A lot of people say to pack your pipe normal, give it a charring light, and come back a hour later. The hour wait is said to significantly improve the smoking experience. Not sure what it accomplishes, but it's intriguing. Any opinions?
Charring Light and Wait?
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It really depends on the blend I'm smoking. Some blends will take a char light and then keep going to the bottom while others require some work, especially flakes. If I do a char light, I'll let it cool for about a minute and then do the second light.
I've heard of charring VA and letting it sit overnight but never tried it. I think the idea is that the light kicks into increased fermentation: over4night aging, which goes against what I know that aging takes years. Some say that a year makes a lot of difference, but overnight even if heated.
From the desk of The Right Honorable Sir G. L. Pease:
"Q: What is DGT?
A: DGT is an acronym that stands for "Delayed Gratification Technique." The idea is that some tobaccos improve if they are lit, allowed to go out, and left to stand for a period of time, either minutes or hours, before relighting and finishing the bowl. Virginias are most popular for this method of smoking. In my experience, Latakia mixtures do not fare as well, and tobaccos incorporating cigar leaf (such as my own Robusto) are generally not the best candidates. (You wouldn't put a cigar down for an hour, hoping to come back to a rich, wonderful cigar. The same holds true with the cigar leaf in a pipe blend.) If you enjoy an English or Balkan mixture, light it, smoke it, enjoy it. Leave the DGT for Virginias."
"Q: What is DGT?
A: DGT is an acronym that stands for "Delayed Gratification Technique." The idea is that some tobaccos improve if they are lit, allowed to go out, and left to stand for a period of time, either minutes or hours, before relighting and finishing the bowl. Virginias are most popular for this method of smoking. In my experience, Latakia mixtures do not fare as well, and tobaccos incorporating cigar leaf (such as my own Robusto) are generally not the best candidates. (You wouldn't put a cigar down for an hour, hoping to come back to a rich, wonderful cigar. The same holds true with the cigar leaf in a pipe blend.) If you enjoy an English or Balkan mixture, light it, smoke it, enjoy it. Leave the DGT for Virginias."
The chemistry going on in your pipe when you do this will have to be explained by someone other than myself, but if you want to do some research then that is what to look up; the Delayed Gratification Technique.
I don't try to "do DGT", but find no problem relighting a pipe 10 minutes to a day or two after its last smoke. But: the tobacco has to be dry.
I also don't do a char light (or false/first light) unless I need to. It's a nice ritual for many.
I also don't do a char light (or false/first light) unless I need to. It's a nice ritual for many.
I'm in that same class of maritime vessel on this. It happens, and I enjoy it, but it's not a conscious effort to get any more enjoyment out of something that is already the most enjoyable thing ever.
There's a lot of people out there looking for ways to make a good thing better, to improve their experience. Sometimes people spend so much time just searching for perfection that they end up missing out on a whole lot of satisfaction.
So yes, it has been noted that this method can improve some blends. By enough to make it worth worrying over? Maybe, maybe not. I'd say try it out, leave your pipe resting a while, come back to it and enjoy. But I'd also advise not to measure it up against any other smoke, because all that will be doing is diminishing something that's already good by conceiving of ways to make it better. Anyway, odds are that the reason it is so good when you come back to it is mostly because you missed it while you were away. :puffpipe:
The great thing about "DGT" is if you believe it will work it will, and if you don't believe it, it won't. Then there's The General's sage notation questioning its worth even if it does make it a tad better.
Don't believe the hype. If you don't finish the pipe, it will go off. Throw out the pipe and buy a new one.
Wow, great info, thanks. I tend to listen when Mr Pease speaks. I never would have thought there would be a technical term for the practice of lighting your pipe and walking away (DGT). :D
I set up my first two pipes of the day, before I go to sleep, an aromatic for first awakening, and a Virginia for the first errands of the day. The Virginia, I will DGT before going to bed. It's just my routine now. But, during the day, other smokes, I barely ever even char it, unless the tobacco is starting to swell up and expand with the heat. Other than that, I just fire up my pipe and go.
I'd never heard that particular ritual described before. Even the charring light is negotiable. Partly it is a reassurance to new pipe smokers when they can't light the pipe the first time. Over several years, as you get better at packing the different cuts in different pipes, you find the bowls that continue with the first light increases. Another factor is that any drying time in the bowl probably improves the smoking characteristics if a blend has much moisture. Like Cosmic, I often pack a pipe the night before, or day before, I smoke it. Find what accommodates your tastes and habits, and if your ritual is somewhat odd, but you enjoy it, there you are.
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