Just Wait’ll Next Year!

Well today was the day. I was a participant in a pipe smoking contest, for the first time. Granted the field consisted of a couple of relative new comers to the art of pipe smoking. One had been smoking a pipe only a month or so another contestant for eight months (a reformed cigarette smoker). There was a cherry wood smoker, Raymond, a couple others and myself. To break the suspense early I came in third, with a time of 46 minutes 02 seconds. Far from what I had aimed for but, I think respectable for my first contest.

Granted the contest wasn’t a “formal” contest in-as-much as it was for the sport. Skip Elliot the proprietor of The Briary in Homewood Alabama was the proctor. And, it was a “run what you brung” contest. It was however; conducted in the spirit of a “sanctioned” contest.

We seven contestants were provided with three grams of tobacco, were allowed five minutes to prepare the tobacco and pack our pipes, provided with two matches, and given one minute in which to light our pipes….. and we were off.

The general expression of gratification/surprise from Skip was that the first two to fall from contention fell at just over the 22 minute mark. Skip was pleased because, apparently in last year’s competition the first went out (pardon the pun) in under one minute. Today the fifth and fourth places fell by the wayside at around the thirty minute mark. That left three contestants. It was pointed out, that the twenty minute mark is about average for a “sanctioned” slow smoking contest; intimating that we were all above average.

Unfortunately, I broke one of my own philosophical rules of competition… I got involved with the conversation, and that lapse of concentration cost me at least fifteen minutes and I allowed my pipe to develop an unrecoverable ember, and it went out. Granted when I knocked out my pipe, the unburned tobacco remaining was only another fifteen or twenty minutes worth. That, if I had managed a proper slow smoke would have put my time around the one hour mark, well short of my average of around one hour twenty minutes. Even my best time would have been a bit short of what would have been required to even “place”. Second place succumbed at around the ninety minute mark. Raymond smoked on.

I fully realize my errors. First, while I got a good light and was controlling the ember as described in my earlier postings, I was (seemingly) in a hurry. While I wanted to go long, and I wanted to keep the ember under control, I was leery or apprehensive of the prospect of allowing my ember to get too low and loose the minimum/optimum (another oxymoron) combustion temperature. So, I burned it too fast and as a matter of course could only manage the forty six minutes and two seconds, for third place. I was the show horse. And, Raymond smoked on.

I did suffer a small handicap however; I was unable to load the whole three grams of tobacco into my pipe. Apparently my Bjarne Free Form will hold only about one and half grams, assuming that the provided tobacco was three grams. Still, I should have gone for an hour and fifteen or a little more, considering my average is about one and twenty. “It is a poor workman that blames his tools.” And Raymond smoked on.

Believe it or not there was an air of tension in the smoking lounge of The Briary. Just how long could Raymond keep his pipe lit? Well, his time was just over one hour forty six minutes. His was an admirable performance. First prize was a handsome flame grained pipe with a little rustication, not a budget buster but one with nice grain and pleasing shape. Second place was awarded a nice pipe stand with tobacco container, and third… well nothing specified. But, Skip did some lobbying with one of the vendors that was sponsoring the show and contest and I received two tins of tobacco. A tin of Escudo Navy De Luxe, (a pleasant blend of Virginia and Perique)[very mild], and a tin of Sasieni “Original Formula Balkan” (a blend of Macedonia and Latakia with Virginia)[rather robust… yummy!].

After the conclusion of the contest and many congratulations, a few of us asked a few questions of Raymond concerning his technique and philosophy for/of slow smoking. He mentioned a couple of things that I hadn’t considered in my exploration of discovery. First, was his tamping technique; after the light, instead of immediately utilizing his tamper to control the ember, he smoked for about fifteen minutes before he began chasing the ember. He also didn’t try to dictate to the tobacco where the small ember was to be located. He just “did the char”, and his true light was small, and he allowed it to form where it would.

The second technique that I gleaned from our discussion was the removal of ash from the bowl. While pouring the ash from the bowl is permissible (according to the rules), he observed that those with truly prodigious times utilized their tamper/dowels to remove the ash from the bowl. The ash will cling to the tamper and thus can be removed in small amounts throughout the process. Raymond’s observation was that the structure of the burning ember, if allowed to remain intact would burn slower and cooler than an ember that was being encumbered by excesses of spent tobacco and excessive tamping. One cannot, according to the “rules” return unburned tobacco to the bowl if one pours it out while removing the ash. But, there is no rule against removing the ash with the tamper. He marked the paper he used to prepare his tobacco with the tamper, thus removing the “removed” ash from the tamper.

Raymond also explained his packing technique. He said that he holds his pipe in his mouth when packing/tamping down the tobacco. He does this for two reasons: First; he receives real-time feedback on the “pull” of the pipe and secondly he can judge the “tightness” of the packed bowl. Neither can be assessed when holding the pipe in one’s hand while packing. He said: “I breathe through the pipe when I’m packing the bowl.”

A few days ago, someone commented on one of my earlier blogs, that blowing into the pipe may earn one disqualification from competition. Upon reflection, the semantics of this may be in question. It is against the “official” rules to blow directly into the top of the bowl of your pipe, not into the stem. If blowing into the stem were a disqualifying offense, then anyone smoking would automatically be disqualified. The simple act of a mild slow draw and the blowing out of that draw from ones mouth will cause a minimal reverse pressure in the pipe and cause smoke to rise from the bowl. This is simply a matter of physics and cannot be avoided without closing off the air hole with one’s tongue with every puff. Even then smoke will rise from the bowl.

Well, I just wanted to share some of my experience with this afternoon’s smoking contest at The Briary. It was a hoot, and I made some new friends in the process. And, I suppose that is the best prize of all.

Once again I want to extend my congratulations to Raymond for his victory today. His performance was admirable. As a side note: Raymond will be competing in the upcoming National Pipe Smoking Contest in Chicago. I wish you success Raymond. if you win, then I can say I was bested by the best. Good luck!

Just wait‘ll next year!

Practice Pipe Selection, Preparation, and Competition Rules

As you know I have been attempting to explore the secrets of the “slow smoke”, and I believe that most of what I have thus far conveyed has been valid. However, with a lot of searching I have discovered a couple of things that had never occurred to me prior to finding them. I have to admit that I was somewhat crestfallen. But, tearing down misconceptions is what this entire exercise has been all about. So, here goes.

There is an organization called the United Pipe Clubs of America. http://www.unitedpipeclubs.org/Default.aspx?pageId=505690 This organization has established a set of guidelines designed to level the playing field, as it were. Just follow the link to “Leaning Center”, then to “Smoking Contest Preparation” to get to the basic outline of the UPCA’s procedures and standards for a member club’s Pipe Smoking Contests. The 2010 U.S. National Slow Smoke Championship will be held on May 02, 2010. Here is the web address for the details, and there is a link for registration on this page as well. http://www.unitedpipeclubs.org/Default.aspx?pageId=505660

Prior to writing this and discovering the above, I was ignorant of these standards. I knew about the tampers and the amount of tobacco (3 grams), but that was about it. Since finding the above information I have been attempting to set a new benchmark for myself while adhering to the UPCA’s standards, to the best of my ability. I have only one pipe that fits the general prescribed parameters. It is a classic “apple shape” Cavicchi. Since swapping over to the Cavicchi from my free form Bjarne, and using only my largest diameter dowel style tamper, my times have not been as good. My new bench mark is one hour and twelve minuets. My average time is down from the Bjarne, but I am steadily improving on it and will set a new benchmark soon.

A thorough cleaning of your practice pipe is in order before each new attempt to better your benchmark. Considering that a new pipe is to be used in a UPCA smoking competition, a very clean pipe is essential to a good practice session. Special attention should be paid to the cake in the bowl. Make it as smooth and thin as is possible without damaging your pipe (of course). The airway should be as clean as possible, and the draft hole unobstructed. Your pipe must be absolutely dry. The measurements of your practice pipe should approximate the dimensions listed on the 2010 Smoking Contest Details page, as closely as possible.

As for tobacco preparation and packing your pipe, I think technique is a matter of preference, and practice. As for me, I start by raiding the printer paper stock, here at the house, for one piece of paper. For us old-school guys that’s a piece of typing paper. I also concur with the creasing it down the middle. For me, the most important aspect of the packing process is insuring that the tobacco is in consistently sized pieces. Not so small that they are instantly consumed by the ember or match, nor so big that they won’t easily light either. The UPCA says to rub the tobacco in your “dry” palms, this is a good practice. But I would tear any significantly large pieces individually to avoid creating too much dust, and you won’t waste any significant time by trying to rub the large pieces of tobacco to consistency. Bringing your tobacco to your preferred size and consistency takes practice as well.

Then pack the bowl in a 3 stage manner. I extend that to 5 or 6 stages. Remember you only have 5 minutes according to the UPCA rules. The UPCA recommends that you use the fine “leftovers” as tinder. This isn’t a bad idea, just remember to localize where this is in the bowl so you don’t light the entire surface of the bowl. This can be facilitated by creating a small indentation in the surface of the tobacco with the tip of your little finger, and filling it with the dust. I’m still lighting only about a quarter of the surface area, and feeding from the top. This is difficult considering the tamper restrictions.

Preparing the tamper provided is crucial, and not for the reason that the UPCA states. If you can round the edges sufficiently to effect a real reduction in the diameter of the tamper’s end, then managing the mini-bowl becomes much easier. Under the UPCA’s restrictions; feeding from the top can be problematic, but worth your while. Employing the mini-bowl methodology as your strategy can enhance your performance toward the win. It just takes some practice.

I have really enjoyed conveying my exploration. I have learned a lot. Someday I may take a shot at the “Championship”. But until that time; there will always be the occasional local competitions, on International Pipe Smoking Day, or Father’s Day, you know the ones, where the rules aren’t governed by a “higher authority”. The one’s where a tin of good tobacco is up for grabs or something of even greater value “bragging rights”, like back in my college days where you “run what you brung”.

Pleasant smoking everyone.

Dottle Diggers, Ember Chasing And Slow Smoking

I came across an old thread (posted approx. 3 months ago) “Ember Chasing” started by cdntigermoth64. He said that he had participated in a pipe smoking contest. When I found the old string I was looking around for slow smoking techniques. There wasn’t much regarding technique or accessories. I have been largely frustrated in my search for tips up until recently. There is a huge amount of anecdotal information about the packing, lighting, and smoking of pipes, but almost nothing about the sport of slow smoking pipes. I wanted to learn how to slow down and keep my pipe lit. To quote a phrase often repeated; “I smoke like a freight train”. The current “Danish Record” was set on November 12, 2006 by Troels Rasmussen. He smoked 3 grams of tobacco in 3 hours 16 minutes and 8 seconds. That is an impressive achievement by anyone’s standards. One gram (in layman’s terms) is approximately the same weight as a regular sized paper clip.

On the web site fajka.org; I noticed that in the photos of the contest, the participants were using what appeared to be dowel rods 4 or 5 inches long as tampers.

I have never been satisfied with the old standby steel or aluminum “pipe nails”, “pipe tools” or “dottle diggers”. I do however like the tapered square Brebbia tampers with a very small spoon on the small end. I have found them to be very useful when I get a closed off draft hole during a smoke. One can insert it between the bowl and burning tobacco and clear the obstruction. They often work better and more efficiently than using a pipe cleaner down the stem for the same purpose. It is also quite possible that the mass of the square end helped with the burn time as well, another reason I like them. I suppose that it’s like covering the bowl with two fingers to restrict the air flow when the pipe’s light begins to wane.

About the same time that I found the photos of the dowels being used I was becoming interested in carving. Admittedly, I am no expert carver, far from it. So, to make a long story a little longer… I whittled out a couple of tampers from some old scraps of pine I had on hand. However, I was worried about the white pine they are carved from not being a suitable wood for the intended purpose. It was, after all, just an experiment, so what the heck. I conditioned them by rubbing the business end against the inside walls of a freshly smoked and still warm pipe. This transferred some of the residue to the tamper. Problem solved.

I was very pleased with the results. The tobacco’s burn time increased dramatically. I think the restricted air flow created by the plug style (slightly conical) end of the tampers permitted me better control of the inflow of air to the tobacco, and thus I can chase the embers and actually improve the quality of my pipe smoking experience. The conical shape of the plug allows me to; not only tamp up and down, but permits the tamper to be rocked from side to side, permitting even more control, and where of course the straight sides of a dowel does not. My smokes are now cooler, considerably slower, and seemingly more flavorful. But, you have to keep these tampers in almost continual use for the duration of the smoke, and one must pay particular attention to what the embers are doing. I now frequently have nothing but white ash in the bottom of a dry bowl when it finally goes out.

My first three tampers with different dottle diggers.