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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!
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cortezattic said:
Sounds like a really great time. I’m glad that Ray shared some of the secrets of his success. 3 grams is a lot of tobacco though. I’m not sure I could do that much in one sitting, much less continuously (I must have weak cheeks — LOL). Thanks for the update!
April 11th, 2010 at 11:34 am
Bob said:
That sounds like you had a great time Lawrence!
Thanks for keeping us posted about your experiences. Now you have some experience and some more knowledge with slow smoking.
Congrats on the tins of tobacco!
April 11th, 2010 at 11:53 am
pstlpkr said:
Thanks Guys,
I really did have a great time. I got to sample several different tobaccos and a cigar. There was a pipe vendor there as well, with some beautiful new shapes. I did realize something during my visit, that cigars while a significant portion of Skip’s business, pipes are, by far, his main business. I believe he has over a thousand pipes on display, not including the “show” participants.
I think you guys would like Raymond. He is a member of our local Celtic community and as comfortable in his Kilt as he is with his pipe. And he’s serious about winning in Chicago. His chances are very high.
Pipe smoking is alive and well in Birmingham.
April 11th, 2010 at 12:05 pm
Bob said:
Well, tell Raymond to come to PipesMagazine.com and join up!
April 11th, 2010 at 12:19 pm
pstlpkr said:
I did.
April 11th, 2010 at 12:45 pm
cortezattic said:
Gleaning info from your previous blog, and what you mention here, I need to ask: do you sense any improvement in flavor or relaxation, etc., when smoking in contest mode? Have the good habits become a permanent part of your smoking practices; or do you lapse into carelessness when not concentrating on duration?
April 11th, 2010 at 5:24 pm
pstlpkr said:
Good question Cortez,
I’ve been smoking a pipe for about 36 years, and I admit that I have several habits that are not conducive to slow smoking. However; after my competition I have taken note that I tend to smoke much more aggressively when sitting in my easy chair. Things like larger, quicker puffs, and frequent lighting to increase the richness of the smoke for example. I hope that I continue to note the aggressive smoking when I do it, because I then back off and slow down. But, the slow smoke either in practice or in a contest is a different animal than smoking for relaxation. Concentration being the largest difference. The evening smoke with the obligatory slippers, scotch, and good book, is for pleasure, where the point of the slow smoke competition is to win, and that breeds some stress where the former does not. So, I would say when I do lapse into “carelessness” I am making a conscious effort to make corrections. In the long run that it will only increase my pipe smoking pleasure.
April 11th, 2010 at 6:28 pm
classicgeek said:
Thanks for posting your story about the slow-smoking contest! I’ve never had the opportunity but I’m sure I would be one of the first out. Always interesting to hear what worked, what didn’t and what eventually ended your run. It’ sometimes still a mystery to me why my pipe gies out. So much to learn.
April 12th, 2010 at 8:53 am
echoloc8 said:
Well, by now we know that Raymond actually won the Chicago contest(s), as well as the one here in Birmingham. IMO we should ask him to start posting tips and advice here ASAP. I’ve competed against him in prior years, and talent and expertise like his is HARD to come by!
May 7th, 2010 at 10:49 pm