Pipes Magazine » Pipe Smoking Basics & Beginner Questions

1. 

   mikec13
   

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   Please help me to understand the science behind smoking slower allows you to smoke cooler. I would have thought that in order to keep the pipe lit you would need a consistent air flow to keep the tobacco lit (keep the tobacco hot) yet I read that the secret to keep the pipe lit is a slower cooler draw. Any info you can share to explain why slower works would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance!

   Posted 5 months ago #
2. 

   nsfisher
   

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   I find, depending on the tobacco, depends on how fast or slow I smoke it. Smoking slower, smokes cooler, the same as a fire burning in the pit burns less hot if it is made to burn slower. Puffing like a "Dragon" on your pipe will make it burn faster, so hence, hotter.

   If at first you don't succeed, have another bowl.

   Posted 5 months ago #
3. 

   jah76
   

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   Fishers right. Your cadence of your puffs also changes the taste of the tobacco. All fast and hot you cause the leaf to burn faster. Oils, sugars, etc get burnt up quickly instead of slowly and it can completely destroy the flavor. By keep the tobacco burning at an even and smooth rate, you can get the full benefit of all your tobacco's taste and smell.

   There is a sweet spot you have to find for yourself and what pipe and tobacco your smoking will matter, however I find that if there's smoke coming out of the TOP of my bowl, best to let it settle back down before I take another pull. Mind you that's with mainly Virginia's but you get the idea.

   Welcome aboard! Let us know how your doing.

   Posted 5 months ago #
4. 

   freakiefrog
   

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   The Cliffs Notes version is this.

   Fire + Fast air induction = High heat (think billows for a fire place or forge)
   High Heat + Tobacco moisture = Steam (think cooking mushrooms)
   Steam + mouth = Bad.

   on the flip side

   Fire + low or slow air induction = Smolder
   Smolder + Tobacco moisture = Cool smoke and Good taste (like smoking a brisket or piece of fish)
   Cool smoke and Good taste = Happy Pipe smoker.

   I have some friends, some honest friends, and honest friends are few; My pipe of briar, my open fire, A book that's not too new.
   Robert W. Service

   Posted 5 months ago #
5. 

   Uberam3rica
   

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   the same as a fire burning in the pit burns less hot if it is made to burn slower. Puffing like a "Dragon" on your pipe will make it burn faster, so hence, hotter.

   
   Perfectly put. Puffing fast adds more air, making it hotter. Just like fanning a fire stokes the coals, puffin fast stokes the cherry

   As long as I got a pipe full of baccy and a nose full of snuff, I'm a happy camper
   Cigarettes are an addiction, cigars are a hobby, pipes are a religion

   Posted 5 months ago #
6. 

   Spartan
   

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   The trick is to puff enough that the ember stays lit... but not enough that it gets too big and too hot and eats up all of your tobacco sooner than you want it to.

   Puffing faster and making the ember bigger and smoke hotter also could lead to INCREASED moisture at the bottom of the bowl. So another reason to smoke slower is that it will result in a dryer more enjoyable smoke.

   "I was born to lose. So I'll die to win." -Breaking Benjamin

   Posted 5 months ago #
7. 

   shawn
   

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   Freakie, love the way you think...

   Steam + mouth = Bad

   Posted 5 months ago #
8. 

   profpar
   

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   The oxidative decomposition of organic matter such as tobacco is an exothermic process. The total amount of heat generated would depend on the amount of reactants,I.e. tobacco and oxygen. By smoking faster, the flow rate of oxygen through the tobacco increases. Hence more reaction is taking place per second, and therefore greater heat is generated

   Posted 5 months ago #
9. 

   mikec13
   

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   This is all very helpful! Tonight I smoked a bowl for the first time with someone else and the rhythm and pace were much slower then when I smoke by myself. It was much improved!! Thank you all for the input!

   Posted 5 months ago #
10. 

    rmbittner
    

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    I'll second everyone's helpful contributions. But I do want to say that "cool smoking" is, I think, more marketing hyperbole than actual fact. Because, after all, smoke is the result of fire. I think a lot of beginning pipe smokers give up when they discover that tin copy claiming a blend "smokes cool" is, at best, an exaggeration. Your mouth will get warm. But there's a big difference between a comfortable warmth (that is still significantly "cooler" than, say, a cup of coffee or even a hot sandwich) and the kind of heat that burns your tongue and makes a pipe painful to hold.

    So, yes, I absolutely agree with what's been said. But "cool" here is relative, I think.

    Bob

    Posted 5 months ago #

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