Hot Pipe!

jnr96 · Apr 17, 2016

I got my first pipe shortly after I was of age without any real knowledge on pipe smoking. Unfortunately I have come to realize via this forum that I may have gotten a pipe that is ideal for creating infernos rather than a nice cool smoke... The pipe was an estate pipe off ebay... not refinished... it's labeled as a Whitehall Garrison on the side and I believe it is briar. The bowl is perfectly cylindrical, pretty thin walled, tall, and has a smooth varnished finish with a short straight stem. I bought a house-brand tobacco and have no idea what's in it. Any tips on how to get this beast to give me a nice cool calm smoke?
Thanks!

madmurdoc · Apr 17, 2016

Smoke slower, and maybe modify your packing method. There are some great resources on PM for info on packing a pipe: Part 1, Part 2.
As far as smoking slower, don't suck on the stem, gently sip it once or twice every 30 or so seconds, you may have to relight the pipe a few times, but slow and steady is the key.

madmurdoc · Apr 17, 2016

And welcome to the forums!

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jnr96 · Apr 17, 2016

I do try to smoke as slow as possible and I find that I need to relight several times per bowl... My packing can most likely improve but seeing as I only really smoke a bowl once a month or so, it's a slow process... Could you explain the difference between a sip and a puff? I do a couple hard draws to get it going but after that I just slowly and gently pull the air through... Is there more to it than that?

madmurdoc · Apr 17, 2016

How often are you puffing on it? Some people do what's called breathsmoking, there's a thread on it here. Give that a gander, it might help. Sipping I guess I would describe as a baby puff. Don't worry about the volume of smoke you're blowing out, a lot of the time you'll get minimal smoke. As long as you're getting the good flavor, it's all good.
But if it's smoking hot, try adjusting one of those things. Pack it different, take shallower puffs, and a little more time between puffs. These are what worked for me, but it's important that you find what works for you individually. Try different methods and such. We were all new to it once, and I'm sure most of us had a similar set of questions and experiences when we first started. Just ask if you have questions, we're here to pass our knowledge and experiences around.

jnr96 · Apr 17, 2016

Thanks that's much appreciated! I find myself puffing on it way too frequently (pretty much every 10-30 seconds) to keep it lit. I'm going to let my tobacco dry a little before my next smoke to see if that helps it stay lit so I can slow my pace down. Hopefully I'll rid myself of this house-blend soon so I can get a brand name with some known smoking characteristics so you guys can help me out more if I need it. I can get a pretty consistent "drinking through a straw" draw on the pipe when I pack but I suspect I still have a lot to learn in the art of packing as well. Hopefully some more people will chime in with some tips, they're all appreciated and welcome!

jnr96 · Apr 17, 2016

Thanks Billkay, I'm sure I'll get it eventually, just trying to get to the good part faster! I'm not afraid of relighting, it just seems that if I don't keep a steady and quick pace I have to relight every couple minutes... I'll end up spending more on matches than tobacco if I keep that up.

samcoffeeman · Apr 17, 2016

Keep a bowl of ice water next to you. Mind you, make sure this is mostly ice. Every few puffs, or whenever it starts getting warm, dip it into the bowl until it cools off. If it goes out, no worries, just grab your handy torch lighter and fire that sucka til she burns. Rinse, repeat.

jnr96 · Apr 17, 2016

Interesting idea samcoffeeman... Would the ice damage the wood at all or contribute to moisture buildup? That would be nice as a quick fix until I can get the technique down to do it without the ice-aid

jnr96 · Apr 18, 2016

Another thought, could it be that because I am so new to smoking and do it so infrequently, that my mouth needs to develop calluses of sorts? Get used to the smoke so I get less bite and more taste?

jpmcwjr · Apr 19, 2016

Drink the water, don't dunk the pipe!
Yes, many experience a mouth "break in" period.
Above all, dry down your tobacco before loading a bowl; few tobaccos come read to smoke, moisture wise. What are you smoking?

danielplainview · Apr 19, 2016

It could just be my unwavering hatred of varnished finishes, but that and thin walls might be why it's a hot smoker.

newbroom · Apr 19, 2016

Almost any pipe can be smoked to satisfactory results with experience.

Get a cob and learn with that. A 'naked' cob is coolest. Keep your estate pipe for later.

If the bowl gets hot but the tobacco is still tasty, hold the shank, or clench.

judcole · Apr 19, 2016

Smoke slowly. Don't buy cheap tobacco loaded with chemicals.

I have an old Whitehall pipe myself - an acorn. It smokes very nicely. It's not a great pipe, but it's one of the few really old ones I have that I smoke any more.

jnr96 · Apr 20, 2016

Awesome advice everyone, thank you very much. I believe a combination of learning to pack better, getting over the "mouth break-in period", and upgrading from cheap house tobacco to some McClelland Captain Cool and letting it dry if needed should help me out tremendously!

wyfbane · Apr 21, 2016

Welcome to the forums!

cigrmaster · Apr 21, 2016

Smoke it till it turns red, then let it cool off.

cosmicfolklore · Apr 21, 2016

The idea is to smoke fast enough that the pipe doesn't have time to get hot.

perdurabo · Apr 21, 2016

You're burning leaves, it's gonna get hot, smoke slower. Or follow Cosmics advice.

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