A little bit burned
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Thanks, Scloyd. I'm happy it is working for you. I will use matches occasionally, sometimes a Zippo, most times a Bic Lighter. I'm not dogmatic about it. Also, Sablebrush mentions a great tip about coating the rim with a little spit, and cleaning it afterwards with spit on a paper towel. I also notice that when building cake, the tar-y cake that first forms wants to follow the heat up the chamber, and I have to wipe the tars off the rim also. Or, on some pipes, I just don't worry about it, and let it get dirty till time for a deep cleaning.
Also, learn to smoke as slow as possible. Let the smoke play around in your mouth, sip don't puff. The longer and slower you smoke, the more flavors come out and nicotine you absorb into the small blood vessels of your mouth and sinuses. There are a lots of posts and videos on here about breath smoking. Check them out. Going slow gives you more out of your experience, and cakes your pipes faster, and doesn't waste the smoke or experience.
But, above all else, never take mine, nor anyone elses word as rule or law. It's all about how your enjoy the experience. We aren't all carbon copies, and many of us enjoy different aspects of pipe smoking more or less than the rest. Find what you enjoy, and just have a pleasurable experience.
Happy smokes...
Also, learn to smoke as slow as possible. Let the smoke play around in your mouth, sip don't puff. The longer and slower you smoke, the more flavors come out and nicotine you absorb into the small blood vessels of your mouth and sinuses. There are a lots of posts and videos on here about breath smoking. Check them out. Going slow gives you more out of your experience, and cakes your pipes faster, and doesn't waste the smoke or experience.
But, above all else, never take mine, nor anyone elses word as rule or law. It's all about how your enjoy the experience. We aren't all carbon copies, and many of us enjoy different aspects of pipe smoking more or less than the rest. Find what you enjoy, and just have a pleasurable experience.
Happy smokes...
Russ, of Home and Hearth has revealed that the casing for the cavendish process of LTF is coconut, and I think maybe either toasted coconut or there is some caramel in there too. But, it is not a straight Virginia flake. Either way, the tobacco is mysterious and very flavorful, and everyone around me usually enjoys the aroma.
Nice pipe. You'll find many fellow LOTR fans on here also.
Nice pipe. You'll find many fellow LOTR fans on here also.
Readix, you are well on your way to becoming a seasoned pipe smoker and member of the community. You are asking questions and taking it to heart, but most of all, taking some good natured ribbing. We all started out once. There are no bad questions!
Heat source: anything can be used regardless of the BTUs it puts out. Holding the heat source further from the tobacco and/or for a shorter period does the trick. You really want to ignite the tobacco at as low a temperature you can manage. The flame needn't touch the tobacco at all; it's the super heated air off the tip that does the trick.
With every smoked bowl comes another question. Sure there are many answers for this but you guys are so nice. And I don't want to make another topic for it. When I pack my pipe with tobacco I light it up, smoke as slow as I can relight it a couple of times if necessary but at the end of the bowl it doesn't really want to stay lit. So I'm thinking that there's no tobacco left and I empty the pipe. But in the bottom of the bowl there's always quite a lot of tobacco left. From what I've read I know it's not easy to smoke the whole bowl. So what do you do with the rest of the tobacco if this happens? Can I pack the rest of the unburned tobacco and smoke it or should I just get rid of it? I feel kind of sorry for the unburned tobacco. :D
The unburned tobacco at the bottom is called dottle. There is always some left for me, sometimes more sometimes less. Usually it is quite moist and won't light. I just tap it out and discard it.
that's half the battle right there!
Thank you! I think it was so much tobacco just because of the way I tried to pack it. I just folded the flake and packed it somehow. I'll try to rub it next time! Also when the pipe is not yet broken in should I gently clean the bowl after each smoke or just let the tiny amount of carbon to sit there?
I have limited experience with flakes, but whether it be flake or ribbon there is almost always dottle at the bottom of the bowl.
As for wiping, I have always used unscented baby wipes on my Meerschaum pipe (Meerschaum is a different material than briar, but that is for a different thread). For my briars I have started doing the same. I don't want a thick layer of cake (the carbon on the walls of the bowl) as I would then need to scrape it all down eventually. I prefer to wipe every time as a maintainence thing.
As for wiping, I have always used unscented baby wipes on my Meerschaum pipe (Meerschaum is a different material than briar, but that is for a different thread). For my briars I have started doing the same. I don't want a thick layer of cake (the carbon on the walls of the bowl) as I would then need to scrape it all down eventually. I prefer to wipe every time as a maintainence thing.
I have heard it suggested to use unscented baby wipes. And, I can see whereas unscented probably doesn't leave behind any odors.
But... I have used mountains of boxes of those things in raising my children, and the solvent in those things is very strong. I also used them to get dried paint off of my hands, acrylic and oil paint. It also beats any industrial soaps in getting car grease and grime off of your hands. It cuts it like butter, whereas Goop or Lava requires much scrubbing.
Now, I am not crying wolf here. I am not going to be like the anti-microwave people. You are not a barbarian of the baby wipes. ha ha. But, does it concern any of you baby wipe users to leave behind such a strong solvent inside the combustion chamber of you pipe? Just curious... :
:
But... I have used mountains of boxes of those things in raising my children, and the solvent in those things is very strong. I also used them to get dried paint off of my hands, acrylic and oil paint. It also beats any industrial soaps in getting car grease and grime off of your hands. It cuts it like butter, whereas Goop or Lava requires much scrubbing.
Now, I am not crying wolf here. I am not going to be like the anti-microwave people. You are not a barbarian of the baby wipes. ha ha. But, does it concern any of you baby wipe users to leave behind such a strong solvent inside the combustion chamber of you pipe? Just curious... :
:
Some cake in a briar is desirable. It protects the wood and improves flavor. It takes only a thin layer to be of benefit, however.
RE: Dottle. If your tobacco won't light towards the end of the bowl, you could dry it more before packing. Or: If it's not soggy, you can leave the unburned leaves and put fresh on top of it. Or you can scrape it out, dry it, and smoke it another day. (Sherlock Holmes did so.).
First off, hiya, readix, welcome from upstate SC; VERY glad to have you here! 
] is usually the rule here, especially amongst people who've developed devilish relationships with each other. The Brothers of the Black Frigate are especially *especially* bad about that. }
The statement following will cover nearly all technique scenarios: Some people will tell you AAAAA about [packing, lighting, puffing, charring-light, cleaning, cake, etc., etc.], & equally as many will tell you ZZZZZ. Nearly EVERY position here will have advocates for/against on both sides of it. Just about the only first-best-rule is to experiment & find what works best for *you*, & go with that. Me, I fall on the butane, some-cake, pipe-cleaners-till-they-come-out-clean, no-need-to-wash/paper-towel/baby-wipe-after-every-bowl, school of thought. And I guarantee there are at least 5 people who will tell you the exact opposite.
So basically, "take your best hold" & go from there. And NEVER worry about asking too many questions. Like Mike said, we were all noobs once. NOW, if you need a list of whose advice to trust implicitly, here's a very short list, just a couple:
Warren, jpmcwjr, mso489, sablebrush54, chasing embers, jaytex, anthonyrosenthal, Cosmic, craiginthecorn, crashthegrey, scloyd, npod, olkofri, fishnbanjo, pipestud, hoosierpipeguy, carolinachurchwarden, mikethompson, paul, workman, bnichols23...... [gasp wheeze choke choke choke]
There are a whole bunch of others, but I didn't want to hit you with overkill. -evyl grin- again, welcome!!
Bill
Normally my reaction to that would be to put some snark on my good pal Mike, just on General Principles. However in this case I won't, since what he says is 100% troo trufe about 99.9%+ of the membership here. Serious joshing [Yes, I did say that.
] is usually the rule here, especially amongst people who've developed devilish relationships with each other. The Brothers of the Black Frigate are especially *especially* bad about that. } The statement following will cover nearly all technique scenarios: Some people will tell you AAAAA about [packing, lighting, puffing, charring-light, cleaning, cake, etc., etc.], & equally as many will tell you ZZZZZ. Nearly EVERY position here will have advocates for/against on both sides of it. Just about the only first-best-rule is to experiment & find what works best for *you*, & go with that.
Me, I fall on the butane, some-cake, pipe-cleaners-till-they-come-out-clean, no-need-to-wash/paper-towel/baby-wipe-after-every-bowl, school of thought. And I guarantee there are at least 5 people who will tell you the exact opposite.So basically, "take your best hold" & go from there. And NEVER worry about asking too many questions. Like Mike said, we were all noobs once. NOW, if you need a list of whose advice to trust implicitly, here's a very short list, just a couple:
Warren, jpmcwjr, mso489, sablebrush54, chasing embers, jaytex, anthonyrosenthal, Cosmic, craiginthecorn, crashthegrey, scloyd, npod, olkofri, fishnbanjo, pipestud, hoosierpipeguy, carolinachurchwarden, mikethompson, paul, workman, bnichols23...... [gasp wheeze choke choke choke]
There are a whole bunch of others, but I didn't want to hit you with overkill. -evyl grin- again, welcome!!
Bill
BTW, as an example of the above guidance,
If the dottle seems too much & not too soggy/stinky, you can certainly scrape/dump it out & leave it to dry & mix with other dottles later if you want, or if you prefer to keep the tobaccos pure bowl to bowl, you can just trash it & consider it as we do, an offering to the pipe gods. Relatedly, if you don't have time to smoke a full bowl & don't want to waste (or if you get interrupted halfway down), yes, you can certainly just tamp & leave it to fire up again later. Unlike cigars, it won't go yuck if it's relit in a reasonable amount of time.
If the dottle seems too much & not too soggy/stinky, you can certainly scrape/dump it out & leave it to dry & mix with other dottles later if you want, or if you prefer to keep the tobaccos pure bowl to bowl, you can just trash it & consider it as we do, an offering to the pipe gods. Relatedly, if you don't have time to smoke a full bowl & don't want to waste (or if you get interrupted halfway down), yes, you can certainly just tamp & leave it to fire up again later. Unlike cigars, it won't go yuck if it's relit in a reasonable amount of time.
Welcome to the forum and to pipe smoking.
About the only kind of flame to avoid is a hard blue flame, like that which is delivered by a torch lighter. That kind of flame will damage the chamber walls by burning them and turning them into charred, cracked charcoal. I've seen a few pipes that were so abused by their slobbering idiot owners. Fortunately, the silicate content in briar wood helps make it more fire resistant than many other types of wood. So careful use of a soft flame from a match, BIC, Zippo shouldn't cause any structural damage. Just try not to directly touch the wood with your flame. The rim wood is going to darken over time, but that's different from outright charring. I also wet the rim with a bit o spit before applying flame. Helps avoid singeing the rim. Also, a bit of spit on a rag, applied to the rim, keeps it clean.
Don't worry about the last little bit of tobacco, the dottle. Most of us just toss it, but if you want, you can save it and smoke it. Some folks do that, just collecting the dottle from their various bowls in a jar and eventually smoking it. I've been told it's quite a nicotine bomb. Wouldn't know as I've never tried it myself. I just toss the last little bit.
Some people stuff and fold flakes, "z" fold, others cube cut them or just rub out the flake. I've done the stuff and fold thing and it's not for me. The tobacco is still too wet for me to get the best flavor out of it. I have done stuff and fold where I've left the flake loaded in the chamber for a day or two, allowing the tobacco to dry to a better moisture level, and that's been better, but who wants to wait that long? So I either cube cut or rub out flakes.
I get the best, most detailed flavors from what I like to smoke when the tobacco is well dried, which I am wont to describe as dry to the touch when squeezed. That means that I don't feel moisture or dampness in the tobacco when I squeeze it, but it is still pliant and just on the edge of going crispy.
With an airway situated like the one in your photograph, I recommend taking a little extra care to keep the opening clean. I have a couple of pipes that were drilled this way. They smoke fine, but the airway does seem to be a little more susceptible to getting clogged. So a moment of attention after a smoke easily removes that problem.
About the only kind of flame to avoid is a hard blue flame, like that which is delivered by a torch lighter. That kind of flame will damage the chamber walls by burning them and turning them into charred, cracked charcoal. I've seen a few pipes that were so abused by their slobbering idiot owners. Fortunately, the silicate content in briar wood helps make it more fire resistant than many other types of wood. So careful use of a soft flame from a match, BIC, Zippo shouldn't cause any structural damage. Just try not to directly touch the wood with your flame. The rim wood is going to darken over time, but that's different from outright charring. I also wet the rim with a bit o spit before applying flame. Helps avoid singeing the rim. Also, a bit of spit on a rag, applied to the rim, keeps it clean.
Don't worry about the last little bit of tobacco, the dottle. Most of us just toss it, but if you want, you can save it and smoke it. Some folks do that, just collecting the dottle from their various bowls in a jar and eventually smoking it. I've been told it's quite a nicotine bomb. Wouldn't know as I've never tried it myself. I just toss the last little bit.
Some people stuff and fold flakes, "z" fold, others cube cut them or just rub out the flake. I've done the stuff and fold thing and it's not for me. The tobacco is still too wet for me to get the best flavor out of it. I have done stuff and fold where I've left the flake loaded in the chamber for a day or two, allowing the tobacco to dry to a better moisture level, and that's been better, but who wants to wait that long? So I either cube cut or rub out flakes.
I get the best, most detailed flavors from what I like to smoke when the tobacco is well dried, which I am wont to describe as dry to the touch when squeezed. That means that I don't feel moisture or dampness in the tobacco when I squeeze it, but it is still pliant and just on the edge of going crispy.
With an airway situated like the one in your photograph, I recommend taking a little extra care to keep the opening clean. I have a couple of pipes that were drilled this way. They smoke fine, but the airway does seem to be a little more susceptible to getting clogged. So a moment of attention after a smoke easily removes that problem.
Thank you for welcoming me and for the advices! I clean the pipe properly after each smoke and trying not to burn the rim. I'm experiencing a tongue bite every time I relight the tobacco, though. Gonna try Capstan blue today. I used to be a non-smoker so I have to take it easy.
Let your tobacco air dry for 30 minutes to an hour before packing. You'll get more flavor and less steam.
Drizzle the tobacco into the bowl and them tamp down lightly, add a little more if needed. You should be able to draw through the tobacco like it's not even there.
Puff to light up the tobacco, moving your flame round the top of the tobacco so that it all gets charred. Let it go out and lightly tamp the charred tobacco to form a charred layer over the top. Relight, puffing to get the tobacco lit all around the top. Then just sip, like you're sipping scotch, slow and light.
The combination of dried tobacco, a light pack, and slow sipping should help avoid, or at least diminish, tongue bite.
Don't worry about the pipe going out. If it does, just relight, and keep a slow sipping cadence, like a sip every 10 seconds more or less. See if that works for you.
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