How Long Can You Leave Tobacco?

ember · May 19, 2015

Sometimes I may fill a pipe to smoke go for a few minute then something comes up and I have to stop . Then I may not get back to the pipe till the next day or for a few days even . If it gets to like 3 days and I haven't had a chance to get back to it I usually dump the pipe and start over. Is this practice ok?
Title corrected for capitalization- Rule 9- Zack

tarak · May 19, 2015

Really depends on your experience....its it "OK"....probably. Will it taste good/be worth it- that will be your call. I don't think a bowl full of mostly unsmoked tobacco will hurt anything unless its very wet. If it has a very heavy flavor...a strong latakia blend, a very aromatic blend...its possibly it could really ghost that pipe up I suppose.
The only time I did this was with Dunhill Flake (which I think runs a pretty low risk of ghosting....its a pretty clean, straight tobacco) and when I returned 3 days later and lit it was a terrible smoke. Didn't hurt the pipe in the long term...but I only took a few puffs before I decided it was time to move on.

wilson · May 19, 2015

Three days is pretty long. My concern is that the pipe will be wet the whole time. A dry pipe is a happy pipe; a constantly wet pipe may sour on you. Meanwhile, and somewhat paradoxically, the tobacco is drying out.
You can pack half a bowl for times when you are busy and don't have time to smoke a whole bowl. You can let it go out and go back to it a few hours later, etc. At the end of the day, if you dump the remains you won't be wasting a lot of tobacco.
That said, I've forgotten a half smoked pipe on the porch on occasion and it has not done any lasting harm. But, I'd have some concerns over doing this on a routine basis.

beastkhk · May 19, 2015

No, the practice of allowing distractions to take you away from your pipe is bad for mental health and should be avoided at all times.

Regarding if it will cause damage to the pipe I wouldn't be able to tell you for sure. But, for what the cost of a bowl of tobacco is vs. what the cost of a pipe is if were to damage from goop sitting in there too long I personally would error on the side of caution and dump it if I didn't think I would be able to get back to it later that day. Even if you did have some time free up again, you could always just pack another bowl. IMHO

lestrout · May 19, 2015

Some of my Virginia loving friends routinely DGT certain of their blends, sometimes for several days. With something like Dunhill Flake handles DGT well - if you routinely rest your pipe a few days after finishing your smoke, I've assumed everything will be ok.
hp

les

msandoval858 · May 20, 2015

As long as it still tastes good, I don't think there's any set rule on something like that.
I often fill a bowl to smoke on my way home from work. Some days I take a pipe that is too large to finish so I'll just stick a pipe cleaner in the stem and leave it in my truck overnight to finish in the morning. Never had a problem with it. Often times I find the pipe smokes even better.

ember · May 20, 2015

Thanks everyone for your input

The ghosting was what I was concerned about . I was not thinking about the moisture just sitting in there either .

mso489 · May 20, 2015

The tobacco will do fine for several days, and with some tobacco, the drying time will improve it slightly. However, as has been pointed out, leaving moisture in a pipe isn't the best practice. Overnight is fine. A day or two okay but not great. I sometimes leave tobacco in a small pottery bowl for up to three or four days and usually it improves the smoke slightly. The tobacco certainly stays lit better.

dixcreek · May 20, 2015

Depends on the tobacco, or at least that has been my experience. Like msandoval858 posted sometimes it is actually a better smoke. Just be cautioned that if you are smoking a blend that tends to smoke wet it may have adverse effects on your pipe.

okiescout · May 20, 2015

For a few hours or maybe the day it would not or has not bothered me much. Beyond that it is not something I would not do to the pipe.

A partial bowl of tobacco is just not that expensive, here in the US. A cellered treat might be, but that is a different situation. Just because the tobacco dries out does not necessarily mean the bowl has.
Then again, we would have to talk priorities: honey my mom just drove her car off a cliff........uh.....uh....uh, ok, I'm coming. :lol:

cigrmaster · May 20, 2015

I never leave a pipe unattended for more than 378 seconds, anymore than that and it is not worthy of my time. Your mileage may vary.

winton · May 20, 2015

I heard that in a previous slow smoke contest at the Chicago show, one of the last contestants really had to pee. The rule was that he had to lay the pipe on the table and then hurry to do his business. If the pipe was still burning, when he got back, he was still in the contest. Otherwise he officially went out when he left the table. FYI, the distance from the back of the smoking to the nearest mens room is a long journey in the best setting. This story ended happily for all concerned.
Winton

brudnod · May 20, 2015

DGT = don't get tossed?

saltedplug · Jul 4, 2015

What you are describing is called DGT, or delayed gratification technique. A cigarette will burn without being puffed, and a cigar that sits for more than five minutes becomes harsh. Pipes, being simply magnificent, and the most cultivated method of using tobacco, can wait to be finished.
But the real answer is whether you can tolerate the taste change created by whatever interval. Usually there is a difference in taste, and thus the question becomes will you find that difference worthy of your continued smoking time.

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