Can't Pack The Bottom of The Bowl

I have been noticing similar things in my brigs. I just empty the ash and stir the dottle and relight and that usually works. They do seem to need more relights than my other pipes no mater how I pack them, but even with the relights they still smoke well as in they taste good and burn cool.

I have noticed the same challange, and decided not to worry about it. It could be packing method ( I also use stuff and go) but stirring as Barley has said has kept me going.
I just enjoy the smoking and don't worry about it.

I had never put two and two together about the pipe not being completely dry causing a wetter smoke. That must be why I have some pipes that smoke so well that I decide to visit them more frequently and then they smoke bad. I think some of my pipes may need more than a day or two rest.

+1 Allan.
At one time I stressed about not getting to the bottom of the bowl...Why? To build cake at the bottom? Why? I have never found the bottom of the bowl to taste all that good, so I just end up ruining a wonderful 3/4 bowl experience just to get that last little bit...not worth it.
When I switched to English style blends, with less casing, this problem seemed to eliminate itself.

The thing you have to remember about the tobacco in the bottom of the bowl is that it filters everything you have smoked before it. You have drawn a lot of smoke through that tobacco in the bottom and as such, it has condensed and absorbed a lot of the tar from the earlier smoke. This is an issue I used to have, but I found something that works pretty well: Once your tobacco in the bottom of the bowl gets harder to light, run a pipe cleaner through the stem to absorb the excess moisture and to possibly free up any loose shards of tobacco that could be blocking the draw (this is something that happens to me and contributes to the problem), then let the pipe sit for 10 or 20 minutes. This will dry the tobacco a little in the bottom of the bowl and makes it a little easier to light. Also, try drying your tobacco more than you think you need to. A lot of my blends dont smoke correctly until theyre almost crispy. Good luck.

Do you guys one smoke a pipe once and then it dry a day? I usually smoke the same pipe 4-5 times in a day, and let it dry a week or so in my rotation. I've found the wetness has a lot more to do with the tobacco than the pipe as pipenovelist mentioned.

I completely agree with the benefits. However the process to me is overrated...when I stopped worrying about it, it started happening on its own.

It is a shame that I am going to have to keep adding pipes to my collection so that I can have a very nice rotation for proper pipe drying. I will just have to make sure that my wife understands how critical all of this is. :D

Yeah, if only had more pipes! Sorry to detract from the original thread. Good advice all around.

Sounds like you have a Dublin bowl. I have one of these pipes and it's my fav one to smoke b/c of the concentrated flavors at the end of the bowl. Drizzle some tobacco in and don't pack it down. Take a little bit at a time and pack it loose into the bowl. As to tamp and puff it will pack the tobacco down with less force than the intial filling of the bowl. Try it out and see if it works for you cause it did for me.

Also, I don't own a Brigham, but I am told it's hugely important to clean the rock maple filter after smoking and allow the filter to dry completely between smokes.

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Roth is correct. I have found the best way for the filter to dry is to take it out nd let it air dry. I always have 2 filters in rotation for my Brigham. Once the pipe has cooled I switch them. I've found it makes quite a difference having a completely dry filter.

I find the absolute key to getting down to the bottom of the bowl is pipe tool use. When I'm well through the last 1/3 and things are starting to go out I'll use the poker to make some air holes/stir things around. I also start tamping a little more on the front edge of the bowl (if you tamp too far at the back you can risk drawing in ashes)I'm surprised at how thick of a smoke can be left with relatively little tobacco left, I almost always get right down to the bottom.
PS: I dont use any fancy packing method I just shove tobacco into the pipe until its full!

You have drawn a lot of smoke through that tobacco in the bottom and as such, it has condensed and absorbed a lot of the tar from the earlier smoke.

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+1
FWIW, I find the same thing happens when I have let my bowl go out on me once it's gone past the middle part of the bowl. Then I have trouble reigniting the tobacco and it only seems to catch for a short time and requires frequent re-lights.
So I take extra care not to let my pipe go out once I am about halfway through. This means paying close attention, tamping gently while drawing to keep it going, carburator effect, etc etc. If I am distracted by something (answering posts on the forum for ex.) then it will often go out and then I know I am pretty much screwed.

I still can't help but take a cigar approach to this, when the cigar starts tasting bad...stop smoking it. It seems like this is where numbersix is at as well, I just don't think its worth it.

I had the same problem. After I found out that I was drawing too frequently. Thus causing moister to build up at the bottom. I have been working on this and it has gotten much better. Try one 2 second draw every 10-15 seconds. It takes alot of practice to keep it lite but learning to smoke right the first is better than going back and correcting years of bad habits.

Totally agree with Rothnh. Clean your pipe after each use. I do a rotation so its three plus weeks of rest for each pipe after each use. The faster you puff the wetter the tobacco will be at the end. The moister the tobacco the wetter it gets at the end. When it does taste good, that's all she wrote, time to quite that bowl.

Another issue could be you are not dumping ash enough. Trying to keep a pipe lit with a ton of ash in your pipe is nearly impossible. I dump ash any time my pipe goes out. Also I use a 3-4 stage packing method, just stuffing it and lighting is not something I ever do. I have no trouble smoking to the bottom every time I light up. My pipes are always dry, my tobacco is at the proper humidity and I make sure I take the time to pack properly.
When packing, I fill it to the top and press down lightly making sure I press along the sides as well as the middle so it is even. I fill it again, making sure I get the sides as I press down a little more, do it again making sure the sides get done and then I check the draw. Now normally after the first three it is still too loose so I will take a little more tobacco and then really press down making sure I have some good resistance. Also when smoking you always have to make sure the airway is clear of loose tobacco. If all of a sudden your draw gets tight, you need to clear it right away or you will build all kinds of heat and moisture within a minute. Also I cannot stress enough the importance of dumping ash, if you want to smoke to the bottom and get great flavors, it has to be done. Take the pick end of your tamper, stir the ash, tilt the bowl and dump. When you relight tamp it back down gently and then when you light up make sure the entire bowl gets lit.
Now I have never smoked a pipe with a filter and never would, to me all you are doing is robbing yourself of flavor, and messing with the draw. I have owned plenty of filtered pipes over the years( 6mm and 9mm)and always smoked them without a filter. You might want to try smoking the Brigham without the filter and see if you get a better smoking experience.