How Slow?

jsiddle · Oct 3, 2012

So as you all know, I am a rookie smoker, and have been told to really slow down when smoking to grab more of the flavors of the tobaccos...
How slow is too slow? A drag every 30 seconds? every minute?
How slow can you go without having to relight every time you drag?
Any recommended cadences to try as I have not really found one that suits me? Been doing a 2 quick puffs, then long drag, probably every 10 seconds.

photoman13 · Oct 3, 2012

It really all depends. Just got smoke it and relax.

mkvillaire · Oct 3, 2012

Good question. I'm still working on that as well. I try to keep it slow and thats when I get the flavors. However, it forces me to have many relights. I know relighting is okay, but when I do it the tobacco burns hotter at that point thus altering the taste.

cigrmaster · Oct 3, 2012

js, it isn't about how many seconds between puffs, it is about slowly sipping your pipe every few seconds to keep it going and to keep getting flavor.You don't have to take long drags, it is almost like breathing through your pipe if you can picture that. It isn't like taking a big drag off a cigar or cigarette. Exhaling through your nose also gives you a lot of flavor. Pipe smoking has a large learning curve, no one gets it right off the bat, be patient.

nehemias88 · Oct 3, 2012

I find myself taking drags too strong or too many times. I agree with photoman13. I wouldn't worry too much about that, or else nothing would be right as you smoke. That definitely ruins the experience.

dervis · Oct 3, 2012

I know others have stressed this sentiment , but it really seems you are trying too hard worrying to much. And honestly I did the same thing when I started. It’s a hobby and like any good hobby you can’t know everything from the start ( or ever really). Eventually it kinda just happens. It is like explaining in detail when you walk how many seconds should your feet be touching the ground each step. If you are enjoying what you are doing you are doing it right. The process is part of the enjoyment, anticipation in itself is often just as fun as the results.

bigvan · Oct 3, 2012

Well said, Dervis. I agree 100%!

schmitzbitz · Oct 3, 2012

Well said cigrmaster - I would add that every pipe-smoker will have a slightly different cadence that works for them. I have found that your pipe will tell you when you are smoking too fast - it starts with a perceptible warming of the smoke itself, often followed by the bowl - and if not heeded, a steamy chemical-burn and possibly even the dreaded gurgles (or worse, spit!).

When I first started smoking a pipe, I found that I wanted to puff away like a cigarette. In order to slow my cadence, I would listen to music with a slow tempo, using the beat to time my sips.

sixmp · Oct 3, 2012

I try to light my tobacco just enough to light it.

I try to sip at it just enough so that it doesn't look lit

I try to take less sips than i want to

I try to tamp as lightly as i can and as often as i remember

I try not to think about it too much because if i am thinking about it i am not really experiencing it
Also
Don't think. Feel

jsiddle · Oct 3, 2012

Thanks guys... I will really try to calm and not think tonight

subtech77 · Oct 3, 2012

I take very small drags quite often, just like a little kiss. The light don't need cover the whole bowl every time. In fact it should not, but every now and then I drag so the light cover it att to burn the tobacco close to the walls. But these should be slow inhales. I remember I had really hard times the first year or so. The pipe either went out or it became extremely hot. For me it helped when I invested in a high quality pipe. This is a short resume of how I smoke, but you need to figure out what suits you. If you produce smoke and pipe dont gets too hot you are on the right track.

photoman13 · Oct 3, 2012

If you don't relax from smoking a pipe then why smoke at all. A lot of the things you have asked are different from person to person. As you smoke more and more you will find what is right for you. A lot of this hobby is so subjective. I find I smoke different for different tobaccos, pipes, weather, with matches, and with a lighter. Enjoy the experience. That's what it's all about. Smoke slower. Try the french inhale and retrohaling. Experiment with different tobaccos. Just enjoy yourself.

fshu2 · Oct 3, 2012

i will just echo these guys enjoy your smoke. think of them as sips rather than drags, like a scotch too much and it burns more than flavors. if you over thinkthe way you smoke you are defeating the purpose of smoking in the first place just sip and everything will fall in place.

numbersix · Oct 3, 2012

js, it isn't about how many seconds between puffs, it is about slowly sipping your pipe every few seconds to keep it going and to keep getting flavor.You don't have to take long drags, it is almost like breathing through your pipe if you can picture that. It isn't like taking a big drag off a cigar or cigarette. Exhaling through your nose also gives you a lot of flavor. Pipe smoking has a large learning curve, no one gets it right off the bat, be patient.

+1 well said.
Also, good packing allows you to keep the pipe lit, giving you more time between puffs and less need for big drags to keep it lit. So if you find yourself being forced to puff more than necessary to keep your pipe lit, re-examine how you pack.

baronsamedi · Oct 3, 2012

How slow is too slow?

Like Dave mentioned in another post, You are thinking too hard. Forget about what you are doing and do it.

galeon · Oct 3, 2012

Like Cigrmaster said, it's not about counting the seconds between puffs. For me, it's all about the flavor of the smoke. So if it starts burning hot, or I'm not getting that sweet taste out of my VA, I slow down my cadence. If you pay too much attention to your cadence and how you do everything every second of your smoke, you're not going to get the most out of your smoke.

pipebob · Oct 3, 2012

I agree with all that has been said. Every pipe has it's own character. They really do tell me what I am doing wrong or right. I have to break in a pipe completely before I can tell alot about it's smoking abilities. And the differences in tobacco!

baronsamedi · Oct 3, 2012

When you're totally relaxed, your breathing is natural and steady and your heart rate has dropped to its resting pace, you smoke in time with that. Forget about actual time or how many puffs and just slow yourself down and take a sip along with your own rhythm. This is from another guy with ADHD. How you slow yourself down is how you slow your smoke down. Stop thinking "Gotta keep it lit" or "gotta tamp again". If you lose yourself in the smoke long enough to need to relight then you are on the right track. It's not about the journey or the destination. Like an old biker once told me, "It's about the fuckin' DETOURS, man! Shut up and ride!"

baronsamedi · Oct 3, 2012

Incidentally, a good detour is usually 5'4", blonde and round in all the right places.

daytonsean · Oct 3, 2012

I got some advice from a biker once too, but it's a little inappropriate for this board.
Find something to do while you're smoking. Read, write, create. You'll forget about the rhythm of the inhaling; it'll become natural. Then, you'll find that you'll just smoke regularly. Good luck.

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