How To Properly Smoke A Pipe
1. Take some tobacco and let it trickle into the bowl until full. Using a pipe tamper, gently tamp the tobacco down until it feels springy. Repeat this process two more times until bowl is full. The amount of tension with each successive layer of tobacco will determine the amount of resistance when drawing smoke through the pipe. The proper tension will result in an easy cool smoke whereas packing the tobacco too tightly will require a stronger draw of air which may cause overheating of the pipe.
2. When lighting the pipe, apply the flame to the whole of the top surface of the tobacco while drawing frequently, but gently.
3. The initial lighting should cause the tobacco to rise up; when this happens, tamp the tobacco down using a pipe tamper and level it. Then relight the pipe.
4. Drawing should be slow, measured, calm, and with the draws far between each other. Remember that at the right rhythm, the smoke coming out of your pipe should be hardly visible. Gently release it back into the air. If you try to draw hard and fast, you will be defeating the purpose of pipe smoking which is enjoyment and relaxation. Slowly you will develop your own unique rhythm and yes, sometimes your pipe will go out... this is normal!
5. Re-lighting your pipe several times during the course of a bowl is a normal and proper procedure. If you observe expert pipe smokers you will notice that they periodically re-light their pipes. Occasionally you will have to tamp down the tobacco, and sometimes turn your pipe upside down to dump the ash that spontaneously goes out; you want to retain any ash that does not obstruct your flame, because ash contributes to a regular and slow combustion of the tobacco.
6. Do not try to smoke every last bit of tobacco. If it is too compressed and moist, just discard it.
7. After you have finished smoking your pipe, gently use a pipe pick to remove any remaining tobacco. REMEMBER that it is very risky to remove the mouthpiece while the pipe is still hot, because this can result in cracks at the mouthpiece end of the shank. NEVER knock the top of the bowl against a hard surface. Once the pipe becomes cold, open it, turning the mouthpiece WITHOUT pulling it, and remove the balsa filter. Next, blow strongly through the mouthpiece to remove any remaining bits of tobacco. Run a pipe cleaner through the mouthpiece into the bowl several times.
8. We suggest letting the pipe stand between one smoke and the next. Ideally, you should have one pipe for every day of the week!