Bite? Sour? Question from a new pipe smoker and a bad taste.

[Atomix]

Quick question - I appreciate any feedback.


So I recently started the pipe smoking hobby. I've been smoking for a couple weeks now (corn cob, Price Albert, Frog Morton, Miss River). I noticed yesterday that I was beginning to get a sour/bitter yuck feeling/taste in my mouth; eating and drinking helps with the taste, but it isn't going anyway.

It's almost taste like what I would imagine licking ashes out of pipe bowl after it sits for several days would taste like. Any ideas? Is this bite?

[Branzig]

It's almost taste like what I would imagine licking ashes out of pipe bowl after it sits for several days would taste like. Any ideas? Is this bite?

Welcome!

It isn't bite. Bite is a stinging of the mouth and tongue. After the initial stinging, it will leave your mouth raw for a time. Bite has nothing to do with taste really.

The first question I would ask is whether you are dumping the dottle (the bit of burnt up tobacco and ash left over at the end of the smoke) out after each bowl? Do you run a pipe cleaner through the stem after each smoke?

Also, how many pipes do you have and how often are you smoking them? Pipes need time to dry out and rest. If you smoke too many bowls in them, they will start to smoke sour and wet. We like to call it "smoking swampy."

[Atomix]

Welcome!

It isn't bite. Bite is a stinging of the mouth and tongue. After the initial stinging, it will leave your mouth raw for a time. Bite has nothing to do with taste really.

The first question I would ask is whether you are dumping the dottle (the bit of burnt up tobacco and ash left over at the end of the smoke) out after each bowl? Do you run a pipe cleaner through the stem after each smoke?

Also, how many pipes do you have and how often are you smoking them? Pipes need time to dry out and rest. If you smoke too many bowls in them, they will start to smoke sour and wet. We like to call it "smoking swampy."

Branzig - thanks for the reply.

I dump the bowl out after each smoke, force blow through the stem, and run a pipe cleaner through the stem/shank all the way to the bowl. I then fold the pipe cleaner in half and wipe out the bowl. I have two corn-cob pipes, and smoke an average 2-3 bowls per day.

[izkeh]

Are you noticing any liquid coming out of the stem end of your pipes (the lip)? I mean we all slobber to some degree and some of that gets caught up in the stem. Couple that with the fact that you're creating condensation each time you puff on it. I find that if I hold the pipe with the stem facing down a little bit the nasty "juice" will run back to the opening (lip) and as a result some will end up on my tongue. That stuff is bitter and nasty tasting.

An experiment to try if you suspect this...You'll need a napkin or paper towel for this
Puff like you normally do
Hold the pipe like you normally do
When you notice the bad taste beginning to appear cover the bowl with your hand, turn the pipe vertically so the stem is facing down at the towel, then gently tap the lip of the stem on the towel. If you notice brown liquid drips on the towel you've likely found your answer to the nastiness.

This used to get me early on in my smoking career because I, like many new puffers, tended to stoke that thing like a steam train. You create a ton of condensation in the stem and you also tend to hear gurgling in the bowl.

If this is what you're experiencing then the answer is to:
1. Slow down your puffing
2. Make sure your tobacco is dried out a little bit. It doesn't need to be crunchy but it shouldn't be too moist (think brand new pouch tobacco). I let mine sit out for about 30-60 minutes before I smoke and that helps a ton
3. Hold your pipe so the stem is facing more up towards the ceiling as opposed to the bowl being higher than the lip

If not, someone else with more experience than I will come along and offer up some more suggestions.There are more experienced smokers on here than myself. That's the beauty of this site.

[Mister Moo]

You're not the only one (even if your pipe is clean). I am totally not anti-drugstore burley but one day it started giving me an on-and-off ashes kind of taste; I quit smoking it a year or two back. Carter Hall was less problem and Prince Albert was the worst. Yo - loved by millions, just not me anymore.

Change burley brands.

[Alligator Gar]

Could be tar buildup. Moisten a cleaner in alcohol (I use reagent grade isopropyl) and run it through. Take the pipe apart, double the cleaner and twist it into the shank and stem. If it comes out black, run dry ones until they come out clean. Put back together and allow to dry. Pipe will smoke sweet again.

[Nachman]

Do you have a filter in that pipe? Most cobs come with one in it. If there is take it out and throw it away. Do you pull the stem off an run a pipe cleaner, folded in half for thickness down the strummel? Oops, Alligator Gar beat me to the last half of my suggestion.

[Madbricky]

That icky cake buildup in the bowl of a cob has to go too. I use a half round bastard file and finish with 200 grit drywall mesh sandpaper. As soon as I see brown I'm done. Paper towel and that's done. Definitely swab the shank with alcohol soaked pipe cleaners until it's coming out clean. Lots of other tools to clean the cake out too. Flat file on edge will do it without hurting the pipe too.

[Atomix]

Thanks guys - as to the other questions... I don't have a filter and clean after every smoke. I think I may be smoking too fast and building up moisture... Lately, my smoke is fine until after the 1/2 way mark and gets a little bitter, but definitely not what I had experienced when I first posted. ----user error----

[Branzig]

----user error----

That's what 99.9% of my issues are usually haha.

Glad you're figuring it out. Stick in there, once things click, piping is one of the most rewarding hobbies out there.