Best tobacco packing method?

pipedreams86 · Nov 27, 2016

Hey guys! I want to ask your opinions, I am a month old pipe smoker, and have read seemingly every article and watched every video on packing/lighting the pipe....I've also been to every website I could find that was related to pipe smoking...
from what I can ascertain, there are a couple of tried and trusted methods of packing: the pinch approach, or rolling the pipe around tobacco on your hand until it's filled...I have tried both so far many times, and I know this is something that will take practice...which methods do you guys prefer?
are there any tips you can give a beginner?
I'm using a Peterson Irish Harp 03 shape pipe to 'train' although I have some MM Mark Twain corn cobs coming, based on advice from another thread I started...I'm sure this question has been asked many times, and I don't wish to reinvent the wheel, more I'd like to know which methods you guys favour so I can practice just one way of packing...thanks guys!

aldecaker · Nov 27, 2016

There is no best, just the best one that works for you. My preference is the gravity fill, and I'm not above taking a pair of scissors to ribbon cut to make it gravity fill better. Pour the bowl full, add an extra pinch and press down to make it level with the rim, and I'm off to the races.
EDIT: And congrats on getting an early start. I couldn't even hold a pipe when I was a month old.

pagan · Nov 27, 2016

are there any tips you can give a beginner

...yah, relax and enjoy the moment, like you said you have done alot of research so now put it to practice and find what works for you and keep at it, dont get frustrated and expect perfection right off, it will all come with time and practice, just sit back with your pipe and enjoy and reflect on your smoke

mackeson · Nov 27, 2016

Unfortunately there is no magic method - at least not in my experience. I had an old guy show me when I first started and he saw me jamming my finger in to pack it

Just pick a method that seems the best/easiest to you and keep with that one. Don't get discouraged, it takes time to get the feel for the proper pack that matches your smoking style.

hmhaines · Nov 27, 2016

I liked the Frank Pack when I started, but now I stick with some version of the standard Three-Step Pack. Practice is the best thing for it. Good luck!

hmhaines · Nov 27, 2016

Oops, double post!

derfatdutchman · Nov 27, 2016

Like everyone has said there is no magic method for a perfect pack. But, there is help there are several good videos that show the different packing methods. Watch them try them out and see what you like best. Learning to pack takes some time, but you'll get the hang of it. For now like Pegan said "relax and enjoy the moment".

rigmedic1 · Nov 27, 2016

The one that works best for me is a three step method (6 really): Gravity fill, then pack down with my finger lightly. Gravity full again, then pack down more firmly. Gravity fill one last time, then pack again, a little firmer. Leaves the tobacco about and 8th to a 16th below the rim. I dabble with other methods too, and when I am on the road, it's then the stuff and puff.
With flakes, I do the fold, twist, and pack. Good luck finding your method.

jackswilling · Nov 27, 2016

Like the old saw says, practice makes perfect. I do something similar to rigmedic, I gravity/gently get some in the bowl and lightly tamp with a nail and it may take 4, 5, 6, 7, or whatever, number of layers to get where I want. I press the top layer down pretty good, but not crazy hard. Flakes,plugs,and kakes, all get rubbed-out.

cynicismandsugar · Nov 27, 2016

As with everything in pipe smoking: there are no correct methods of doing anything, but thousands of wrong ways. Like the previous gentleman have stated, pipes are all about the journey, not the destination. Prepare, sip, repeat -- everything else is just embellishment.
Good luck and happy puffing!

jpmcwjr · Nov 27, 2016

Packing, schmacking!
Not to denigrate those who are extraordinarily careful in how they load a bowl, I've found that if the tobacco is suitably dry, you can pretty much just stuff it in with a digit, tamp it with medium pressure, and be on your way. A charring light is not always necessary.
No rules, just what works in this house.
Enjoy!

alexnorth · Nov 27, 2016

I like the three-step method. First pinch just drizzle tobacco into the bowl until it's filled and then gently tamp down to about half the bowl. Adding two more pinches i try to rotate the pinch a little as i stuff the bowl to get everything intertwined. Tramping two times a bit harder each time. I want the draw to be just noticeably constricted and then add some crumbles on top for good measure.

davet · Nov 27, 2016

Packing, schmacking!

Agreed, you can overthink this. People managed for hundreds of years to figure this out without videos etc. Lots of good answers here. : puffy

:

mawnansmiff · Nov 27, 2016

"As with everything in pipe smoking: there are no correct methods of doing anything, but thousands of wrong ways."
Jeffrey has it right there. One important factor to consider however is the moisture content of the particular blend you wish to smoke. Most blends arrive a little on the moist side (some are positively soggy!) so often some air drying time needs to be considered.
What the correct moisture content is varies enormously from blend to blend and from smoker to smoker but through experimentation you will find what works for you. Too much moisture makes for difficult lighting and a potentially hot smoke, too little moisture and your blend will burn very quickly also giving a hot smoke.
The trick is to find that midway point and only time and perseverance will get you there but once there you will appreciate your efforts in that regard.
Regards,
Jay.

pipedreams86 · Nov 27, 2016

thanks so much guys that's awesome advice! I am the archetypal overthinker...looks like I'll have to keep practicing! i have found it a tad frustrating trying to get the right burn/pack, I don't mind relights, as I like to sit and read and relax anyway while I'm smoking a bowlful, but I have been ending up with tongue burn/a warm pipe, and I don't feel like I was smoking too fast, I'm wondering if it's not so much the way I'm packing, but more the moisture, a lot of comments here and in another thread I posted on, regarding drying out the tobacco first, I think I will try that more and see how that helps...
haha aldecaker! I should probably have chosen those words a bit more carefully!
again thanks so much for the words of advice, I am going to go now and reflect on them with a bowlful (or 2) of Dunhill Night Cap...

samcoffeeman · Nov 27, 2016

I am a month old pipe smoker

By Odin's Beard! At least wait til there's grass on the field!

bluegrassbrian · Nov 27, 2016

I had over a decades worth of bowl packing experience before I ever attempted smoking a briar.

I read a couple how-tos, but really just went by feel. Never had a problem.

ember · Nov 27, 2016

there is no best, just the best one that works for you....what he said

jpmcwjr · Nov 27, 2016

What the correct moisture content is varies enormously from blend to blend and from smoker to smoker but through experimentation you will find what works for you. Too much moisture makes for difficult lighting and a potentially hot smoke, too little moisture and your blend will burn very quickly also giving a hot smoke.
The trick is to find that midway point and only time and perseverance will get you there but once there you will appreciate your efforts in that regard.

I found that time was shortened for me significantly by using hygrometers I found on Amazon for $10. Using them and checking my feel of the tobacco's moisture content has brought the learning curve down. Especially useful when lots of different blends and cuts are being sampled. YMMV.

metalheadycigarguy · Nov 27, 2016

Like others have said, there is no one correct way and you should use what works best for you. As for me, I just use the gravity feed method. It's simple and it works. No need to over think the process.

Best tobacco packing method?

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