Pipe and pipe tobacco combinations

mfresa

I know that there is a similar thread out there, but it beats around this question without actually getting to it: So certain styles of pipes work best with certain tobacco types?  It seems my large churchwarden delivers a wonderful experience with mild aromatics, possibly because the bowl is huge.  I find that powerful blends, such as VaPers, kick pretty hard when smoked in large bowls, so might lend themselves to small acorns or bulldogs.
Does anyone else have thoughts along these lines? 

mfresa

That should read "Do certain styles of pipes..." Sorry for the typo.

xDutchx

There are no hard and fast rules, but some general guidelines are a good place to start experimenting.

Most pipe smokers find that a wider bowled pipe, whether deep or shallow will perform best with Latakia, English, or Balkan blends. Some or most of these blends tend to need a pipe with more volume anyhow, however there are some flakes on the market in that genre.

Pipes with a rectangular shape, which are 2 to 1 or even 3 to 1 geometry tend to be best for less complex blends such as Virginias. However, I have a small brandy pipe that is perfect for flake tobacco. It isn't a 1 to 1 ratio, as it is slightly taller than it is wide, however I really enjoy smoking aged Red Virginias in this pipe. The wider bowl tends to give the Red Virginias a slightly fuller bodied or richer flavor that some of the more narrow bowled pipes I have experimented with.

Also, when you hear the terms, "one dimensional," or "less complex," that should not discourage you from sampling Virginias. In fact, aged Red Virginias are at the top of my list of favorite tobaccos.

Another aspect that should be mentioned here, is the manner in which a tobacco is prepped, can have an impact on how it smokes in a particular pipe as well. Folding and stuffing, cube cutting, loose rubbing, fine rubbing, etc, can all have an impact on how a particular blend smokes in a particular pipe. You can also experiment with a coffee grinder on different pre-sets, to get different results in your tobacco prep.

My personal recommendation on this topic is to experiment to your hearts content. This is one aspect of the hobby that is very rewarding, especially so when you continue to invest in adding pipes and tobaccos to your collection. This is the best excuse yet, in the justification of adding more pipes and tobacco to your collection, that most anyone in their right mind would consider a reasonable number.

When the question arises, "How many pipes do you need?" the response can be something along the lines of "It could possibly turn out to be the best smoker in my entire collection!"

motie2

http://glpease.com/BriarAndLeaf/?p=3#more-3

<<Every once in a while, a pipe and a tobacco come together in a way that transcends the usual experience of either. It’s a sort of alchemy that, when it happens, provides that elusive, sublime smoke, delivering far beyond usual expectations. >> 

glohman

In general wider bowls are better for aromatics, the wider surface area allows more of the scent to fill the room. Supposedly this is what the "saucer" shape is designed to do. 

PhilosoPiper

I am almost an exclusively Virginia or Virginia Perique smoker.

That being the case, I tend to gravitate towards smaller bowled pipes. (nothing larger than .75" pipes)

However I do get a sweet tooth every now and then, as well as a hunger for Latakia. For those moments I have some wider bowled pipes for such occasions. 

ghostsofpompeii

The only time I have a preference is when layering tobacco. It's then when I want the widest and deepest bowl for obvious reasons. Stacking in small bowl pipes doesn't provide the same effect ... it more like mixing everything together in one bunch. Whereas with a deep and wide enough bowl for proper layering you can get the initial flavor of each blend before they begin morphing into something altogether different.  

Woodsman

I have a Comoy's K1057 that I use for flakes, it just seems to burn them at just the right rate for slow smoking.

motie2

Detail of previous post: 

Excerpt: <<Every once in a while, a pipe and a tobacco come together in a way that transcends the usual experience of either. It’s a sort of alchemy that, when it happens, provides that elusive, sublime smoke, delivering far beyond usual expectations. >> 

GL Pease -- Matching Pipes and Tobaccos

Part 1 -- http://glpease.com/BriarAndLeaf/?p=7

Part 2 -- http://glpease.com/BriarAndLeaf/?p=22

motie2

http://www.tobaccopipes.com/blog/how-to-match-your-pipe-tobacco-2/

Highly subjective, but a lot of good info.

Excerpt:

<<Billiard Shape Tobacco Pipe -- The Billiard is, without a doubt, the most recognized and common tobacco pipe. It is perfect for beginners who want to learn about pipe smoking, and perfect for the distinguished pros who enjoy smoking a few bowls every night. The defining characteristics of a Billiard are the cylindrical bowl and chamber with parallel thickness running all the way down the bowl. Billiard’s are often favored because they usually have at least a fourth of an inch thick bowl-wall, which is suggested by Brian Levine to be the minimum thickness of a briar bowl.

Tobacco Recommendation For Billiard -- The Billiard is the perfect pipe for any tobacco. With its straight forward design, thick bowl, and long stem, any tobacco will taste great inside your billiard-shaped pipe. I would suggest smoking Sutliff 1849 in your Billiard. 1849 is an excellently flavored tobacco that has a deep but straightforward flavor profile.

Poker Shape Tobacco Pipe -- Generally, Pokers are sitters that have parallel sides, and a shorter stem that is perpendicular to the bowl. Pokers are loved by experienced smokers. The Poker shape is one of the smoothest smoking pipe shapes. It is also notorious for being the working mans pipe because the short shank makes it easy to hold in the mouth and you can set it down while working with your hands. Due to the short and straight stem on a Poker, it’s often suggested that Virginias and heavily coated tobaccos are poor choices for this shape. When smoking a Poker, you are more likely to produce a buildup of spittle in the shank. If you tend to do manual work while smoking, odds are you will be in a position where the spittle can run up the shank, a most unpleasant experience.

Tobacco To Smoke In Poker Shape -- I personally prefer smoking a strong Latakia flake in my Poker. I feel as though it puts me in the proper mindset, because the Poker was intended for this type of pipe tobacco blend. Pokers also work well with oily high nicotine blends. The Poker’s thick walls helps absorb flavor, and after a few uses with the blend, the taste will start to amplify and becomes more and more pleasant with every bowl. I suggest smoking McClelland’s Frog Morton Cellar in your Poker. This is an excellent blend that will satisfy any smoker.

Bulldog Shape Tobacco Pipe -- Bulldog shaped pipes have been a long time favorite of countless collectors because of their beautiful unique diamond shaped stem design and superior smoking ability. The bowl of the Bulldog resembles two cones stacked on top of one another. This cone shape gives the Bulldog a very thick briar bowl that makes it perfect for smoking heavier blends. The thick center of the bowl allows an exceptional amount of heat and oil to be absorbed into the the pipe. As stated above, the suggested minimal thickness of your bowl wall is a fourth of an inch. While the Bulldog keeps a quarter inch thickness at the top of the bowl, the cone shape expands the thickness of the bowl towards the bottom, usually becoming around half an inch thick.

Smoking A Bulldog Shape Pipe -- The thicker bowl makes the Bulldog the perfect shape for smoking flake tobaccos. A flake tobacco is a pressed and sliced tobacco that has a high nicotine content --due to the compressed oil -- and burns at a high temperature. It is imperative that when smoking a flake it is smoked with a pipe that can handle the higher temperature created by all the oil present in the tobacco. The Bulldog’s thick walls makes it the ideal pipe. I suggest smoking Mac Barens HH Latakia Flake in your Bulldog.

Bent Tobacco Pipes -- There is a plethora of bent pipe shapes: Apple, Billiard, Calabash, Rhodesian, Bulldog, Pear, and Freehand to name a few. While there are differences in each of these, what matters here is the bent stem.

What Tobacco To Smoke In A Bent Pipe -- Bent pipes are without a doubt the best pipe for smoking Virginia blends. Virginia blended tobaccos are notorious for giving smoker’s tongue bite. The chemical make-up and the hot burning temperature require a patient smoker. When smoking a bent pipe, the stem is generally built longer so that the bowl is still the same distance from the mouth. The longer stem allows the smoke more time to cool off and to disperse its energy through the stem before hitting the tongue. Bent pipes are also perfect for smoking heavily cased aromatics. The casing on some aromatics is what gives the pipe smoker the occasionally spittle attack. But the bent nature of the pipe sets physics out against runback. Most of the time the spittle will be unable to travel upwards toward the bit. When you find that your favorite Aromatic tends to smoke super wet, try smoking it in a bent pipe. It will make all the difference in the world. I think the one of the best blends you can smoke in your Bent pipe is Peterson’s Sherlock Holmes blend. Not only will the Burley and Virginia mixture accompany the Bent shape, but smoking a Sherlock Holmes tribute must definitely take place in a Bent pipe.>>