How long is a bowl?

bostonbill · Sep 15, 2010

Hello All-
I actually have two questions:
1) How long is one "bowl" of tobacco supposed to last? Is it 15 mins or an hour?
and
2) How long do you smoke for when you smoke? I'd like to know in both bowls and time.
For example, I find one bowl lasts only a few minutes- maybe 20 or so. So if I want to smoke during an hour show, lets say, I'll probably smoke three bowls, give or take.
How does it work for you?

pipetrucker · Sep 15, 2010

The answer depends upon how large the bowl is and how tightly or loosely you pack it. Also, it depends on how fast or slow you smoke it. Also, some tobaccos do burn faster than others.
An "average" sized bowl will tend to last me between 30 - 45 minutes depending upon the tobacco and how fast I am smoking.
A bowl tends to burn faster outdoors too, especially if there is a breeze. A wind cap can really help there.
Three bowls in a hour means either you have a very small bowl, are packing very loosely, or are courting tongue bite by furious puffing. LOL.

wallbright · Sep 15, 2010

I can see how maybe a Bent Bob by Savinelli might lead to 3 bowls so quickly. I usually take 30 minutes though even with that one. I have yet to try a large pipe though.

fred · Sep 15, 2010

Mason has hit on the important points but I can add a bit more.

The cut and moisture level also are important, especially in smoking

Flake blends. Flakes will burn longer, slower and cooler while yielding

more flavor when smoked in the slice instead of rubbing them out.

Beyond the mechanics of Pipe smoking, personal attitude and mood have

an important role in how long the smoke lasts. If you are in a hurry and/or

excited, the smoke will be shorter. If you are relaxed and more receptive

to the nuances of the smoke, then the smoke will be longer and you're more

likely to get in the 'zone', aka the peak smoking experience that we all

find and want to get more of. In general, my smokes last about an hour but

can go for up to 2 hours with a large bowl, slow burning blend and a calm

mood. No need to rush things. It's not a race.

ernest · Sep 15, 2010

For me,one full medium size bowl,smoked indoors,with a fresh bag of Captain Black,smoked gently,will take thirty-nine minutes. (+/- 2 minutes)

surfmac211 · Sep 15, 2010

I smoke medium to large bowls.

Medium= 45 minutes to an hour

Large= 1 1/2 hours to 2

bostonbill · Sep 15, 2010

Wow. I thought I might be smoking too fast. I also do run across tongue bite a lot. I also happen to think I have small bowls, as nothing I have appears particularly larger than a Dr. Grabow or similar.
Is it normal to relight...a lot? Cuz I can re-light a lot of times in one bowl. It seems to me that the smoke gets too thin to taste, which seems a waste, so after tamping, if the volume of smoke doesn't return, I relight.
(god, what a basket case I am!)

cortezattic · Sep 15, 2010

Bostonbill. You need serious help. But you've made the right decision in reaching out.

I think you might be smoking a tobacco blend or cut that just isn't appropriate for your tastes,

appetite, or pipe smoking habits, i.e: packing, puffing cadence, or pipe choice, etc.

(Some pipes can tame a sassy smoke while others sting like a wasp; some pipes smoke "thin",

while others produce gobs of chewy smoke -- with the same blend.)
PM python, aka Bob Tate and he may be able to diagnose you and get you into therapy.

It's OK to do, since Kevin pays him BIG bucks to be on call 24/7.
ps. He's a big advocate of surgery and amputations, but don't go that far. Just take his advice on behavioral issues.

pipetrucker · Sep 15, 2010

Reducing relights is a matter of proper packing and smoking. A relight or two on a bowl is fairly normal, especially when smoking slowly, but if you are relighting a lot AND smoking fast you likely need to work on your packing and tamping technique.
By way of a relative measure on bowl size, a Dr. Grabow Riviera is in the medium range.

wallbright · Sep 15, 2010

It seems that my pipe does not produce the amount of smoke that I would wish for it to. I love when I first light a pipe and there is an ungoldy amount of smoke. Is there a way to preserve this through the smoking experience?

abecox · Sep 15, 2010

I usually take about 25-30 minutes on most of my medium sized pipes. I do have a giant pipe that lasts about an hour or so though, but I haven't brought it out in a while. Hmmm... it is looking rather lonely out there.
But at the same time I mostly smoke Ribbon Cuts. In comparison, when I smoke flakes, it seems to last a much longer time than that. Especially because I just fold and stuff.

pstlpkr · Sep 15, 2010

Slow smoking is a state of mind.

Start at the bottom of the page and read the posts going up.
Blatant self promotion:

Dottle Diggers

Currently the best in the States:

Due Dilligence

bubbadreier · Sep 15, 2010

Follow Lawrence's and Raymond's advice and smoking doubles in pleasure! I love a slow smoke!

fred · Sep 15, 2010

During the early days of anyone's Pipe smoking experiences, one of the big

conundrums is keeping the Pipe lit. It sounds obvious that the Pipe must be

lit to enjoy smoking it, so the neophyte puffs like a locomotive to keep the

fire going, likely smoking an Aromatic that is wet as a tropical rain forest,

while trying to learn the art of packing and tamping. The result is he/she

gets bit like a dog found them on private property. The persevering continue

and improve their skills while discovering that the blend is more flavorful if

smoked slowly. Oddly enough, relights become fewer and it dawns on the aspiring

Pipe smoker that having the Pipe lit is not all that important. Thru focusing

on learning packing and tamping, while smoking slowly, the end result becomes

a longer & more enjoyable smoke, rather than feeling like you've been using

a Space Shuttle booster rocket to light your Pipe.

pipetrucker · Sep 15, 2010

During the early days of anyone's Pipe smoking experiences, one of the big

conundrums is keeping the Pipe lit. It sounds obvious that the Pipe must be

lit to enjoy smoking it, so the neophyte puffs like a locomotive to keep the

fire going, likely smoking an Aromatic that is wet as a tropical rain forest,

while trying to learn the art of packing and tamping. The result is he/she

gets bit like a dog found them on private property. The persevering continue

and improve their skills while discovering that the blend is more flavorful if

smoked slowly. Oddly enough, relights become fewer and it dawns on the aspiring

Pipe smoker that having the Pipe lit is not all that important. Thru focusing

on learning packing and tamping, while smoking slowly, the end result becomes

a longer & more enjoyable smoke, rather than feeling like you've been using

a Space Shuttle booster rocket to light your Pipe.

Quite true and very well written.

igloo · Sep 15, 2010

I get about 35 to 40 minutes in a medium bowl . I do not worry about how many times I have to relight .The few times that I do take the time to properly dry, tamp , and load the tobacco properly tend to pay off .

hauntedmyst · Sep 16, 2010

On average, I get between 30 to 60 minutes per bowl. If I am in a hurry and need to smoke quickly, I'll do the Lamaze breathing technique, puffing as deeply and as fast as I can. I've burned through an entire bowl in about 5 minutes but you have to wear gloves to hold the pipe and your mouth gets burns and blisters but at least you don't have to forgo the smoke. The only real problem is that my boss complains of the smell of burning flesh sometimes in the conference room, which makes me laugh enough to throw up a little in my mouth so my mouth tastes like burnt flesh and throw up but as brothers of the briar, I think we can all agree its worth it!

ohin3 · Sep 16, 2010

I smoke mostly group 2 or 3 sized bowls and smoke slowly. A bowl of something like Captain Black will last around 45 min to an hour, but a bowl of Marlin Flake or Escudo will last anywhere from an hour to two hours.

flanative · Sep 16, 2010

Twice as long as half a bowl?
God Im funny!! LOL!

pstlpkr · Sep 16, 2010

On average, I get between 30 to 60 minutes per bowl.

That's about right for a stuff-n-puff.

How long is a bowl?

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