How long should tobacco sit cold in a bowl?

griffonwing · Jan 6, 2015

I will, at times, fill a bowl at home, and put it in my pocket, grab and fill another pipe, and go for a walk. This way, I can smoke a bowl on my walk, when its gone, I switch pipes, turn around, and walk back. The unlit tobacco is only in the bowl for half an hour or so, maybe an hour.
However, I find that during these colder days, when I don't get out on the porch as often, I find that my pipes sit on the shelf. I have about 6-7 pipes that are rotators, each with tobacco in the bowl. Is it bad for a smoked bowl to sit for an extended period of time (a day or more) with tobacco still in the bowl? Lets say I smoke 1/4 bowl from work to home, and set the pipe on the shelf for a few days. Is this a bad habit?

jazz · Jan 6, 2015

Not a bad habit if you still enjoy the flavour of the smoke you get out of them as far as I can see. Obviously the the tobacco will dry some over longer periods.
I sometimes don't finish my bowl and leave it over night and smoke it in the morn. A worse habit I believe.

saltedplug · Jan 6, 2015

Your palate knows the answer to this one. Try your pre-loads with a tobacco you know well. Test and compare. As a rule leaving tobacco to the open air is supposed to not be good, as the "volatile essences" (no one defines what this is) are said to evaporate, subtracting taste. Moisture also might change.
I smoke in the car daily, smoking the tobacco that's in my pouch right now, in the same pipe, as it is shag and the pipe is somewhat big. Sometimes I get home with tobacco still in the bowl and leave it in the car to be finished the next day. I'm breaking two rules here, exposing the tobacco and not resting the pipe more than 24 hours. As a rule I don't care as when I'm driving I have that much less concentration on the pipe, and thus even if the tobacco has lost something, it's not that important. Similarly, if moisture builds up from current combustion on top of a heel that is already wet and smoke suffers thereby, I also don't notice that.
I'd say smoke your premium, well-maintained tobacco when you are going to pay attention to it.
I also question why I almost always smoke premium tobacco, which I would say starts at about $50.00/lb. Why not smoke Newminster or Stokkebye? It's just not true that my concentration is always high such that it is savoring that tin that cost me $10.00.

griffonwing · Jan 6, 2015

My everyday smoke is Macbaren Vanilla Cream or 7 Seas Royal. They are my basic "go-to" tobacco, and they can be had for about 25/lb. I have a few lbs of each stored up in jars. I don't think that I would break out the Stonehaven or Charing Cross for a communte to work, not unless I simply wanted a greatly rewarding driving experience, or perhaps a pipe waiting for the drive back.
As for the flavor, I really can't tell much about flavour loss, as you said that could be because my concentration is occupied on driving. I do notice that after a couple bowls of vanilla, I dont taste as much flavour until its been a few days since my last bowl. As such, I tend to switch back and forth.
I do, however, have pipes on the shelf with forgotten blends still in the bowl. "Was this Charing Cross or Black House? Or was I sampling a new blend?" I normally throw caution and just smoke it anyway. Heheh

jazz · Jan 6, 2015

Perhaps I missed something but just out of curiosity, why don't you just fill as you want to smoke?

griffonwing · Jan 6, 2015

Oh, I do. But many times I don't smoke the whole bowl, and set it aside to pick up later..and then forget I have a bowl on the shelf with Blend A, and pick up a bowl for Blend B, and rinse/repeat. Before you know it, I have 6 bowls on the shelf with 5 or 6 blends, and I grab a pipe and ..what was I smoking in this one again?
The curse of ADD

freakiefrog · Jan 6, 2015

The thing to be cautious about in leaving half smoked bowls around for a long time is moisture. I use to do this and was told that the only thing is that as it cools from time to time moisture will collect in the bowl and that sitting in the bowl can cause problems. But I've had bowls sit around for a day or so pick it back up and smoke it again.. just sort of an fyi

jazz · Jan 6, 2015

Ahhh I see. So you do what I do but for longer. As I said I generally only leave it over night but have left it much longer. I have often found a pipe on my desk with something in it that I don't remember. I tend not to fall into that trap any more because it seems if left in too long (more than a day or two) it makes my pipe taste a little off. I need to then give it a good clean and rest before it tastes good again.
Sometimes though I light it up and it tastes okay so although I at least would not recommend it I don't think it is the end of the world or indeed your pipe. Actually I think pipes are much more resilient than people think.

phil67 · Jan 6, 2015

When I was a teen I had to take a bus to work for my part time job. On the corner by the bus stop there was a guy who sold newspapers out of his trunk and chain smoked a pipe, or I should say pipes. In his trunk next to the papers he had about 10 to 12 pipes already filed with tobacco and set to go. When he finished one bowl he simply tossed it into his trunk and picked up the next pre-filled pipe.

mso489 · Jan 6, 2015

Tobacco does fine for a day or two, sometimes improving a little (in my opinion) by drying out. My only misgiving is to

leave the burnt tobacco in the pipe and letting it "set" there in the bowl and the beginning of the airway, but it seems to

clean right up. I don't want half-smoked pipes sitting around for days, but overnight or for even a day or two, I don't

find it a problem.

buster · Jan 6, 2015

I loaded a bowl last week and promptly became sick. Thanks to my two year old. I smoked the bowl today and it was just fine. Maybe not perfect tobacco wise but I think the briar will be fine.

phil67 · Jan 6, 2015

Ya really lost me on that one! (?)

weezell · Jan 6, 2015

Isn't that what they refer to as DGT? Delayed gratification technique? Some people claim on certain blends it's "The Shit!"( In a Good way)...

cobguy · Jan 6, 2015

DGT? Delayed gratification technique?

Oh yeah ... great with many Va/Per's especially! : puffy

:

kane · Jan 7, 2015

Interesting......like a lasagna or a cheesecake, some baccy is better after it's sat for a day.....maybe smoking it a bit and letting it sit gets the flavors to blend or stand out more?

shaintiques · Jan 7, 2015

So you are that guy? If you see the motherload posts about the pipes I was given and am restoring. About half of those pipes had tobacco still in the bowls, some smoked, some not all moldy. Don't be that guy. There is the whol discussion of whether tobacco loses flavor etc. And then there is just gross habits. Of course they are you pipes and you can do what you want with them.

griffonwing · Jan 8, 2015

Haha. Mine dont sit in the bowl for years, just a couple weeks max, until the rotation comes back around.
But yeah, I have noticed that older bowl tobacco, sometimes the flavour is less, esp in my aros, and sometimes its no different in an english blend or two.

newbroom · Jan 8, 2015

Depends upon the blend and how much is left, but never more than 8 - 12 hours, and I'll often save dottle as I clear a bowl that has unsmoked tobacco rather than leave it in the bowl...

Just like those batches of leftovers get saved, mixed and smoked, so does the salvageable dottle all by itself. I've had some smooth high octane bowls after letting that stuff dry for a few days. Depends on what it's made from too. I don't save much codger blend, for instance. Flakes, Tinned Blends, Good House Blends.

griffonwing · Jan 8, 2015

I don't have any codger blends, or anything otc.

newbroom · Jan 8, 2015

How long should tobacco sit cold in a bowl?

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