Hello, everyone. I am not as active here as used to be in the past, for which I apologise. Life gets in the way (job, new family, three different postings abroad). On the other hand, I have taken to perusing B&B again in the past year and the Brown Leaf never ceases to inspire me. Congratulations to all, your pictures in the POTD thread are great.
I have a very simple question, or rather, an issue I would like to comment on here.
I have been smoking pipes for 14 years or so now. I started on the, I think, well-trodden path: aromatics first, English blends second and more neutral tobaccos now, mostly VaPers and burleys. I still smoke English tobaccos every now and then, and I still keep a few tins of aromatics that see the light of day when nostalgia kicks in.
However, I cannot say that I get the same kind of enjoyment that I got in my first pipe-puffing years. True, there was the occasional nicotine high, but those were rare. Back then everything seemed new and exciting. Aromatics were sweet, English blends were full-bodied and Virginias were remarkable. I sill remember the first smokes of Reiner's Virginia or Rattray's Old Gowrie: butterscotch-like clouds of smoke, and yeasty, not-overly-sweet bread flavour. I even remember finishing a bowl of Old Gowrie and immediately filling and lighting another pipe. I was so happy.
I never became a full time smoker. Sometimes I would smoke daily; sometimes weeks or months would pass before I touched my pipes. It never was about needing the smoke, it always was about enjoying the experience. If I knew I would not have the time or if the right circumstances were absent, I graciously decided to forego the smoke.
Now...
I have observed that I do not enjoy smoking my pipes as much. I get the nice flavour of the tobacco for about the first third of the bowl, but it then evolves into a dull taste, and finally it settles down to the taste of ash. I am also much more prone to dizzyness and even mild nausea.
To put it systematically:
1. When I smoke flakes, I tend to rub them out.
2. I do not usually dry the tobacco unless it feels moist.
3. I smoke medium or large pipes.
4. I do not puff fast or aggressively. My smokes last well over an hour.
5. I used to just taste the tobacco in my mouth, now l use the 'breathe method' because it feels instinctive and keeps the pipe lit for longer; it also leads me to retroinhale more.
6. I do not think I am profficient at packing my pipe, I usually have to relight many times after I reach mid-bowl.
7. I do not usually empty my pipe of ash until I am finished, I tamp lightly as I go.
8. I smoke pipes with and without filters.
9. I seem to always end with a wet dottle at the bottom of the bowl, very rarely in these last few years have I finished a smoke with just dry ash.
10. I clean my pipes with several pipe cleaners once they are cool.
11. I have never deep-cleaned my pipes (with the salt and alcohol method or any other)
There you go. It felt like a confession. Any comment or insight will be most welcome. I want to recapture the old feeling, your pictures do make me want to pick a pipe and light it, but it seldom ends up being a completely pleasurable experience.
Many (many!) thanks in advance!
I have a very simple question, or rather, an issue I would like to comment on here.
I have been smoking pipes for 14 years or so now. I started on the, I think, well-trodden path: aromatics first, English blends second and more neutral tobaccos now, mostly VaPers and burleys. I still smoke English tobaccos every now and then, and I still keep a few tins of aromatics that see the light of day when nostalgia kicks in.
However, I cannot say that I get the same kind of enjoyment that I got in my first pipe-puffing years. True, there was the occasional nicotine high, but those were rare. Back then everything seemed new and exciting. Aromatics were sweet, English blends were full-bodied and Virginias were remarkable. I sill remember the first smokes of Reiner's Virginia or Rattray's Old Gowrie: butterscotch-like clouds of smoke, and yeasty, not-overly-sweet bread flavour. I even remember finishing a bowl of Old Gowrie and immediately filling and lighting another pipe. I was so happy.
I never became a full time smoker. Sometimes I would smoke daily; sometimes weeks or months would pass before I touched my pipes. It never was about needing the smoke, it always was about enjoying the experience. If I knew I would not have the time or if the right circumstances were absent, I graciously decided to forego the smoke.
Now...
I have observed that I do not enjoy smoking my pipes as much. I get the nice flavour of the tobacco for about the first third of the bowl, but it then evolves into a dull taste, and finally it settles down to the taste of ash. I am also much more prone to dizzyness and even mild nausea.
To put it systematically:
1. When I smoke flakes, I tend to rub them out.
2. I do not usually dry the tobacco unless it feels moist.
3. I smoke medium or large pipes.
4. I do not puff fast or aggressively. My smokes last well over an hour.
5. I used to just taste the tobacco in my mouth, now l use the 'breathe method' because it feels instinctive and keeps the pipe lit for longer; it also leads me to retroinhale more.
6. I do not think I am profficient at packing my pipe, I usually have to relight many times after I reach mid-bowl.
7. I do not usually empty my pipe of ash until I am finished, I tamp lightly as I go.
8. I smoke pipes with and without filters.
9. I seem to always end with a wet dottle at the bottom of the bowl, very rarely in these last few years have I finished a smoke with just dry ash.
10. I clean my pipes with several pipe cleaners once they are cool.
11. I have never deep-cleaned my pipes (with the salt and alcohol method or any other)
There you go. It felt like a confession. Any comment or insight will be most welcome. I want to recapture the old feeling, your pictures do make me want to pick a pipe and light it, but it seldom ends up being a completely pleasurable experience.
Many (many!) thanks in advance!