Maintaining A Good Smoke

sparrowhawk · Jun 16, 2015

Here's a problem I've had sporadically for a while: Why do some tobaccos in perfectly cleaned pipes, refuse to stay burning and provide a good smoke? It is a daily struggle for me, and the only thing I can think of is that the tobaccos I smoke, primarily aros, are too moist. Is this the case or am I missing something? Should I perhaps simply let my baccys air dry a bit? Or is it entirely something different? (I'm careful about filling the bowl, so I know it's not that.) Look forward to your wise counsel.

phil67 · Jun 16, 2015

I no longer smoke aro's, but I still let the tobaccos I smoke dry out a tad unless they are obviously dry enough to smoke as is. Nothing more of a PITA to me in trying to keep a moist tobacco lit.

Chasing Embers · Jun 16, 2015

Constant use of a tamper, and letting your tobacco dry for a bit longer works wonders for aros. I have trouble keeping them lit from time to time too. Though I find that I can keep them lit longer in cobs for some reason.

elbert · Jun 16, 2015

I've had this problem ever since I started. I'm constantly refining my technique, but here's where I'm at now.

1) Dry baccy.

2) Three-step pack. And a little tighter than I first thought. Loose packing is a more pervasive problem than tight packing, I'd wager.

3) Tamping is a bad word. First of all, I used to do it too much, and second of all, I used to do it too 'heavy'. I've started Grinding instead--grind the ash at the top of the pack in a circular motion, into a fine powder, but without upsetting the delicate structure of the baccy underneath. This is crucial because...

4)...ash dump. I do this with nearly every relight now, and I relight a lot less as a consequence. If you're doing it right, the only thing that should fall out of the bowl is the fine powdered ash. Use a gentle tap on the back of the bowl with your finger as an incentive.

5) When you get to the bottom of the bowl and this method starts to fail, just dump whatevers left. I routinely dump about 5 to 10 percent of what I pack. The effort it requires to keep that stuff lit is way more trouble than its worth.

and finally,

6) Stop listening to me! I've only been at this a year, what the hell do I know?! That being said, this has helped me alot. And I learned it all here.

- Josh

matchstickman · Jun 16, 2015

I've had this problem ever since I started. I'm constantly refining my technique, but here's where I'm at now.

1) Dry baccy.

2) Three-step pack. And a little tighter than I first thought. Loose packing is a more pervasive problem than tight packing, I'd wager.

3) Tamping is a bad word. First of all, I used to do it too much, and second of all, I used to do it too 'heavy'. I've started Grinding instead--grind the ash at the top of the pack in a circular motion, into a fine powder, but without upsetting the delicate structure of the baccy underneath. This is crucial because...

4)...ash dump. I do this with nearly every relight now, and I relight a lot less as a consequence. If you're doing it right, the only thing that should fall out of the bowl is the fine powdered ash. Use a gentle tap on the back of the bowl with your finger as an incentive.

5) When you get to the bottom of the bowl and this method starts to fail, just dump whatevers left. I routinely dump about 5 to 10 percent of what I pack. The effort it requires to keep that stuff lit is way more trouble than its worth.

and finally,

6) Stop listening to me! I've only been at this a year, what the hell do I know?! That being said, this has helped me alot. And I learned it all here.

- Josh

Every last piece of this advice is very sound and mirrors a lot of the same technique that I use. I would like to add a couple of extra tips if I may:
1.) Practice "breath" smoking (I'll see if I can dig up the link to the article here in a bit), the most important aspect of this being to VERY GENTLY exhale through the stem from time to time. I seem to get a lot drier, cooler smoke this way. My own backward ass logic tells me that this is due to the air going through the stem helping to kind of keep the pipe burning a little drier. Am I on to something or just full of shit? Who knows, but it works for me.
2.) Run a pipe cleaner through your pipe about midway through the smoke. Helps to collect some of the gunk that does get built up in the stem and at the bottom of the bowl. I generally do this about halfway through my smoke when I go to dump my ash for the first time. As with all things, YMMV.

Chasing Embers · Jun 16, 2015

Here you go.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0o8Sfg6EH9k&feature=youtube_gdata_player

phil67 · Jun 16, 2015

1.) Practice "breath" smoking (I'll see if I can dig up the link to the article here in a bit), the most important aspect of this being to VERY GENTLY exhale through the stem from time to time. I seem to get a lot drier, cooler smoke this way. My own backward ass logic tells me that this is due to the air going through the stem helping to kind of keep the pipe burning a little drier. Am I on to something or just full of shit? Who knows, but it works for me.

Absolutely not. 'Breath smoking' is most definitely the way to go to properly smoke a pipe, but it's also really quite natural and makes a world of difference for those having difficulty in keeping a pipe lit. I'm somewhat of a clencher so that just comes only natural to me and the only way I smoke a pipe.

sparrowhawk · Jun 17, 2015

I accidentally discovered how to perform "breath smoking," and it is indeed the way to go. i just can't get there sometime and I wonder why.

mcitinner1 · Jun 17, 2015

Blends that are ropes, twists, flakes, or anything that is chunky or folded is just naturally going to be harder to burn evenly. Just sayin'.

sparrowhawk · Jun 17, 2015

Good tip, mcitinner1. Fortunately, I rarely smoke unusual shapes of tobacco. I prefer a tobacco that naturally fills the chamber without much trouble.

quicksilver · Jun 17, 2015

I have this problem with aros as well. Drying out works wonders for me. Good packing technique is important as well - I find the three step pack method best and then gently tamping the tobacco throughout the smoke which ensures that the ignited tobacco stays in contact with the unburnt tobacco and lights it. Other than that I try not to let it worry me - relighting is part of the ritual of pipe smoking and some of the best smokes I have had are ones I have had to relight numerous times.

tarak · Jun 17, 2015

I would guess your moist aromatic is the culprit. How long do you usually dry it?

elbert · Jun 17, 2015

Kind words and worthy additions from Pipe Novelist! :D
Relighting doesn't bother me in itself--its the relight that refuses to 'take' that gets to me. And if you're trying to relight a layer of ash between your match and your baccy, it's no wonder it won't take the flame. It was Tarak's thread about overtamping that tipped me off to this solution.

-Josh

pipesmokingtom · Jun 17, 2015

I have better luck with aros in cobs as well. I think the wide-open draw really helps keep the air going around and through the bowl which acts to dry a bit as you go. They are more forgiving on new smokers packing poorly as well for this reason IMO

settersbrace · Jun 17, 2015

Some tobaccos are simply just a PITA to get going and keep going. Some are worth the extra work, some not so much. Flakes, ropes, Aro's, any or all can sometimes improve with some dry time or some extra prep work (separating stem chunks, etc.) and eventually you'll find a way to get what your after. There are some flakes that I like that can infuriate me but I keep working to improve my prep and packing because they are just sooooo good and worth the aggravation. Ambient humidity can ruin what would normally be a near perfect bowl and I tend to move on to something else rather than try to fight my way through a soggy bowl. As long as I get my early dawn bowl of EMP in, all is right with the world!

mrmotoyoshi · Jun 18, 2015

I always find I tamp less often then I think I should and with less power than I used to. I really wait for the smoke from my puffing to get thin and gently move the ash further down the bowl. I do this to only create a slight oxygen deficiency so that the ember starts smoldering and gasping for air.
Slowly puffing to keep that ember going and not deep draws that will burn up all your fuel (the tobacco)

matchstickman · Jun 18, 2015

Ambient humidity can ruin what would normally be a near perfect bowl and I tend to move on to something else rather than try to fight my way through a soggy bowl

This is the reason that I have to plan some smokes according to season now. In the heart of America, in the summertime, when it is super muggy outside, I can leave tobacco tins in the open for weeks and they are still as moist as the day I bought them. Really moist flakes like Irish Flake, Marlin Flake, and ODF I have to smoke exclusively in the winter when the air is super dry, because in the winter if I leave them out for a few hours they start to get to the consistency that I like them and that is manageable for me.

ckgdrums · Jun 18, 2015

Here is a link on Breath Smoking from the G.L. Pease website...

Maintaining A Good Smoke

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