Whats in your bowl?

[akpreacher]

Ashton’s Artisans blend. This stuff is good. Almost cold enough for this fire pit. I guess 68 degrees is cold enough in Houston right






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Lol that’s summer weather


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[Kip]

I can explain, but pretty much only anecdotally. Of course, the pack density can alter how a tobacco behaves (which impacts flavor). Also, the cut of the blend (whether it's an intact flake, shag-cut, ribbon, broken flake, or cube-cut...they all matter, as this impacts at the very least burn rate.

As for the pipe, I have no idea why, except some pipes simply represent a blend differently. I suspect it could be to past blends in the pipe, in some way (although I believe this is minimal, unless you're varying greatly from its past, or the past is focused around a peculiar blend). I also suspect bowl structure/geometry makes for a huge difference (for example, a tall, sharply tapered conical bowl will produce a very different flavor than a short, squatty, broadly-bored bowl with the same tobacco). I'm sure there are more factors at play as well, but these are a good starting place. Bowl geometry intrigues me, as I don't have any hard, fast rules. There are as many ideas an opinions are there are bowl shapes and sizes....

Of course, things we've discussed before also have an impact. Boring, for example....as we've talked about ad nauseum, improper drilling causes extra moisture and all sorts of smoking ailments.

* - as a side note, I'm speaking of established pipes. New pipes without a bowl coat, during their break in period, have a *very* distinct flavor that is imparted to the smoke. This dissipates once cake is established, so I'm not at all commenting on them....

This is absolutely fascinating. It makes me think of the assumptions and opinions I have about cigars and how much I'd love to test them scientifically. Gosh, man. How can we actually take these colloquialisms and turn them into show content? It would be such an amazing, nearly industrywide impact if we could do it. Are pipe makers as "traditional" as cigar makers? Would you be met with "Gringo ignorance" if you proposed such facts after study?

A couple more things:

We didn't even touch on briar curing methods. Many makers have their own ways of curing their briar before use, and are highly secretive. Things like boiling it in types of oil or other concoctions, or differing times/conditions of storage. It's all black magic kinda stuff. I'm not sure of the longterm benefit (once there's cake, is there much difference?). It's hard to say. Many also coat the bowl with some carbon based coating - also not likely to matter once the pipe is established; this is to aid in break-in and prevent any chance of burn-out.

As for your question, there are many pipe makers who are *really* into experimentation. Some would be totally up for anything. The problem is, those guys are mostly artisan makers that command high prices for their work. So, experiments ain't cheap. It's not like a cigar where you can roll a bunch of samples for essentially no cost. Good briar is expensive, and it takes a lot of time to hand craft a pipe in a small-production setting. So, it's not like we could expect a series of side-by-side pipe tests. It's funny, pipe guys are typically seen as anachronistic and stuck in their ways - but most are eternally experimenting with blends and pipes, manufacturing methods and supply sources. At its base, a pipe is a block of wood with 2 holes, one of which fitted with a straw. But in its finer points, the minutiae is unfathomable.

Heck, there are people who'd also argue with briar source being a primary factor in your experience. Grecian vs Algerian vs Italian briar, etc. Some swear different places in the Mediterranean basin make radically different wood.

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[kurtdesign1]

Some swear different places in the Mediterranean basin make radically different wood.

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That's just it though. Why? What possibly causes one to be "better" than the other? Is there some unrealized test to actually determine what "better" means and how to replicate it? If there isn't because it's a subjective grading, what has actually been impacted that some people prefer?

[BowhuntnHoosier]

Haunted Bookshop after a bowl of ODF with my Folgers. Enjoy



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[smokinsteve]

Having some Quiet Nights in this massive weird looking Nording pipe that I picked up over the weekend. It’s a strange pipe, but I kinda like it. The tobacco is phenomenal!



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[Kip]

Some swear different places in the Mediterranean basin make radically different wood.

Sent via Caribbean smoke signal

That's just it though. Why? What possibly causes one to be "better" than the other? Is there some unrealized test to actually determine what "better" means and how to replicate it? If there isn't because it's a subjective grading, what has actually been impacted that some people prefer?

Well, that's the question in all of tobacco, isn't it? That nasty, underprocessed, poorly fermented tobacco in a crap cigar appeals to *somebody*. Does majority rule? If that's the case, then Captain Black and/or 1-Q is the greatest pipe tobacco ever created. What makes a given cigar, pipe, or tobacco better than another? Even the things we might feel sure of have detractors in the populace of smokers.

There was a time when I appreciated things that I would toss in the bin today. I can't even define "better" in terms of my own preferences when we bring in the 4th dimension of time. My preference is known to evolve. I think that's why so many of us are forever chasing a moving target. What's best in my eyes today may not be so great tomorrow. Did the cigar change, or my tastes? Both? I don't know. I'm one of the chasers....

[akpreacher]

Peretti 500



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[smokinsteve]

Erinmore Flake



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[akpreacher]

Peretti RCTR



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[smokinsteve]

Mac Baren Navy Flake



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