How Long Should a Bowl Last?

[cshubhra]

You have got the cadence perfect ?
I do think as long as you are enjoying- nothing else matters

 

[Richmond B. Funkenhouser]

Always longer than I expected.

 

[cigrmaster]

If I take a full size flake like a Rotary Navy Cut and put it in a group 5 pipe, it will normally smoke for 1.5 to 2 hours. I am a firm believer that a nice hard cake will make a pipe smoke cooler and more flavorful especially if you are dedicating in genres or specific blends. I break in every pipe I own the same way.
I fill it to the top, smoke it to the bottom and always use some type of Va,Vaper or Vabur flake or plug. This builds a nice hard cake after a dozen or so bowls and after each bowl I take a couple of soft pipe cleaners and wipe the bowl of loose tobacco and ash the next day. I have found letting the cake cool over night hardens it nicely.

 

[workman]

A bowl of Fribourg & Treyer's Golden Mixture, dry and loosely packed, would last me 30-45 minutes, if I remember correctly.
Anything else I have ever smoked will last for an hour at the very least. Most often 1.5-2.5 hours.

 

[lraisch]

I'm too am surprised by the number of folks here who report 30 to 45 minute smokes and advocate not having a cake. I can only tell you my experience in 50 plus years of pipe smoking. I generally get 1.5 to 2 hours per bowl and have always found that a good cake improves the enjoyment of my pipes. I try and keep the cake to about the thickness of a dime and most importantly assure that there is an even cake all the way to the heel of the bowl. For me, only a few tobaccos benefit from much drying and as long as the tobacco doesn't stick together I'm fine with it. I will let a pipe go out if I have to and as long as it doesn't sit too long a relight is fine. Some tobaccos are not as forgiving though and may be harsh and ashy afterwards.

Do what works for you and remember that pipe smoking rewards patience.

 

[mothernaturewilleatusallforbreakfast]

Anywhere from 15 minutes to 2 hours and 15 minutes.

 

[weezell]

Till it's done...

 

[hawky454]

I’d say get a squat Bulldog or a Prince, however, I can get pretty long smokes in those pipes as well. Part of what I enjoy about pipe smoking is the length of time a pipe lasts, get a lot of bang for your buck that way. But yeah, as others have said just let it go out and come back to it later.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Well, how long can a half-smoked bowl go without being smoked again before causing the second session to taste bad? Twenty-four hours?

Weeks. But not if the tobacco is damp.

 

[Admiral Byrd]

I think the pack and your smoking technique dictates how long a bowl lasts. I pack differently depending on the style of tobacco. If you have to re-light alot or puff hard and fast then the bowl goes down faster. If you sip and have a comfortable pace. It seems like the average 3/4 pipe load will last around an hour...That's what I have found. But, each smoking style differs so, results may vary.

 

[mso489]

Stop and start at will and don't worry about it. Pipe smoking should be a time when you are as oblivious to the time as any other time of day. If you have a little dividend smoke later or the next day, that's good too. Save the self management and supervision for other activities.

 

[sandollars]

Always longer than I expected.

That's what she said....

 

[Epip Oc'Cabot]

A cigar is best smoked in one sitting. It changes for the worse if it is relit. A pipe does not have this problem. There is no significant change if you let the pipe sit for an hour or day, or longer before you relight.

I would tend to say that for me a pipe that sits for a few hours or a day *does* change (become different in smoke texture and flavor).... but it is NOT a negative. The differences for me are as pleasant (and occasionally more pleasant) as the original start of a bowl. I tend to find the variations allow me to more fully experience what a blend has to offer.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I don't see what the problem is. If you finish, you have to talk to people, or worse socialize with the family, or get back to work... what's the rush? Slow down, smoke for a few hours, then maybe just set there for a few hours afterwards to think about it. Otherise... people again... Ugg.

Yeh, cake is a lie. Some people like it, and I have no idea why. I keep my pipes rinsed out, but eventually, you have to cut the cake back anyways. It happens regardless. I wouldn't fret over it. It's like being excited about having to do your first oil change on your car.

I have no qualms about stopping, putting the pipe down, and then fire it back up... whenever... sometimes, I'll find a pipe behind something half smoked, no idea how long it's been setting there, and my only thought is... "Let's see if I can guess what this blend is." And, fire it up.

 

[lawdawg]

I rarely have a pipe last more than an hour. No idea how you guys can keep em going for 2 hours, unless half the time is spent with your pipe having gone out just waiting for a relight

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I rarely have a pipe last more than an hour. No idea how you guys can keep em going for 2 hours,

See, and I tend to spend too much time wondering how you guys smoke so fast without burning your fingers. Ha!

 

[BROBS]

I rarely have a pipe last more than an hour. No idea how you guys can keep em going for 2 hours, unless half the time is spent with your pipe having gone out just waiting for a relight

Same here. I’d say 45 min average. But I dry my tobacco a lot.

and this is usually with 1 to zero relights.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Yes to the above. I'd love to see a guy make an average bowl last 2 hours. Then I'd believe.

 

[lawdawg]

One caveat here is that I don’t really time my smokes. I puff burley in a cob like a fiend, but right now I’m sipping some GLP Union Square in the standard ideal Virgina flake pipe (tall and narrow). As you all know, a VA flake hates to be pushed. Started ten minutes ago, and gonna see if I can smoke it slllloowwww like you gentlemen of leisure

 

[lawdawg]

One caveat here is that I don’t really time my smokes. I puff burley in a cob like a fiend, but right now I’m sipping some GLP Union Square in the standard ideal Virgina flake pipe (tall and narrow). As you all know, a VA flake hates to be pushed. Started ten minutes ago, and gonna see if I can smoke it slllloowwww like you gentlemen of leisure

And an hour and 15 minutes later, the bowl is done. This one was packed just a little too loose - lost a little flavor towards the end and burned a little too quick after the halfway point. Still, it was a sweet grassy / hay-on-the-meadow smoke. Just for curiosity, I’m gonna see how long I can get a bowl of Virginia to last. I sense there is something to be gained here.