What Makes a Blend Smooth on the Retrohale?

[Skippy B. Coyote]

I've been smoking my pipes daily for a couple years now so I don't feel much like a beginner at this point, but this is one question that seems like it should have a pretty basic answer but has been puzzling me a bit.

I've found that I really don't care for blends that have a spicy nose-burning retrohale, but what makes a blend smooth and gentle on the retrohale seems a little nebulous. I have noticed that black canvendish or latakia definitely seems to smooth a blend out and help make it gentle on the sinuses, and the inclusion of perique or dark fired kentucky is almost sure to make for an extremely spicy retrohale, but blends that contain none of those condiments seem to vary a lot.

For instance, Carter Hall and Mac Baren HH Pure Virginia are totally smooth and gentle on the retrohale for me but Peterson Flake and G.L. Pease Union Square just set my sinuses on fire when retrohaled. In the case of Carter Hall I suspect that it might be the light bourbon and cocoa toppings smoothing it out and perhaps the hot pressing of the flakes mellows out the HH Pure Virginia, but what I can't figure out is why the Peterson Flake and Union Square are so darn spicy on the sniffer.

Any thoughts on the matter of what makes blend gentle or spicy on the retrohale? Figuring this puzzle out would really go a long way towards helping me narrow down what new blends to try versus which to pass on, especially when it comes to pure Virginias!

 

[Chasing Embers]

I've never experienced it. Do the same blends that irritate your nose cause any irritation in your mouth?

 

[Skippy B. Coyote]

I've never experienced it. Do the same blends that irritate your nose cause any irritation in your mouth?

Nope, I've never gotten much in the way of mouth irritation from any blend, though I do find that blends with a substantial amount of perique or dark fired kentucky can leave me with a sore throat after smoking them. I never inhale, I only smoke using the breath method, but perique and DFK still tend to irritate the back of my throat even when I don't retrohale.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Nope, I've never gotten much in the way of mouth irritation from any blend, though I do find that blends with a substantial amount of perique or dark fired kentucky can leave me with a sore throat after smoking them. I never inhale, I only smoke using the breath method, but perique and DFK still tend to irritate the back of my throat even when I don't retrohale.

May just be a chemical reaction to the tobaccos. Some are allergic to red Virginias and Perique. Maybe even getting the smoke too hot.

 

[jbfrady]

What I can't figure out is why the Peterson Flake and Union Square are so darn spicy on the sniffer.

Thank you for specifying. At first I thought for sure that the answer would be Orientals, as they're usual suspects for spicy notes.

I'm a little strange on this front. I don't believe you've tasted a tobacco unless you retrohale, so I tend to do so quite often. Just as you have, I've noticed spice aplenty in some blends, but I view it as part of the experience. Even when something is crazy spicy, I'll still keep doing it, looking for an appeal in the madness, not unlike eating spicy chicken wings and enjoying it.

The thing about Virginias... there are dozens (I hesitate to call it hundreds) of varieties out there, so not all Virginia tobaccos are alike. This could account for some of the difference. But my bigger curiosity is... how old are the tins? It could be the sugar content if the VA leaves are fresher.

You can buy a new tin of Mac Baren while still receiving decades-old Virginia leaves, whereas that's entirely unlikely with any other company. Nobody else has Mac Baren's historic warehouse space, so I'd wager that the Virginias that attack your nostrils are much, much younger.

 

[ThermionicScott]

One thing that helps for me is to avoid retrohaling the puffs from lighting or relighting. Those tend to be the hottest/spiciest.

 

[jpberg]

Cocaine. After that every blend is smooth.

 

[craig61a]

Cocaine. After that every blend is smooth.

She don’t lie..

 

[K.E. Powell]

It's probably not the answer you're looking for, but at the end of the day, everyone's body is different and reacts differently to certain things. Mucous membranes in the nasal cavities can be especially sensitive. It's largely a matter of biology.

 

[renfield]

Some blends seem to retrohale smoother than others to me. Blends with a lot of perique can sometimes feel a bit ticklish on the retrohale.

I also wonder if there’s much meaningful variation in the pH of pipe smokes.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

If it's smooth on the inhale it should be smooth on the retrohale. I prefer the throat inhale and then exhaling through the noise. Max flavor gain.

 

[AJL67]

She don’t lie..

If you wanna get down ...

 

[ThermionicScott]

One thing that helps for me is to avoid retrohaling the puffs from lighting or relighting. Those tend to be the hottest/spiciest.

Furthermore, I might not retrohale exclusively after relights, either. If I find that a blend is singeing my nostrils, I'll retrohale every other puff, or keep my lips parted and only retrohale part of it. You don't need to blast your nostrils to get a good effect, and I find that going too hard on the retrohale dulls my senses.

 

[proteus]

Just keep trying. You'll get used to it. How fast you retrohale and how much smoke you draw in plays a part too. Keep trying sht till it works...

 

[dottlejockey]

Like others, I love the retrohale for the flavor benefits. If something is a bit spicier then just retro a portion of the puff. Keeps the burn down while still getting the benefits of exploring the full range of flavor the blend has to offer.