Advanced techniques

motie2 · June 2017

Some of y'all used terms like "retrohaling" and breath smoking" in your comments, and I didn't know what those terms meant, so I went to my hard drive filled with pipe smoking info I gathered obsessively over a month at the end of last summer when I started pipe smoking again. Here's what I found:

https://www.smokingpipes.com/smokingpipesblog/single.cfm/post/advanced-pipe-smoking-techniques-have-you-learned-everything

<<Retrohaling AKA snorking — which to my ear sounds like the advanced technique whereby one noisily and forcefully ejects from one's nostrils vitamin D milk, ideally in a middle school cafeteria — retrohaling is challenging to explain, but if it is done successfully it should look like blowing smoke out of your nose. We know we can smell more odors than we can taste flavors, and an integral part of our understanding of the flavor of something derives from its aroma. Thus forcing tobacco smoke back through one's nose increases flavor impression in a usually surprising way. But how do you actually go about retrohaling pipe smoke? Return to imagining snorting (or snorking) milk and the muscles you'd need to employ behind your nose, at the top of your throat, and around your nasal sinuses to pull it off, and you're about 50% there. The other 50% is just going to come from trial and error. Yes, like most things pertaining to the art of pipe smoking, you're going to have to practice and master the technique by doing it. I'll give you one last tip, though. Try retrohaling (at least at first) only about 20% of the volume of smoke you've imbibed or inhaled. If you try to retrohale a big puff, especially if you're unfamiliar with the move, you're cruising toward an epic case of tongue bite of the nose.>>

<<Breath Smoking -- One can find a handful of different step-by-step instructional videos and articles hanging out on the web that map out the breath smoking technique. I suspect that many of us have probably stumbled onto the method, but here's the gist. Roughly speaking, the pipe smoker learns to breath in and out of his or her nose at a tempo at odds with the cadence of imbibing the pipe. Bifurcating the acts of breathing and smoking can provide the smoker with incredible control over smoke volume and puffing cadence, improving flavor, decreasing the potential for tongue bite and palate exhaustion, and keeping in check the overall temperature of the pipe. Though not tough to figure out, mastery requires both a little patience and practice. Solitude recommended.>>

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ghostsofpompeii · June 2017

When I first learned of retrohaling I couldn't grasp the concept of tobacco actually tasting better when exhaled through the nostril. Like most I assumed our taste buds were on our tongue so what role could breathing smoke out of the nostrils possible have with intensifying the flavor? Well it does. And no better example than Sutliff Frosty Mint. Just smoking the Frosty Mint normally you'll get that wonderful flavor of a York Peppetmint Patty. That great combination of mint and chocolate. But once you retrohale it's like someone packed your nostrils full of Vicks Vaporub - you get a brain freeze, and it immediately clears your sinuses.

Woodsman · June 2017

I find breath smoking to really enhance the smoking experience and I often do it but, not all the time. It is something that I do when my surroundings are such that I can concentrate on it fully.

LostMason · June 2017

There is a program on the PBS channel, "The Science of Taste",in one segment

they were discussing a french cheese (supposedly Napolian's favorite) where

they inadvertantly explain retro-haling or snorking. It would seem that the aroma

changes when pressed out and thus enhances the flavors.

xDutchx · June 2017

One of the keys to effectively retrohaling, is to keep your sinus cavities in good condition using an effective salt water solution for sinus irrigation. Not only will it improve your smoking experience, it will most likely relieve some sinus pressure you may be experiencing. It may also keep you from getting sick as often, since salt is known to kill bacteria. Keep in mind that tap water is not recommended, unless it is boiled first. My preferred water source is the same distilled water I buy to rehydrate my tobacco, since I already keep a regular supply at hand.

Here are a few links to get you pointed in the right direction, but you can also consult with your GP on how they recommend to proceed.

https://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm316375.htm

http://www.fammed.wisc.edu/nasal-irrigation/

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Wellness/fatal-infections-linked-neti-pots/story?id=15170230