Do certain tobaccos smoke better in different pipe shapes/sizes?

[Benjamin Button]

As the topic states, I am curious if certain tobaccos (flake vs. ribbon, english vs. aromatic, etc...) smoke differently in pipes with different bowl shapes or sizes.

I seem to remember someone saying that virginia flakes burn better in a deep bowl vs a shallow bowl but I am not sure if it was merely a personal observation or actual fact. I am looking to get a couple more pipes (one dedicated to Virginias and another for aromatics), and I'd like to know if there is something that would be better for either.

I feel like a pipe with a shallow bowl would be better for aromatics due to the nature of the tobacco smoking on the moist side. Often I have trouble burning to the bottom of my Savinelli billiard but I think it is because it is a deeper bowl and the moisture build up is too much once it gets down low.

Thanks all!

-Adam

 

[LilBastage]

I find that flakes smoke better in thick walled, narrow bowls. The depth doesn't seem to matter to me other than in the length of the smoke.

I like English blends and Virginia blends in bigger bowls and Burley blends in smaller bowls. Aromatics seem to smoke the same in about everything I've tried.

I don't know if this follows any "rules" or not, but this is based on my experiences (which is not vast, but enough for me to develop preferences).

 

[Benjamin Button]

Great! Thanks Alan.

My moisture buildup could be the result of not dumping the ash and it being a deeper bowl. I have a large bowled bent billiard meerschaum that I have been smoking Frog Morton on the Town in lately and I never have a problem smoking to the bottom. It could be the nature of the tobacco also. Frog Morton produces a nice fine ash while the aromatics I smoke tend to produce a bit more grainy ash.

 

[LilBastage]

Great! Thanks Alan.

My moisture buildup could be the result of not dumping the ash and it being a deeper bowl. I have a large bowled bent billiard meerschaum that I have been smoking Frog Morton on the Town in lately and I never have a problem smoking to the bottom. It could be the nature of the tobacco also. Frog Morton produces a nice fine ash while the aromatics I smoke tend to produce a bit more grainy ash.

The moisture could also just be a characteristic of the tobacco. A lot of aros will smoke wet no matter what you do. It could also be the particular pipe more than even the size and shape. All pipes are different and some blends shine in one pipe and are a goopy mess in another.

I have one pipe in particular that makes everything I've tried in it smoke wet. Needless to say, I don't smoke it very often. I do smoke it's twin often, though, it smokes like a champ. They are the exact same model form the same maker, but there's just something weird happening with the one.

 

[Benjamin Button]

Yeah, at this point I only have two pipes the Savinelli Briar and the Meerschaum (well, three if you count the corncob, but I rarely smoke that). I'm looking to expand my collection as I'd like to enjoy my ever growing tobacco stash more often.

 

[LilBastage]

Yeah, at this point I only have two pipes the Savinelli Briar and the Meerschaum (well, three if you count the corncob, but I rarely smoke that). I'm looking to expand my collection as I'd like to enjoy my ever growing tobacco stash more often.

Your cob (if it's a high quality cob like a Missouri Meerschaum) is perfect for exploring many new blends. Don't let it sit just because you don't think it's dandy enough. They are great smokers and don't generally take a ghost like other pipes.