A Couple Tricks I Have Learned Over the Years

[cigrmaster]

These are a couple of things that have worked well for me over the years, maybe they will work for you. Many people like to use their tamper, sometimes to much sometimes not enough. I generally do not tamp that often, when I feel like my pipe is going out, I will cover the bowl with 2 fingers, blocking off most of the air and take a few short puffs reigniting my tobacco. I have found this very useful while driving and I don't want to reach for a tamper and it also keeps me from tamping too often packing the bowl too much.
Another thing I do is ash anytime the pipe goes out. I don't tamp down a load of ash and then try to relight, first off it makes relighting difficult and second I don't want to taste ash. Before I relight, I will take my tamper,loosen the ash that has been tamped down, tip the bowl and gently get rid of the ash making sure I am not losing any tobacco. I will then tamp lightly and fire it up. I have found that I get a much tastier smoke all the way to the bottom using this method. Give these a shot and see if they work for you.

 

[brdavidson]

Thanks for the info, I tried smoking on the way home the other day but it was just too difficult of a juggling affair with the tamper and the lighting etc! I needed 4 hands to do everything, not very relaxing. I'm going to try this on the way home tomorrow, didn't bring my pipe today

 

[numbersix]

Thanks Harris. Appreciate it - good tips, especially the ash one. I will have to try that next time.

 

[scottishjohn]

Hello Cigrmaster,

Those are great tips you gave that I would not have thought of putting on this forum.

Why you say? I have been doing just those things for so many of my pipe smoking days, I tend to take them for granted as being "self evident". They do work well when one has a smoke in the car occassionaly. Thanks for thinking of them as something worth sharing.

 

[baronsamedi]

I do the 2 finger thing, too. I only ash if I have to relight at the bottom of a larger bowl. Definitely helps in that case.

 

[profpar]

Thanks cigar master, that makes a lot of sense. I am going to try that.

 

[cortezattic]

It's great to learn that others have "discovered" the very things that I do too, while nursing a bowl to the bottom.

I guess that's part of the "catching-on" to the art of smoking that we refer to when we're trying to reassure newbies.

 

[shawn]

I've benn doing this for a few years 'I will cover the bowl with 2 fingers, blocking off most of the air and take a few short puffs reigniting my tobacco.' It work great for me.

 

[cigrmaster]

You are more than welcome guys. I hope it adds to your enjoyment. The two finger thing has been in my arsenal since the early 70's for another type of pipe. When I first began smoking a pipe in 2000, my fingers automatically went to work without me even thinking about it. I actually should have mentioned this earlier, but it kind of just came to me when I caught myself doing it yesterday. I am what you would call a lazy smoker, I don't like reaching for a tamper, I abhor using a pipe cleaner to soak up moisture,( which is why I love my American artisan pipes, they never need one) anything that makes me take my pipe out of my mouth is disturbing to me. lol
Another trick I have learned is in packing a pipe. After I cube cut my flakes, I will fill the bowl to the top and then lightly press it down, making sure I also pack it in around the sides. Then I will fill it again and do the same thing, on the next one I will fill it and then really add pressure forcing the tobacco in tightly. I will check the draw and it is usually fine. Then I will put more in and really stand on it, I mean balls to the wall pressure and then check the draw. In almost every case the draw is perfect and the pipe burns freaking great. There is like a large airway on the bottom but lots of packed in flake in the top half to third of the bowl. I can put a whole flake of say Dunhill Flake or F&T Cut Virginia plug in a smaller group 5 bowl or a group 4. I can get a good 1.25-1.5 hour smoke off one of those flakes. Give it a try sometime and see if you notice a difference.

 

[matchstickman]

I have actually had mixed results with the two fingers blocking the airway technique, I wonder if Im doing something wrong with that. I am the first to admit that I tend to tamp more than I should and it something I should work on. Something I want to ask about cigrmaster is that instead of tipping out the ash, whenever I get a layer of complete ash in the bowl, I take the pick end of my tamper and break off the ash and "stir" it around a little bit which settles the ash between the tobacco and makes lighting the rest of the bowl a little easier. Do you think this works just as well or should I go ahead and tip when I relight? I usually light the bowl enough times to get every bit of tobacco in the current layer evenly lit and get a nice even ash, at which point Ill poke with the tamper and then start the process over again, and I usually do this about three to four times per bowl depending on how big the bowl is.

 

[cigrmaster]

Pipe Novelist, I take the pick end of my tamper, stir the white ash, tip it and dump it in the ashtray, then I take the pick end and get the unsmoked tobacco around the sides into the middle of the bowl and then tamp it down evenly. I hate the taste of ash and get rid of it as soon as I get some. I think it makes my tobacco taste better and it smokes better with all the ash gone. Give it a try and see if you notice a difference.
In regards to the two finger method, just mess around with it and you will get a feel for it. You may be blocking it too much or too little, it is a feel thing. You may have to spread your two fingers just a tad to let a little air in while you are doing it.

 

[allan]

One has to say that cigarmaster has this pipe smoking thing down to a science...LOL
Public thanks to Harris for helping me furthur explore this great all consuming hobby.
Allan

 

[brdavidson]

My plan was to try the two finger trick on the way home in the car today, but I left my pipe case on the kitchen table :crying: But I'll second the thanks cigarmaster, I've learned a lot from your posts and I feel like I'm really starting to get the hang of things and really enjoy my pipes. I have to agree with you too Allan, this thing is all consuming at the beginning! I'm supposed to be working right now.....good thing I'm the boss!