Pipes Magazine » General Pipe Smoking Discussion

1. 

   dirksoccer
   

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   Hello,
   Brand new pipe smoker and i've really been enjoying it so far. I've got this one issue though. Seems like every bowl starts pretty well, but throughout the taste kind of fades in and out, if that makes sense. The smoke starts at what i would call a medium intensity, but then fluctuates between really weak and airy, and really nice and rich throughout the bowl. So i have a few questions
   -Is this a problem with the pack? I have been trying to do the three step method, but i could definitely be doing it wrong.
   -could i be lighting it wrong? how heavily/thoroughly should the bowl be lit? (1-10 scale, 1 being just light coal in the center, 10 being glowing coal to the edge)
   -could i be tamping it wrong? (tamping to lightly/firmly, or maybe to frequently/sparingly throughout the bowl)

   I am smoking a few different aromatics from a local tobacconist in a macqueen wizard churchwarden (medium/small bowl size) if that makes a difference.

   Thanks for the help!

   Posted 3 months ago #
2. 

   pawpaw
   

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   hello dirk there are some great helps here on site look on the main page
   and there is a saying that keeps popping up
   "pack it looser than ya think ya need to
   smoke it slower that ya think ya need to
   and tamp it lighter than ya think ya need to"
   it all about pratice
   Happy puffin and welcome the Pipe Mag forum

   Posted 3 months ago #
3. 

   tokerpipes
   

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   Aeros can tend to be verry moist. Try letting it dry some first. Also its good to try a looser pack and then tamp it down . Remember the looser the pack the faster I and hotter it burns. If you want a slower smoke pack it tighter. When you draw it should be a little tighter than sucking on a straw. Also the more you tamp it the more you may taste the ash rather than the tobacco. Smoking a pipe is a little different for each person. It takes practice to know when to tamp, how tight to pack, how moist it can be for smoking.

   If you can't pack it, light it, and smoke it then why do it. It's a dieing art that must be rekindled in all of us as fortold by our forefathers.
   
   Words to live by for all pipe smokers.

   Posted 3 months ago #
4. 

   baronsamedi
   

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   Here are some useful links that helped me! I typically use the Harry Method but that may nor may not work for a MacQueen warden.

   http://pipesmagazine.com/python/pipe-smoking/tobacco-pipe-packing-methods/

   http://pipesmagazine.com/python/pipe-smoking/tobacco-pipe-packing-methods-part-2-videos/

   http://pipesmagazine.com/python/pipe-smoking/pipe-smoking-tips/

   BTW, I'm not a badass, I'm just socially awkward. – BillyZoom

   Posted 3 months ago #
5. 

   dirksoccer
   

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   thanks a ton for the replies! I was making what now seems like a super rookie mistake in thinking a tighter pack would somehow "concentrate" the smoke, if that makes sense. Next time i get to enjoy a bowl i'll remember the saying thanks again, all of you!

   Posted 3 months ago #
6. 

   OTD
   

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   there is a saying that keeps popping up

   And it really is some of the best wisdom!

   From John Patton (tiltjlp)

   Dry your tobacco more than you think you need to.
   Pack it looser than you think you need to.
   Smoke it slower than you think you need to.
   Tamp it less , and more lightly, than you think you need to.
   Clean your pipes after every smoke, using pipe spirits of some sort.
   Don’t worry if you have a few relights

   Snus, snuff and briar.
   Not much more required in a day.
   Brian from Oregon USA

   Posted 3 months ago #
7. 

   Philip
   

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   Welcome to the forum, dirksoccer.

   You've got some good advice here. But it's a little like riding a bicycle. We could all describe the process to you, but you just have to do it till you get the feel for it. It gets easier as you learn what works for you.

   Enjoy the learning process. It goes on and on...

   Posted 3 months ago #
8. 

   Pipe Novelist
   

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   Mr dubinthedam, who graces us with his presence on this fine forum, has a wildly popular youtube channel, and he made a video talking about this very thing. I found it very helpful, and I hope you will too.

   [+] Embed the video | Video Download

   Get the Video Player

   Text-Link:
   HTML-Link:
   BB-Code:
   Embed:

   

   Posted 3 months ago #
9. 

   lordofthepiperings
   

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   I think the biggest thing in maintaining the bowl is to remember to tamp periodically. Probably every five or so minutes usually if you're smoking slowly. After a while you'll learn the feel of when the tobacco requires tamping. Also I think a major thing is more so checking the draw before lighting up. That's the easiest way to tell if your packing is too tight. If it is too tight you'll be sucking air in like a Dyson vaccuum cleaner instead of sipping it through the stem like a straw in an ice cold root beer (or other favourite beverage of choice). Since you mentioned you're smoking aromatics it's also better to learn to sip on the pipe, because that greatly cuts down on the tonge bite/leather tongue. Tastes can fade especially with aromatics. If you're more interested in aromatics it's a good idea to give some of Mac Baren's 7 Seas line a try or some of Peterson's Limited Edition blends a try. Those deliver a taste a lot closer to the tin note more consistently than most aromatics I've had. Like mentioned before it's like riding a bike. The only way to learn and get enjoyment from it is to jump and do it. Enjoy.

   Posted 3 months ago #
10. 

    simnettpratt
    

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    Wow pipering, that was beautiful dude; superbly put. Way to go.

    Posted 3 months ago #
11. 

    tiltjlp
    

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    And it really is some of the best wisdom!

    From John Patton (tiltjlp)

    Dry your tobacco more than you think you need to.
    Pack it looser than you think you need to.
    Smoke it slower than you think you need to.
    Tamp it less , and more lightly, than you think you need to.
    Clean your pipes after every smoke, using pipe spirits of some sort.
    Don’t worry if you have a few relights

    Actually, while I did and do post that information, it's what my dad taught me back in 1959. I still use it, and still have never had tongue bite or a sour pipe.

    John : The CobFather : Have Cobs, Will Smoke
    
    

    Posted 3 months ago #
12. 

    zanthal
    

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    I like to spend a little time "rubbing out" a bowl of tobacco before I pack it.

    "Under all speech that is good for anything, there lies a silence that is better. Silence is deep as eternity; speech is shallow as time."
    
    Thomas Carlyle

    Posted 3 months ago #
13. 

    nsfisher
    

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    read all the answers here that u can mate. try as many methods as possible. ask as many questions as u can,eventually, and with much practice, you will find what works best for u, diff baccy's = diff packing, diff puffin, diff flavours etc. after awhile, it'll become instinct an u wont even think about it. you will just do it . enjoy and welcome aboard!!!

    Now i gotta larn how to reed and rite good

    Posted 3 months ago #

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