I Can't Take It Anymore!

[cortezattic]

The presence of a proper thickness of carbon coating inside the pipe bowl does not affect relight frequency.

However, a really thick cake, although improper, will reduce the chamber diameter and make the pipe easier to keep lit.

 

[uberam3rica]

I think I'll crack into my first English/Latakia blend after I'm done this one i'm on and see how that turns out.

It doesn't even have to be an English or Lat heavy blend. I'm just talking about a non aromatic. I think you will have a lot more success. Aros are typically wetter and have a tendency to get goopy. I started with aros, and eventualy found that I love Latakia. I rarely smoke an aromatics now.

 

[thesmokindragon]

Perhaps some flake~Peterson UF, you can cube-cut or just

fold/stuff, the stuff just burns really nice...give it about 60-minutes

or so outta the tin for dry-time (normal temp/humidity conditions)

and I find it works great on 3/4" diameter pipe chambers

 

[judcole]

Lots of good advice here. The best things I can suggest would be, first of all, slow down - relax -take your time.

Get away from the goopy aromatics. Both of these things caused me difficulty when I was starting out. Then, pack loosely, and make sure your tobacco is fairly dry.

Take your time, take your time,take your time. ::
And good luck!

 

[cigrmaster]

loseth, I relight a few time a bowl if I am not paying attention( which I am usually not)it is no big deal trust me. One trick you might want to try is when you feel like your pipe is going out, place two fingers over the top of the bowl and take a few quick puffs to reignite your pipe. It is faster than grabbing for a tamper and you will avoid over tamping. Hell I might only tamp once or twice a bowl and then only after I have dumped ash. Speaking of ash are you dumping it before re lighting. It is real hard to keep a bowl lit with a pile of ash in it.
I can feel your frustration and understand it. You think by now you should be getting it. Keep at it because all of a sudden one day it will all click for you and then all your frustrations will go away.

 

[foggymountain]

When a pipe goes out a lot it could be too wet and could be packed too tight. So dry the tobacco a little before smoking it and don't pack it too tight or too loose. I have heard it said it should require the same amount of draw as a cigarette. I disagree. I think it should be a little easier draw than a cig. Then if those things don't work, get a finer cut tobacco, maybe a shag. If there is still a problem it could be that your attention is wandering and you fail to draw enough on the pipe to keep it lit. Wow! Pipesmoking is more complicated than I realized.

 

[spartan]

Pipe smoking is complicated the same way that walking is complicated.
You'll get the hang of it. Although from what I've read I'll be placing the blame on your aros of choice.
Try a new cob. Try a small pipe. Try a big pipe. It's easier to change the pipe than it is to change your technique. I think you just need a pipe that "clicks" with your smoking style.
Maybe OVER dry your tobacco. What's the worse that can happen? ::
Good luck.

 

[mrenglish]

When I started smoking a pipe, I went a year with a lot of frustrations and almost chucked the whole thing when I found The Ultimate Pipe Book by Hacker. It taught me the basics like how to pack a pipe in thirds and what not. I also realized I was stressing way to much about trying to get it right. Now, I just pack and fill but then, it was a large learning curve. Point is, just relax man. The pieces will all fall into place, just stick with it and do not over think it. When it gets down to it, all you are doing is stuffing tobacco into a pipe. It's not more complicated than that unless you want it to be. ::

 

[numbersix]

@rothnh

Pipe smoking does take a lot research, lots of patience and a great deal of determination. Let's face it -- if puffing a pipe was easy, a lot more people would be smoking pipes. It's complicated. It's involved. It's not for everybody.

@cigrmaster

One trick you might want to try is when you feel like your pipe is going out, place two fingers over the top of the bowl and take a few quick puffs to reignite your pipe.

+1 on both of these comments.
I tend to be drawn to hobbies that are a challenge. Which is one reason why I enjoy fly-fishing instead of spincasting. Chess instead of checkers. I enjoy the complexity. And pipe smoking is no different.
Pipe smoking is almost an art-form. It takes a lot of patience.
There are many times where I struggle to keep my pipe lit. On those days I cannot get a smoke in without multiple re-lights, I really examine what I could be doing wrong.
Then I go back and test out my theories. For me, that is part of the enjoyment. To allow oneself time to dwell on something simple and inconsequential rather than the typical worries so many of us have. If success came easy, I probably wouldn't enjoy it as much.

 

[smokeybear]

i just the "Harry Method" right now for the first time and besides the tobacco on my pants and on the floor the pipe is actually packed quite nicely ha, guess i need to watch more videos im off to smoke it now during my late lunch break ill late you all now how it worked.

 

[rlunderhill]

I have one tobacco, McClelland 5125 Coyote Classic Full that requires constant relights. I don't mind that much. I always have my lighter in one hand and my pipe in the other anyways.
I tried a larger pipe with the larger draft hole, it made the relights much less. Some of my tobacco's require using larger pipes to smoke better. I switch from standard sized pipes for finer tobaccos and larger pipes for the ribbon style tobaccos. The difference is extremely notable.

 

[smokeybear]

"Henry Method" is my new Method :clap:

 

[cynyr]

I use the Harry Method almost exclusively, but it's difficult in a full-bent pipe.
metalheadycigarguy:

The last time I checked there was no one way to smoke a pipe and no set rules on how many times you can and can't relight your pipe. You're stressing yourself out by over thinking the process. You're taking the enjoyment out of it.

Can't agree more. YOUR way is the only way.

 

[austinxpipe]

Yeah friend don't stress out, it'll come in time. One day you'll have a pipe that blows your mind, and then they will all start to have the same effect. I feel like in certain ways almost every pipe I've ever smoked has been better than the one before it.

 

[Wellington]

Hmm, lots of encouraging posts here. I'm a little confused now, I thought that I just learned that aros were basically anything that wasn't an English/Latakia blend . . . what is an example of a non aro that is non Latakia or non English blend? Also, a few people have mentioned that they have tobaccos that require less relighting just because of the type of tobacco it is. What would some of these tobaccos be?
@cigrmaster

Speaking of ash are you dumping it before re lighting. It is real hard to keep a bowl lit with a pile of ash in it.

This is a something that sheds a lot of light on some internal questions that have been floating in my head. I don't normally dump ash, for some reason I thought that its better to leave it in simply because I hear of people smoking entire bowls without relighting, and I figured there wouldn't be ash dumping during those bowls. I will try dumping the ash when my pipe goes out now and see how that works.

 

[Wellington]

There are hundreds. A few examples include all virginia blends, all burley blends, Virginia/burley blends, Virginia/Perique blends, OTC burleys, such Prince Albert, Carter Hall, Sir Walter Raleigh Original, Velvet and Granger.

Ok, so then I have never smoked an aro, besides the one I'm on right now possibly. But I'm confused with all Virginia blends being non aro. There seems to barely be a tobacco without Virginia in it, and I thought I've seen what I thought were aros with Virginia in it. I thought Royal Yacht was considered an aro, and it has virginias in it.
What are some common aros then? I feel I have drastically gotten so much of this stuff mixed up.

 

[cigrmaster]

loseth, I don't remember the last time I smoked a bowl without re lighting. It is not something I strive for. I smoke my pipe, if it goes out I dump the ash, tamp down and re light. If I have to do that 3 or 4 times, I could care less, the tobacco still tastes great. Forget about trying to finish a pipe without relighting, it is not important. Now if I concentrated, did nothing else but smoke and paid attention the entire time, yeah I could smoke it down without relighting, but that is not how I smoke. I am usually on my computer typing away and my pipes goes out, or I have to take the dog out and it is too windy to take my pipe, or I have to make dinner for the kids or any other reason, my pipe goes out. I re light and I am off and running again. I never count how many times I have to relight, there is no prize for smoking a bowl with one light so just have fun and no more stressing about it.

 

[prettyinpink648]

I actually don't mind the relight. I think because the first video I watched to learn how to smoke a pipe, the guy explained relighting is normal and to be expected. So to me it goes hand in hand. I can say I tried the method in the video on this feed today and I didnt relight once! Relighting doesn't mean you are less of a piper. My grandpa smoked for over 20 years a real pro ya know and he had to relight. Try to relax hun this hobby is too cool and fun to not be able to enjoy it ::

 

[Wellington]

I definitely realize relighting is normal, but I'm not exaggerating when I say 10 times, sometimes more sometimes less. I think my frustration arises because when I'm smoking I'm usually not doing much and I end up paying too much attention to it. If I don't take a puff within 10 seconds it will often go out (not sure if thats normal or not either.)
Its interesting to learn so much, in my previous years of occasional pipe smoking I never paid much attention to how to pack or the tobaccos, if feels like i'm learning how to smoke a pipe years after I started (like I said, up until recently it was definitely occasional).
I appreciate all the advice and encouragement everyone, I will take it all and try to put it to use. I realize I need to calm down about it and smoke for the enjoyment again.

 

[freakiefrog]

After seeing the Harry Method I've made that my sole method for packing ribbon cut stuff especially stuff that smokes a little wet. I've found that I don't pack it as tight so the moisture seems to have a chance to dissipate since the bottom of the bowl is so loose and open to the draw.
To the OP, don't get discouraged remember this isn't a contest and the match police aren't going to come get you for relighting as many times as yo need to, and these aren't cigar's or cigarettes. Pipe smoking is allot like driving an antique car some days it's start right up and run like a top, next day you're pulling over every 50 miles adding oil and kicking it..
Hang in there, it's all an adventure.