So, I have been trying a lot of different techniques to load my pipe with the tobacco. It seems whatever I do the bottom quarter tends to go out, and be very difficult to stay lit. Is this normal? The other problem I have is that the pipe it really starts to burn hot and it's hard to hold. That seems to be the only way I can keep it lit, But the hot smoke is uncomfortable. Not sure what to do. It just seems like the bottom quarter is very difficult to know how to pack. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!
Bottom one quarter of tobacco
- Thread starter bernieheimte
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You might try packing more loosely and drying out your tobacco a bit more before packing. I find that I get the most flavor with the majority of blends when I let the tobacco dry to the point where it feels dry to the touch when squeezed, almost bone dry, but still pliant.
The ideal way to get the most flavor is to slowly sip the smoke, keeping the tobacco simmering on the edge of going out. Don't worry about trying to keep the pipe going. If it goes out, just relight.
Too much moisture and too tight packing makes it difficult to smoke the entire bowl. Your pipe shouldn't be getting hot. That damages the pipe.
The ideal way to get the most flavor is to slowly sip the smoke, keeping the tobacco simmering on the edge of going out. Don't worry about trying to keep the pipe going. If it goes out, just relight.
Too much moisture and too tight packing makes it difficult to smoke the entire bowl. Your pipe shouldn't be getting hot. That damages the pipe.
I too have had similar issues with slightly moist tobaccos and have been trying metal inserts to keep the tobacco away from the bottom of the bowl. Have had success with screens called Dri-kule filters, they keep the tobacco away from the wet slop that accumulates during smoking. I also waste less tobacco per bowl. You still need to dry out your tobacco properly but aromatics are sometimes best smoked a little moist.
I use a combination of all of what said before, dry the tobacco, metal screens in the bottom of the bowl to keep an air chamber below the tobacco which improves the combustion, pack it more loosely (I use what I call the palm method where I put some tobacco in the palm of the hand, then I run the pipe over it to get it filled, it is nearly impossible to overpack and it is also nice to do), dump the ashes at mid bowl. And finally (when there is some ash on the bowl not right after lighting/relighting) I use the finger/nail to tamp, you tamp way better than with the tamper and from the tactile feedback you understand very well where and how much to tamp in the bowl. If you do all of this you should resolve your issues.
The bottom quarter is like the filter on a cigarette. It's become saturated with tars and other previously-combusted particulate matter. I prefer to dump it and start anew, as life is short and a pinch of tobacco relatively inexpensive. However I have known some to pack a new bowl on top of it. Why people have made a "hobby" ritual out of smoking the dredges is beyond me, especially when it's the same people who make a "hobby" ritual out of extoling the so-called virtues of codger blends, as I never knew any codgers who smoked the dredges.
I usually ditch the last dregs. The only time I don't tend to is if I'm finishing off a pipe from the day before, in which case a lot of the excess moisture has already dissipated. I tend to expect about 15-20% wastage per bowl, depending how dry it was before I packed it.
I have tried using the philtpads in order to avoid wasting tobacco. They do work really well, and you can smoke right down to the chalk. Unfortunately if you don't keep track of where you are, and try to "relight" the chalk, your bowl finishes with a really foul taste, and you kinda wish you'd gone down the sacrificial tobacco route.
I have tried using the philtpads in order to avoid wasting tobacco. They do work really well, and you can smoke right down to the chalk. Unfortunately if you don't keep track of where you are, and try to "relight" the chalk, your bowl finishes with a really foul taste, and you kinda wish you'd gone down the sacrificial tobacco route.
Shutterbugg is right. The last quarter of the bowl absorbs all the nasties being pulled through it, and tends to be hot, wet, bitter, and hard to keep lit. Dredges are difficult to smoke, primarily because they are a machine used to scoop the muck out of the bottom of a waterway, and are not intended to combust. Dregs are only slightly easier to keep lit, and only taste marginally better as well.
All is true for those who smoke damp tobacco: nasty indeed.
If properly dried, one can get a good smoke right down to a fine white ash*!!
* This hyperbole is a standing joke, but the principle is the same: dry your tobacco and enjoy a longer, cooler smoke.
If properly dried, one can get a good smoke right down to a fine white ash*!!
* This hyperbole is a standing joke, but the principle is the same: dry your tobacco and enjoy a longer, cooler smoke.
I agree with the previously stated comments, however, good Virgina tobacco can taste wonderful in that last quarter. Dry the tobacco out well, smoke easy, stir and relight. Sometimes it smokes well, sometimes it's more work than its worth. It's all about the experience. Happy Smoking!
What I do is when I get down to the part where it is hard to keep lit I dump the ash then tamp the remaining tobacco very tight. After that poke a hole in the center or far side of the bowl with the poker part of the pipe tool this allows the air to circulate and burn again.
Or I just pack with the air pocket method to begin with..
Or I just pack with the air pocket method to begin with..
"I never knew any codgers who smoked the dredges[dregs]."
Wasn't it Lewis Carroll who used to save all his dottle in a jar until he had sufficient to fill a bowl?
If it wasn't Lewis Carroll it was some other famous writer.
Regards,
Jay.
Wasn't it Lewis Carroll who used to save all his dottle in a jar until he had sufficient to fill a bowl?
If it wasn't Lewis Carroll it was some other famous writer.
Regards,
Jay.
Jay-
Apparently Sherlock Holmes did just that, saving the dottle from the day before to make up an interesting "early morning pipe", very different from Early Morning Pipe by Dunhill! According to ACD, he left it to dry overnight on the mantle. (from memory from posts on the forum some time ago.)
Apparently Sherlock Holmes did just that, saving the dottle from the day before to make up an interesting "early morning pipe", very different from Early Morning Pipe by Dunhill! According to ACD, he left it to dry overnight on the mantle. (from memory from posts on the forum some time ago.)
"According to ACD, he left it to dry overnight on the mantle."
Well ACD ought to know eh? Anyway, I would have thought Holmes's baccy would be dry enough even fresh as it was kept in a slipper dangling from said (warm) mantle.
Regards,
Jay.
Well ACD ought to know eh? Anyway, I would have thought Holmes's baccy would be dry enough even fresh as it was kept in a slipper dangling from said (warm) mantle.
Regards,
Jay.
Yes, he was THE authority on all things Holmesian.... :
: 
Indeed, he (ACD via Holmes) knew to dry his tobacco. Did he put the dottle in a slipper, too? Inquiring minds.....
: Indeed, he (ACD via Holmes) knew to dry his tobacco. Did he put the dottle in a slipper, too? Inquiring minds.....Thanks so much for the input and thoughts! I will try to pack up more loosely and also understand that the bottom of the bowl is going to be somewhat of a filter. Thanks again for your thoughts, it is so helpful to me as a beginning pipe smoker!
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