had to switch to cigars last couple days due to "cotten tongue"

[KinnScience]

My tongue felt like there was a "flannel" cloth stuck to the top of it. I could not taste anything except a "raw" "sour" taste, and it was hard to talk without feeling like I had cotton on my tongue. It started about a week ago ... and got worse over the weekend after smoking PS Nougat... down to the dottle.

I'm still dealing with it. Seems like it gets worse when I smoke a burly. I picked up some gars and it seems to have abated as long as I draw slowly. I bought more pipes ... Mastro de paja ... Karl Eric, ... and a Boswell (unreal pipe)... I don't even want to smoke them (well, I had to try the Boswell... and it was pretty good but would have been much better if I could have enjoyed the tobacco)

Anyway, nobody will talk to me at home .. cuz I'm pretty grumpy.

I know ... someone is going to say "tongue burn" ..

I thought tongue burn was when I pulled on a VA too hard .. and it burned a bit. I figured .. hey, that doesn't bother me. Anyway, I never got this from smokin VA's ... I get it from hitting burley's pretty hard ... and from PS Nougat.

So, what exactly IS tongue burn? Is it the burning you feel on the tip of your tongue when you pull a VA? ... or is it the "leather/cotton" layer that welds itself to the entire top of your whole tonge for a week after pulling hard on burlys?


Depressed in PA

[dmkerr]

If PS Nougat is like most aromatics, you're puffing too hard on it... too fast, too deep, too hard. You're doing that because you're mind is asking where the flavor is and it's saying "puff faster!"

A basic aromatic doesn't normally give one tongue bite if smoked slowly... which now that I think about it is true for ANY tobacco. Some, like MacBaren's, need to be smoked more slowly than normal but generally a nice slow even "sipping" is what you want. Pipe tobacco shouldn't be sucked in like you would do to a thick milkshake.

Yeah, your poor tongue will probably be down for a couple of days. But fear not, it's happened to all of us. I know I've not seen my last bout. Mine usually occur when I'm smoking while doing something stressful. The stress naturally speeds up my puffing and hopefully I put the pipe down before it does something nasty. The harder you puff, the more hot steam is produced. The more hot steam, the more the tongue rebels. Unfortunately, one cannot build up callouses on one's tongue!

[brianwalden]

My (completely uneducated) diagnosis is tongue bite probably comes in different forms and you've got one of them. Try rinsing with warm salt water like you might for a canker sore - I read that in an old forum post. I had my first bad case of tongue bite this weekend and the salt water trick gave me instant relief. It was like magic.

[Mad Hatter]

Three things come to mind. 1) You got tongue bite from a tobacco and that was made worse by subsequent smokes 2) You have prolonged tongue bite from too many smokes that was added to with each subsequent smoke 3) You're taking in too much nicotene and getting that cottonmouthed dehydrated feeling. I have a problem with this one which is why I try to stick to mid-range tobaccos or alternate stronger ones with milder ones.

[dj1340]

I had something similar happen to me, I puffed way to hard on a couple of pipefulls of tobacco and when I went to have a cigar that night, my tongue felt like it was on fire. I was almost ready to give the rest of that brand of cigars away. Actually brushed my tongue with warm salt water and didn't smoke for a day.

Tried another cigar and low and behold it tasted great.
Give your tongue a rest.

[Professor Mike]

A Zinc and B12 vitamin suppliment has always work for me. Give it a go .

Prof. Mike

[Jesla]

Been their done that... got the T-shirt.....

Biotene is the cure. I get it at walgreens.

[jfserama]

I found that tongue bite is worse when I haven't been drinking enough (water, that is). It also seems to last longer if I'm not well hydrated - it often goes away after 15-30 mins if I am hydrated, may take a day or so if I'm not. Also, sucking on a lifesaver afterwards seems to help with tongue bite, while chewing gum seems to make it worse. Lifesavers also help to get rid of the smokey smell on my breath.

[jonasinmacon]

You are not alone. I am currently suffering from tongue bite. My first real case of it I think. I attribute it to switching over from aromatics this weekend to tins (don't shoot me I don't know the correct terminology of "non-aromatics". Therefore, after discovering a New World with real baccy, I of course smoked as much as humanly possible over the last 3 days. Physically got sick to my stomach yesterday, and then quickly went out and bought another new tin.

I'm hydrating, I think this will help. And yes, high octane gum only makes it WORSE! Coffee not much better. I hate to think what will happen if I have to take a day off of smoking...

[olnumber7]

Originally Posted by brianwalden

My (completely uneducated) diagnosis is tongue bite probably comes in different forms and you've got one of them. Try rinsing with warm salt water like you might for a canker sore - I read that in an old forum post. I had my first bad case of tongue bite this weekend and the salt water trick gave me instant relief. It was like magic.

Ditto to that, the salt water trick works wonders.

[SmokinJohnny]

This past week, I went on a binge nearly chain puffing half a dozen different english blends I picked up only to wake up one morning and uggg. No tounge bite or dryness or anything like that. Just have absolutely no desire to smoke anything at the moment. The desire will come back. Always does. Pipes are getting a good rest. LOL.

[KinnScience]

DANG IT!

My mouth feels like the whole inside was rubbed with sandpaper!

I was getting a bit better ... then picked up some cheap cigar on my way home from work ... (no choice and I was dying for a smoke) and it started the whole thing all over again. I have had this for a while now ... it all started when I was dying to try 5 different burly blends. I filled 2 pipes at a time ... and really puffed. I'm wondering if it will ever get better. Am I going to have to quit smoking for a few days?!? That would really suck .. but geez .. I'm not enjoying smoking much.

Trying to take it easy and "sip" some Balkin Supreme. I may smoke some sliced brown tonight ... figure I won't pull on that too hard ... so maybe it won't make my mouth worse. Heck, it was just my tongue .. now it is the roof of my mouth as well.

this sucks.

PS .. I tried the saltwater. It did help a bit. But I must have really scalded my mouth ... and keep injuring it.

Why does there have to be tongue bite? (why can't the world be filled with lovely tobacco ... growing already aged right out of the ground ... no world hunger ... no wars ... .... oh, and it is against the law to keep me from lighting a pipe at work)

[Mad Hatter]

Well Brian the roof of your mouth might be affected because you unconsciously aimed the smoke away from your tongue. Try some OTC burleys for a few days and if it doesn't begin to ease up then maybe you should take a few days off.

[brianwalden]

Hey KinnScience, what's making it so hard to just quit for a few days to let your mouth heal? You can't be enjoying it when it's so painful. If it's the nicotine, maybe try chewing tobacco or snus for a few days. But be careful with that stuff, it's like nicotine crack.

[plexiprs]

Try alternate rinses with the salty water and Biotene or Crest Pro-Health washes. Biotene also makes a spray mouth moisturizer that would be worth a try for immediately before you smoke and then after. You are drastically changing the pH of your mouth with the smoke and drying it out.

Smaller bowls, sip slowly and try to put more time between sessions. It will get better and it can adapt to the smoking, but if you overload it it will be much more difficult!