Tongue Bite After Smoking a Pipe

Even though smoking a pipe is usually very enjoyable, most smokers have experienced the discomfort of tongue bite. This is a burning sensation on the tongue, which can last anywhere from between a few hours and several days. The tongue bite is no friend to those of us who enjoy a good pipe. In this blog article we’ll cover what you can do to avoid having your tongue bitten, allowing you to fully enjoy smoking your pipe.

Your tongue hurts after smoking

There are two theories that explain why your tongue might hurt after smoking your pipe. The first theory is a matter of heat. If the smoke that enters your mouth and touches your tongue is too warm, it will to no one's surprise give you a burning sensation.

The second theory is a matter of chemistry, and we won’t be going into details here, but the bottom line is that tobacco with a high level of alkalinity will sting more than an acidic tobacco. And a tobacco with higher levels of sugar will sting less.

Knowing these two reasons for tongue bite makes it easier to avoid it, and we have gathered some practical pointers right here that will hopefully help you keep your tongue pain free.

How to avoid tongue bite

The most important piece of advice is to avoid heating your tobacco too much. Here is a list of do’s and don'ts:

• Smoke your pipe with small, patient and gentle drags
• Prepare the tobacco in the chamber of your pipe correctly, meaning neither too tight nor too loose. Pack the tobacco most loosely at the bottom, a bit tighter in the middle and with a firm touch at the top.
• Don’t be afraid to relight your tobacco if the flame has gone out, instead of trying hard to kindle the embers by puffing. This is a sure way to drive up temperature.
• Draw gently when you light up the tobacco, so as to avoid drawing in the heat of the flame.
• Don’t light up when there is just a little bit of tobacco left, you just risk drawing in heat.
• Avoid tobacco with high alkaline levels and/or low sugar levels.

If a certain tobacco seems to give you more tongue bite than others, then you should just move on to a different tobacco. There are plenty to choose from and it is definitely possible to avoid tongue bite.