Half Bowls

alexnc · Jul 31, 2016

I guess I haven't been buying bowl sizes to match my smoking duration. I pretty much load whatever portion of a fill I think I have time for, and lot's of the time I don't have 90 minutes or 2 hours. Is that messing up larger bowls or should I add a smaller load or 2?
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jacks6 · Jul 31, 2016

I do what you do. I haven't had any trouble with it yet.

lotharen · Jul 31, 2016

I had been wondering this very same thing. I mostly smoke my pipe at work (at least for now). I have anywhere between 10 and 20 minutes to sit there and contemplate life while enjoying the taste of my pipe. Half a bowl seems to fit that but I'm learning - thanks to this forum - that some pipes have larger or smaller bowels. Man I love learning!

ray47 · Jul 31, 2016

I used to load half bowls in large pipes years ago before I retired and it sure helped to build cake in the bottom of the bowl. Now that I'm retired I load up my large bowl pipes all the way because I have the time. Most of the blends I smoke now DGT (Delayed Gratification Technique)very well so if I have to set the pipe down I can come back to it with no loss in taste. In fact the tobacco tastes better.

alexnc · Jul 31, 2016

A whole when I can get them! Loaded a Stanwell 234 (.8 x 1.7) this morning for an hour 40 minute smoke! But lots of the time I only have 30 or 40 minutes - so half a bowl it goes. I did note that I have a smaller Stanwell 95 (1" deep) that fits a shorter smoke and that I particular DID enjoy a second bowl when I had the time for a long smoke. So I was wondering if I need to reconsider bowl size when I buy, switching to shallower bowls. I believe the 2nd bowl might have been better than the bottom of a larger bowl. So would 2 smaller bowls be a better option than a single large bowl / half bowls?

PaulTheScandinavian · Jul 31, 2016

this why i got me two smaller sized pipes, if I were in your position I'd look for some light-small prince type of pipes,I have my Peterson 407 for these purposes,Yet,Chacom and Butz Choquin-France seem to have some interesting smaller bowl pipes available at reasonable price,Have a nice day ,

shutterbugg · Aug 1, 2016

I prefer shorter smokes so I prefer smaller pipes. I have a few bigger ones, and most of the time I load them halfway. And I always dump the last 3rd, it's like a filter, tastes like crap.

mso489 · Aug 1, 2016

I have nothing against partial bowls, and I don't think they affect the bowl much, especially if the fill varies. However, I think smaller bowls have a good effect on focusing and evening the burn on some tobaccos and cuts, especially flakes, plugs, coins and ropes. (Some of these, in complex blends, favor a larger bowl, but two and three leaf blends go well (or better) in small bowls. If you want to try a small bowl pipe or two, without spending a lot of money, Iwan Ries sells EWA pipes, from France, that are less than $40 and are nicely made, in Group 2. I think you'll be intrigued by how good a smoke, and how long a smoke, these deliver.

Strike Anywhere · Aug 14, 2016

Do whatever makes you happy. If smaller pipes don't suit your visual preferences, just keep doing what you're doing and load only as much as you want to smoke. Just be sure to keep an eye on cake. Probably not a bad idea to keep the bowl wiped out regularly with pipe cleaners or even a paper towel. Don't go crazy -- you don't want to clean out all the cake -- just keep it smooth and even.

noquarter · Aug 14, 2016

I smoke half bowls on tobaccos that would usually bore me on a full bowl. I also smoke a full bowl then dump the last third before it gets too airy or nasty.

dottiewarden · Aug 15, 2016

I own a varied range of sizes and shapes and although there's no problem with half bowls some blends just seem to burn or taste better in different size or shape pipe.
For quick smokes I use my trusty King's Cross Featherweight. This little beauty gives me a 20-30 minute smoke, depending on the blend. My Peterson 80s is fairly small but I usually use it for flakes, then you're still looking at an easy hour.
When short on time, I also use the Delayed Gratification Technique that ray47 mentioned. And on occasion, I dump the bottom third as shutterbug and noquarter suggest.
If you are worried about uneven cake build up - buy a Meer!

blueeyedogre · Aug 15, 2016

I tried that but didn't work for me. I'd fill a half bowl and think "Hmmmm that doesn't look like much?" so I'd add a little more, then a little more, and next thing I knew I had a full bowl again. Now I just buy smaller pipes, group 1 or 2, I have larger pipes that will come out for road trips or when I know I'll have the time to sit and enjoy it but my daily pipes are all little guys. I will say that I smoke predominately Meerschaum so cake isn't a worry I have.

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