Pipe Smoking Annoyance

[cosmicfolklore]

For me it was Time Management

The other day, I was picking up some drive thru food for my girls, and the manager noted my pipe, saying it was "badass." He was asking about getting out of cigarettes and into pipes for smoking on his "breaks." I just told him to stick to cigs, as a pipe is just not very practical for 14-30 minute intervals. I just keep a pipe going all day, and if I only had a short interval of time under an hour to smoke, I would just grab a cigarette. In fact, I think that this slave industry of 8 hour work days where you can't smoke except at allotted times is what gave rise to cigarettes over pipes to begin with. They are more for people with more leisure time or mastery over their domain to be able to smoke at will.

 

[warren]

Cadence.

 

[carolinachurchwarden]

I worked with a guy that smoked a pipe quite regularly. His Time Management was fairly consistent. He would step out of the office with his pipe already loaded, fir it up, get in a 15 minute smoke, then tamp it out, slide his pipe back into his pouch and go back in for a few more hours. He did this 3 or 4 times a day. I can only imagine that he started with a full bowl, and just put it out after his time was up, scraping just the top coat of ash off each time, since I never saw him empty the bowl completely unless it was lunch time. Maybe to some that would be a hassle, but I find that when I want to step outside and get away from work for even 15 minutes, a half-bowl is better than no bowl in the essence of preserving my sanity.
I'm still learning, and probably will until I either stop smoking or die. Same with engineering. There's something to say for slowing down. I love the process. Selecting which blend I want to smoke, pulling out a bowlful, smelling and appreciating the aroma for what it is as I do. Laying it out to dry, and attempting to learn how long is long enough without losing to much of the aroma that made me buy it in the first place. Packing my bowl with the gravity method, puffing regularly to make sure it's not too tight, or so I think. Then lighting my match letting the sulfur dissipate, and charring the top. Tamping down on it a little, making those curled up, fringed ribbons lay down, then strike up another match and light the whole top again, immersing myself in a cloud of smoke. Then I kick back on my porch, pipe in hand, dog at my side, cool drink in my other and listen to the frogs and owls until I've smoked it up. I still get a gurgle once in a while near the bottom third of my bowl, but I'm slowly caring less and less about it. All in all, it's quite calming and I love it. Annoyances may persist, especially like many of you have said with switching blends and learning what it takes to make that one smoke the best. Once you figure it out, there's only one bowl left, but that's just the sweetest part about it. It's like making a new friend that you never really figure out until he moves away. Then someone new moves in, and you get to start all over again.

 

[mso489]

The weird aftertaste with aromatics when that was mostly what I smoked. It kept me from smoking daily, and made it less regretful when I quit in support of my late wife quitting cigarettes.

 

[smokingcricket]

I agree with everyone on one point or another.Having smoked a blend and it's awesome to have the next time you smoke it find it's awful.Then you realize you used the packing and smoking method from the wrong blend and ended up with wet hot air where you should have had dry cool smokey aroma therapy.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Poetic, Carolina!
My annoyance, long ago dissipated, was the notion that smoking cadence was the key to a gurgle and tongue-bite free smoke. It's important, but drier tobacco is more important.
Second annoyance was the insistence there be a charring light, always followed by a second ("true") light BS. It can be a part of your ritual, fine, but it doesn't have to be.

 

[Chasing Embers]

as a pipe is just not very practical for 14-30 minute intervals

Not at all. I take a pipe to work everyday.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Agree. A full pipe can be smoked in intervals and there can be a handful of intervals. Be it 5 minutes or 25, there's more to have later, and dumping ash isn't always required. (A thin layer of ash is a good thing on relights)

 

[Chasing Embers]

Yep, and just stick it in your pocket until the next break.

 

[cigrmaster]

My biggest annoyance was trying to smoke blends with red virginia's and had no idea why my tongue was getting scorched. Once I learned I had an allergy to the reds I was able to concentrate my purchasing on blends without them. I built a 20 year cellar in a year and that was due to my knowing what blends wouldn't burn my tongue off.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

15 minutes with a pipe wouldn't be worth it to me, nor someone trying to get a nic fix, coming off of cigarettes. in 15 minutes, not enough smoke would have passed through my mouth to make it worth it. And, with time coming down on me, I would feel a need to puff faster, which wouldn't do anything except make for a miserable time. For someone with experience who just wants a quick taste, fine, whatever floats your boat. But, for me, and suggested to a young man wanting to use the pipe to get off cigarettes, my suggestion is to quit first, because the pipe isn't going to work well for a beginner like that, IMO. Besides, nothing makes a man want to do something more than having someone tell them that they shouldn't or can't. I also told him that him that he probably couldn't afford a really nice pipe. I figure that knowing human beings as well as I do, he will be smoking Bo Nordh pipes on his break the next time I see him, ha ha.

 

[echambers]

I get why people say this but several people recommended a cob and a Lane 1Q as sort of s starter set when I first wanted to try a pipe. While this was an inexpensive way to go I almost didn't keep at it because it wasn't a very satisfying experience - especially coming from being a long time cigar smoker.
The other thing, sort of related, is that there is no substitute for first hand experience. I didn't know anyone who smoked a pipe and there is only so much you can get from videos and forums like this. For example, no video is going to help you understand what tobacco should feel like like...

 

[Chasing Embers]

I didn't know anyone who smoked a pipe and there is only so much you can get from videos and forums like this.

At least you had those. When I started smoking a pipe, the internet didn't exist. I don't understand recommending aros to new guys either. Those are best enjoyed after learning good technique with a pipe.

 

[anthonyrosenthal74]

The most annoying thing to me (although not major itself) is the choice... It's hard enough to choose which pipe you want to smoke when you have two or three. Once you get 10, 20, 30, 40, and upwards you can stand in front of your pipes tapping your chin with one finger for an hour or two before finally picking one up! And then you have to choose what blend out of the countless blends you might have at your disposal to fill that pipe with. And then once again, while tapping your chin with one finger another hour or two passes. You finally load up your pipe and realize it's time for bed! Ok, I might be exaggerating at least a little, but I'm sure most of us here have had those moments of indecision at one time or another. Now, I keep a 6 pipe rack and another pipe on a single stand at my table and choose my pipes for a weekly rotation. Once those pipes have all been smoked at least once or I have smoked them all throughout a week (sometimes I don't get a chance for a smoke or just don't feel like it and the rotation stays longer than a week) I'll then pick 7 more pipes. This has also helped me bring pipes back into the fold that I haven't smoked for quite some time. I'll take a photo of each weekly rotation to catalog which pipes have been smoked. I can just look at the photos on my phone and see if a pipe hasn't been photographed in the rotation for quite some time. I learned that sometimes even your best smokers tend to get neglected sometimes, and this has helped.

 

[cigrmaster]

anthony, nice system. I still just stare at my collection for maybe 10 minutes sometimes before choosing a pipe. I always pick the blend I want to smoke first so I know which set of pipes goes with what blends. It doesn't take me nearly as long to pick a tobacco, not sure why as I do have 40 to choose from.

 

[anthonyrosenthal74]

anthony, nice system. I still just stare at my collection for maybe 10 minutes sometimes before choosing a pipe. I always pick the blend I want to smoke first so I know which set of pipes goes with what blends. It doesn't take me nearly as long to pick a tobacco, not sure why as I do have 40 to choose from.

This has actually helped me choose blends as well, because when I choose my pipe rotation, I try to pick at least two for Balkan/English, two for Aromatics, and the others for Virginia or Virginia/Perique, and at least one for flakes. And I can always add an eighth pipe to the mix if need be.

 

[carolinachurchwarden]

Well, I don't have as big a problem as you fellas, maybe one day. Right now, I have two cobbs, a nice Erik Nording, a $45 Tinder Box with the word "CZECH" stamped on the bottom and two hand-made churchwardens to choose from. I'm happy with my selection process, and lack of a huge collection to have to choose from. I mean, I have my eyes on others, obviously, but I'm in no hurry to acquire a large collection. I figure I'll pick up more and more as I move along. I've been saying all along that I just want one of every type, such as briar, meer, etc., maybe a few different profile options and that's all...then you see something else you really love and want, so we'll see. Really digging my MM Charles Towne Cobbler right now and might just smoke that one interchangebly with my Nording. I only have a few tobaccos to choose from as well, so it doesn't take me too awful long to decide. This Labrador has been smoking like a dream for the past few days, so I'm sticking with it for a bit. Options are nice, but if I have too many, I'll never get to actually smoke. :rofl:

 

[mackeson]

Not knowing to dry the tobacco.

When I started smoking in '92, tongue bite was tough and painful, which is probably why I started smoking mostly RYO tobaccos in my pipe. Even after visiting (and buying a pipe and tobaccos from) a real pipe shop in '98 no one ever told me the secret of drying tobaccos. I accidently discovered that sometime in '99, and that was really an enlightening experience for me.

 

[sablebrush52]

Those rare occasions when I can't smoke the bowl to the bottom on one light and the ash isn't perfectly fine and white. :mrgreen:

 

[saltedplug]

I never smoked to fine what ash but was a champion gooper; that is, I produced a thick gooey tobacco mess that I tried to unload to various newbs as super dottle, if not useful to smoke then very effective in patching holes in the bottom of shoes. I produced said goop quite intentionally by trying to smoke wet, this by pointing the pipe down and letting saliva ease into the stem. I produced two types,, normal and ethyl, the latter from chewing on jalapeños in the course of the downward drooling.
Super dottle available on request at the low, low introductory price of $5 per.