Tobacco at Night???

[RookieGuy80]

@Hobbs I found the same when I started smoking a pipe during the day. It turned out for me during sunlight hours there are more distractions (neighbors, visible critters, garden, whatever caught my interests in the moment). At night it is just me, my phone and headphones (so music), my smoking paraphernalia, and a porch swing. And that's to say nothing of little environmental changes like wind and humidity decreasing.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

If the tobacco is “dry enough” as you indicated and you put it in your pipe and light it I see no way whatever changes in relative humidity are occurring would affect it at all.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Ok, bare with me... You obviously live somewhere it gets very dark at night, so dark that the night just absorbs all of the light. The light from the fire in your pipe is getting sucked out by the darkness. If you had your location in your PM profile here, we would have all come to this conclusion as soon as you posted. I hope this helps.

 

[MattRVA]

Different environments definitely effect the way a bowl of tobacco burns.

 

[ThermionicScott]

If the tobacco is “dry enough” as you indicated and you put it in your pipe and light it I see no way whatever changes in relative humidity are occurring would affect it at all.

You must be an accomplished pipe smoker. I can make Semois gurgle if I’m not careful.

 

[HRPufnstuf]

My two cents, from two previous postings: 1) using a damp pipe and 2) lower temp and higher humidity.

If your pipe is damp from a day's smoking it will carry to your tobacco and change the way it burns. Cobs absorb more moisture than the average briar, switching pipes between smokes will alleviate this. I use cobs for my work-a-day pipes as a horticulturist, they are easily affected by weather conditions and definitely get damp after 3 or 4 smokes without rest.

If the temperature is lower and the humidity higher the moisture in smoke from your pipe will condense more and in turn affect you tobacco moistness. You will also accumulate more condensation in your stem which can affect your airflow and thereby your burn.

It's not rocket science, but it is science.

 

[FLDRD]

While others claim that environment has no impact on their session, my experience is extremely effected by environmental variables. While I think breeze is obvious, temp & humidity are the sneaky culprits for me and will dramatically affect the same pipe/tobacco combo differently than "before".

I think some are just better at automatically / subconsciously adapting and adjusting to the changes needed at that given point in time, so for them, there is minimal to no effect.

I suppose you and I simply need to practice more

 

[Hobbs]

Well, will be putting all this to the test in about an hour. It’s 52* with a humidity of 53*. Will be smoking my usual blend of Captain Black and Sutliff Decadence. Wish I noticed the humidity when these problems occurred at night…but didn’t.
To the few who mentioned about using the same pipe frequently, I really don’t. I have 5 Country Gent Cobbs and rotate them. I‘ve only been smoking a bowl about once every 4 days so they do rest.

 

[Doctor Chopper]

I live on the Frozen Tundra. Windy and cold in winter. Wind makes the pipe burn HOT! I have to use a wind cap or the bowl will burn out in 10-15 minutes some days. Cold air is oxygen rich and more dense also causing a pipe to burn Hot. Cold also brings low humidity, and everything is DRY. This does not affect a smoke if loaded and smoked, but tobacco cannot be left out long.

While not finding the answer to your dilemma, perhaps the still air at night is a difference maker.

 

[Lumbridge]

That’s what I feel it might be. I live a couple hundred yards from a large river and many times during the evening you can see fog coming up from the river due to sun going down and temperature change. Sometimes the fog at night is heavy. Its definitely damper here at night and humidity has always been suspected. I just wasn’t sure if dampness and/or higher humidity would have an effect on this…hence my original post.
In the afternoon, there is rarely any fog or mist.

Even though the tobacco is dry enough, can dampness actually effect the tobacco that quickly? I mainly smoke Aeromatics and Sutliff Dark Decadence which is an extremely wet tobacco that I have sit out for a couple weeks or nuke it. But as mentioned, don’t have any trouble in the daytime.
But am going to try a Latakia and Virginia blend and see if that makes any difference.

I live right next to a river as well, and it does get pretty stodgy here, most noticeably after the sun sets. Dry tobacco can act as a moisture sponge when exposed to a humid environment, but an aromatic that already contains a lot of excess moisture will result in a very wet, steamy smoke. I prefer my tobacco on the dry side, and I do find that it lights and stays lit more easily, tastes better, and leaves behind less moisture when dried before smoking.

I think trying some blends with less added humectant could be a good idea. There are aromatics out there which are not overly moist and "goopy" like some can be. "Goopy" tobaccos are, IMO, harder to smoke. A cob is a good choice for humid conditions, as it will be more absorbent than a briar, so you're on the right track there.

I started experimenting with the following process to make a pipe with a 2" deep bowl more usable for me, but I believe that it can help with moisture and gurgling, as well (though maybe not so much with the issue of relights):
I bought a 1lb sack of inexpensive "pipe" tobacco intended for rolling, which comes dry and in a fine shag cut. I'll sometimes pack a bit of this at the bottom of the bowl to act as sacrificial dottle and to raise my actual smoking tobacco up, because I have trouble smoking this particular pipe near to the bottom. Not only does it reduce waste of the "good" tobacco, but it also seems to absorb quite a bit of moisture and other crud which collects at the bottom of the bowl. I feel that it keeps the smoke drier and more pleasant. Might be worth a try if you have issues with wet smokes.

 

[mso489]

You say there's no breeze, but there may be just enough. Try one of those little caps for the bowl for a buck and change. Worth a try.

 

[RudyG]

I mainly smoke in the evenings. The only problem I ever confront is wind.

This is one I've never heard of for sure

 

[Green Hill piper]

Add up who pays the bulk of the mortgage, if you win, smoke inside.