Will have to pick up a pouch next time I burn some money at P&C :)

Well, if you've got a MM, the pipe is not your problem. Two of the most common causes of tongue bite are puffing too much and smoking a tobacco that is too moist; the two are somewhat related. Trying to smoke a tobacco that is too moist will make you puff more, just to try to keep it lit. As already mentioned, air dry your tobacco for an hour or so, depending on the tobacco and the ambient relative humidity. If you live in a humid environment, you'll have to leave it out longer than in an arid environment. Sir Walter Raleigh, both regular and aromatic, needs some air time right out of the package. My dad smoked SWR regular all his life and the aromatic version is one of my favorite "drugstore" blends. If you dry your tobacco a little bit just before smoking it, it will smoke cooler and you won't have to puff so hard (burning your tongue) to keep it lit. Some tobaccos will come out of the package at just the right moisture content, so you don't need to dry all tobaccos. But most of the "drugstore" (off the shelf) blends need some air time.

A hearty welcome to the pipe, congrats and enjoy the smoke.