Looking for some insight. Regardless which of my pipes I smoke (Sav, Nording, Rossi, Cob), they all demonstrate the same problem. This tells me it isn't the pipe it is me. Once I get to the last 1/3 of a bowl, even if I am only smoking a half bowl the tobacco will not stay lit. It becomes a constant battle to keep it lit. No I am not smoking goopy aro's. Last night I smoked Early Morning Pipe with the same outcome. I have packed tighter that I think I should, and looser than I think is prudent and just about everywhere in between with the same results. I have tried 3 step, and whatever the other method is in which you grab some tobacco and while making circular motions with pipe on the tobacco, fill the pipe. There is always a layer of black, charred tobacco, but underneath that is fresh looking, not moist in anyway, tobacco. I don't have any moisture in the heel after smoking either. What can I change?
Smoking to the bottom...
- Thread starter stflorian
- Start date
SmokingPipes.com Updates
Watch for Updates Twice a Week
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
Site Sponsors
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
- Status
:rofl: So true!Do a tobacco review. I guarantee you'll smoke it down to white ash all the way to the bottom.
@stflorian I have stopped trying to smoke to white ash and have found I am enjoying my smoke more. Once I get down to that last third I just dump it out.
Cigars and cigarettes have the same problem: you can never consume all of the tobacco you paid for. It's a rule of the universe.
Yes, you always read about that happening, but you'll find you almost never do. My advice: accept it- over time, it may get better (it has for me) but if your goal is nothing but ash left, you'll be disappointed often.
Accepting things as that are can be good but keep playing with things out of interest as opposed to trying to fix anything. Different packing techniques give me different amounts of dottle and number of relights. I also had to learn to tamp gently. I think for a long time I was crushing the tamper in there and packing everything in the already overpacked bottom of the bowl into a solid unburnable brick.
Cortez, is there a complete list somewhere of the "rules of the universe?" That could save me all kinds of headaches!
Thanks for the input guys. My impression (which probably was wrong), is that as long as you don't have a swampy mess at the bottom of a bowl, smoking at least closer to the heel is possible than what I was getting.
Tamping, as I continue to experience, is definitely an art! I often wonder how many bowls I have actually had a sufficient pack, and ruined with terrible tamping. Those thoughts are usually left for days when I have the urge to smoke another bowl, but have already solved the current day's problems.
Thanks for the input guys. My impression (which probably was wrong), is that as long as you don't have a swampy mess at the bottom of a bowl, smoking at least closer to the heel is possible than what I was getting.
Tamping, as I continue to experience, is definitely an art! I often wonder how many bowls I have actually had a sufficient pack, and ruined with terrible tamping. Those thoughts are usually left for days when I have the urge to smoke another bowl, but have already solved the current day's problems.
I am still too new to offer much advice but here goes anyway. Forget about it and just dump it when you are no longer enjoying the smoke, or can't get it lit. I was really bad about letting this stress me to the point that the frustration was greatly outweighing the joy, I didn't want to waste a bit of tobacco. Now I say what the heck and the enjoyment has significantly increased. The few pennies I am dumping is by no means any where near what I have wasted on zippo fuel trying to keep it lit. :?
Seacaptain and Aldecaker, Thank you for pointing me in the direction of the "pipe smoking myth #1" thread. That thread is honestly a must read for all newbies to the hobby. I can think back early on to reading so many reviews which said that exact thing, and wondering what in the world I was doing wrong. The thread did make me curious about certain cuts burning more readily that others; such as ribbon vs flake. I guess I will just have to go buy some more tobacco and find out!
This situation is related to building up a layer of cake at the bottom of the bowl -- which, under the circumstances is hard to do.
I like Russ Ouellette's quip which goes something like: if you can never smoke a bowl down far enough to develop that protective layer,
then you don't really need a protective layer down there anyway. :lol:
I like Russ Ouellette's quip which goes something like: if you can never smoke a bowl down far enough to develop that protective layer,
then you don't really need a protective layer down there anyway. :lol:
I have smoked many tobaccos in different pipes and never got a cake on the bottom with the "fine white ash". It's just a sales pitch.
stflorian, one trick you can try to offset the problem, is to dry your tobacco longer. Then, once you have your pipe loaded, using your thumb and forefinger, make a ring around the rim of your pipe, and exhale into the bowl. This will add some moisture to the tobacco in the top of the bowl.
The problem is, that burning tobacco creates moisture in the smoke stream. Ideally you want your tobacco on the bottom of the bowl to start out drier than the tobacco on top, if you are having trouble keeping the last third of the bowl lit. Also, drier tobacco in the bottom of the bowl will create less tongue bite. Sometimes I just leave a smoked bowl resting for a day or two, then come back to it for an easier smoke with less tongue bite.
It's one of those situations, where you have to give up one thing to get another. Drying your tobacco improves the burning quality, but over drying it robs you of some of the flavor. Over time you will learn how to better dry a particular blend for a particular pipe, and things will start to come together.
The problem is, that burning tobacco creates moisture in the smoke stream. Ideally you want your tobacco on the bottom of the bowl to start out drier than the tobacco on top, if you are having trouble keeping the last third of the bowl lit. Also, drier tobacco in the bottom of the bowl will create less tongue bite. Sometimes I just leave a smoked bowl resting for a day or two, then come back to it for an easier smoke with less tongue bite.
It's one of those situations, where you have to give up one thing to get another. Drying your tobacco improves the burning quality, but over drying it robs you of some of the flavor. Over time you will learn how to better dry a particular blend for a particular pipe, and things will start to come together.
- Status