Chronic wet smoker

[HammerandPipe]

Hey folks, need a little guidance. I keep ending up with wet dottle and a wet heel in my briars, and sometimes a bit of wet dottle in my cobs. I’m trying to figure out if I’m missing something in my process or if this is just a “me” problem.

Here’s what I’m doing: I dry my tobacco until it’s got that paper-shuffle sound when you pinch or stir it. I gravity-feed to the rim, give it a light press, light up, and I really try to sip instead of puff. I also avoid messing with the bowl because I’ve over-tamped in the past. I do run a pipe cleaner whenever I hear a gurgle or when the draw starts feeling heavy.

My suspicion is that I just produce more saliva than average, and that’s turning into moisture, which leads to relights, which turns into more moisture, and so on. It could also be the way I’m packing because I’m not getting that thin trail of smoke between sips. By the end of the bowl I’m left with about half a pinch of wet leaf and a wet bottom.

Before I start experimenting, I’m curious what you all think. Should I be drying the tobacco even more? Changing my packing method? Trying filters or balsa inserts?

Briars are mostly 6mm Savinellis

 

[seanv]

My advice would be to start with one area of experimentation. Start simple, maybe try packing a bit tighter for a few smokes then try drying out the tobacco a bit more. After a few more smokes, introduce a balsa filter if you feel it is necessary but I suspect you will find improvement by adjusting the pack and dryness.

When relighting, try being a bit less aggressive. If you're not already focusing on drawing the heat not the flame into the chamber, try that technique out for a bit.

To test the saliva theory try holding your pipe and no clenching for a few smokes.

 

[fireground_piper]

I use 6mm balsa filters in all of my pipes except my birth year dunhills which don’t take them.

I’m a fan of them. I don’t even bother keeping pipe cleaners handy when using them.

 

[proteus]

I have a theory. When tobacco burns smoke is released. When something leaves something else has to enter to preserve equilibrium. If the pipe stem is near saliva it will draw it in. I would try a p-lip pipe which places the hole on top or try a regular pipe stem but keep it elevated away from saliva.

 

[BigR]

Does it happen with all your pipes?

 

[Sigmund]

Try some meer chips or keystones. In the least it will keep the tobacco off the chamber floor and dry. If the tobacco is still wet you know its not from you as a source.

 

[HammerandPipe]

Does it happen with all your pipes?

Mainly with briars. Cob bottoms dont get wet just dottle.

 

[Smokeybandit]

Hey folks, need a little guidance. I keep ending up with wet dottle and a wet heel in my briars, and sometimes a bit of wet dottle in my cobs. I’m trying to figure out if I’m missing something in my process or if this is just a “me” problem.

Here’s what I’m doing: I dry my tobacco until it’s got that paper-shuffle sound when you pinch or stir it. I gravity-feed to the rim, give it a light press, light up, and I really try to sip instead of puff. I also avoid messing with the bowl because I’ve over-tamped in the past. I do run a pipe cleaner whenever I hear a gurgle or when the draw starts feeling heavy.

My suspicion is that I just produce more saliva than average, and that’s turning into moisture, which leads to relights, which turns into more moisture, and so on. It could also be the way I’m packing because I’m not getting that thin trail of smoke between sips. By the end of the bowl I’m left with about half a pinch of wet leaf and a wet bottom.

Before I start experimenting, I’m curious what you all think. Should I be drying the tobacco even more? Changing my packing method? Trying filters or balsa inserts?

Briars are mostly 6mm Savinellis

If you’re anything like me, it’s the saliva, I drool a bit with any of the tobaccos I’ve tried.

I purchased a bent and full bent pipe and that seems to help, I just tilt the bowl up and the stem acts like an inverted trap.

 

[Smokeybandit]

My advice would be to start with one area of experimentation. Start simple, maybe try packing a bit tighter for a few smokes then try drying out the tobacco a bit more. After a few more smokes, introduce a balsa filter if you feel it is necessary but I suspect you will find improvement by adjusting the pack and dryness.

When relighting, try being a bit less aggressive. If you're not already focusing on drawing the heat not the flame into the chamber, try that technique out for a bit.

To test the saliva theory try holding your pipe and no clenching for a few smokes.

I tested the saliva theory, filling the bowl with drool

 

[abecox]

I feel your pain I too have similar issues. I'd say balsa filters are a good step but also try packing a bit tighter as someone above said and slow down on the puffing cadence. Then when you think you've slowed down enough slow down some more. You might relight more but once you get the idea you'll like how it all comes together.

 

[mortonbriar]

Try smoking from your hand rather than clenching. Even if you are sipping instead of puffing, you can still smoke too hot from sipping too frequently.

Also your pipe can't fill with drool if it is mostly held in the hand.

This practice is also good training for sipping less when you do clench.

 

[anotherbob]

sorry if someone else asked? But how much moisture and how much dottle. A tiny bit is totally normal. Half way down the chamber being too wet to smoke is super extreme. So I guess what levels are we talking. It might just be totally normal.

 

[spearheadbill]

I can’t say for certain but I believe it’s more an issue with experience. For awhile after I first began smoking pipes regularly I always ended up with a lot of dottle in the bottom of my pipes. To the point where I was saving it to dry and smoke later! I only tried that once but it’s a fact I’m embarrassed to admit. But now some years later I never have that issue and I never dry any tobacco. My personal opinion is that drying tobacco excessively is a shortsighted resolution that doesn’t really help very much. Now I can’t explain exactly how I got to the point where I can stuff my pipes with FVF and have an enjoyable experience with an average number of relights and minimal moisture but here I am. My advice would be to just continue smoking your pipes and dump the thing out when it becomes too wet and start fresh. I believe eventually that you will progress to a dry pipe smoker.

 

[anotherbob]

By the end of the bowl I’m left with about half a pinch of wet leaf and a wet bottom.

That's the goal. That's a quite decent amount of dottle. Seriously there are people who have smoked for years who wish they could get that instead of the more they end up with. In fact I've been called a liar for saying I have around that much left after a smoke.

 

[blametony]

All good suggestions above. Some of the basics are, handhold instead of clench, run a pipe cleaner through during a smoke to keep stem dry, straight instead of bent stem. You could also experiment with meerschaum granulate.

 

[40 Years A Noob]

I'm also a wet smoker; relatively infrequent smoking contributes to the problem. Driest "practical" pipe in my collection: Falcon International, straight stem, Medico filter, pipe cleaner O-ring in the humidrome. Not for everyone and no doubt just a band-aid fix for my poor technique, but solved the problem.

 

[anotherbob]

I can’t say for certain but I believe it’s more an issue with experience. For awhile after I first began smoking pipes regularly I always ended up with a lot of dottle in the bottom of my pipes. To the point where I was saving it to dry and smoke later! I only tried that once but it’s a fact I’m embarrassed to admit. But now some years later I never have that issue and I never dry any tobacco. My personal opinion is that drying tobacco excessively is a shortsighted resolution that doesn’t really help very much. Now I can’t explain exactly how I got to the point where I can stuff my pipes with FVF and have an enjoyable experience with an average number of relights and minimal moisture but here I am. My advice would be to just continue smoking your pipes and dump the thing out when it becomes too wet and start fresh. I believe eventually that you will progress to a dry pipe smoker.

truth in the whole just keep at it and it should get better. A lot of my biggest tricks came from experience and not from anyone telling me what to do. Just noticing when a smoke is better or just getting to a point where I don't have to think about how I do things and just do them.

 

[anotherbob]

I'm also a wet smoker; relatively infrequent smoking contributes to the problem. Driest "practical" pipe in my collection: Falcon International, straight stem, Medico filter, pipe cleaner O-ring in the humidrome. Not for everyone and no doubt just a band-aid fix for my poor technique, but solved the problem.

Add a meer or meerlined bowl to that and you'll get the driest smoke possible. In fact it might just be dust.

 

[Smokeybandit]

I find the straights to be worse and have better luck with the bent.

I’ve had this issue as long as I can remember, from playing the sax and constantly having to drain (maybe a pipe bit with a spit drain ) and smoking cigarettes and having the same problem getting the butt wet.

So far the bent pipes are working for me.

 

[40 Years A Noob]

Add a meer or meerlined bowl to that and you'll get the driest smoke possible. In fact it might just be dust.

I wish I could find a new, decent-sized, meer-lined briar bowl for a Falcon.