A Question About Tall Bowls, Help Wanted

[gord]

Forum member khiddy and I had an exchange in my new Falcon post, and I've taken the liberty of cutting and pasting our dialogue there. I'm sure that there are forum members who've overcome this problem. Your help and suggestions would be most welcome.

I've been eyeing a 50mm chimney bowl for my falcons, anyone have one that can give a report of how they smoke? I'm looking at it particularly for flakes (e.g., PS Luxury Navy Flake, PS Luxury Twist Flake, Sutliff 507C VA Slices, GH Louisiana Flake, etc.).

Excellent question.

I have many questions about similar bowls. I don't have a chimney, but I do have three very tall Dublins in various pipe configurations, and I'm a bit flummoxed by smoking them. I relight them MUCH more than other stlyles - there is a LOT of ash that forms at the top, and it eventually interferes with the draw after a certain amount of tamping. Then the pipe usually goes out. The "cherry" needs oxygen to burn, and all of this ash detritus at the top clogs the bowl, at least in my experience. And type of tobacco doesn't seem to matter - the cherry needs to be fed.

I've had relief by GENTLY turning the pipes over and letting the white ash fall out of the pipe as often as it needs to. It's one solution - even my little Ropp J05 displays this anomely. Once the bowl has attained standard dimension within, then it behaves like a normal pipe.

I'm sure there are smokers out there that can answer our questions - and later on this afternoon I'll start a thread about it. There might be answers within this thread, but it's not going to reach all of the smokers who can help us.

Stay tuned and thanks for your reply.

 

[The Libertine]

Larger chambers burn just as well as smaller ones if you slow down. Some tobaccos need a relight here and there due to moisture level.

 

[gord]

Larger chambers burn just as well as smaller ones if you slow down. Some tobaccos need a relight here and there due to moisture level.

I've not found that. With the little Ropp, I can get a full hour of smoking. I can't go slower than that. I have to dump the ash. (see picture of pipe). I've got a tall dublin in my Falcon set as well, and same thing. At this point, I'm not capable of smoking slower than that. Not yet anyway. I can keep the standard bowls in my larger pipes over 80 minutes now and do as a matter of course.

I've had the best luck in the little Ropp with Black Frigate, and I've dedicated that pipe to this tobacco.

​

 

[gord]

I would also add, though, that as you smoke the tall bowls, I'll try again.

I'm actually referring to dimensions - the bowls I have are much taller in comparison with their width. We'll see what happens. That's why I posted this thread.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Pack lighter. If the pack becomes too tight from smoking or tamping, smack the open end of the chamber against your palm to loosen it.

 

[The Libertine]

Pack lighter. If the pack becomes too tight from smoking or tamping, smack the open end of the chamber against your palm to loosen it.

View attachment 340812

I like that zippo

 

[georged]

This past Saturday evening I smoked a .95" X 2.75" chamber from top to bottom without a single re-light. Not one.

The key is tobacco prep and packing exactly so... Create a uniform 3D matrix of air and burnable fuel snaggle-bits.

 

[khiddy]

I do occasionally invert my pipe bowl to remove the accumulated ash when/after I tamp. (I do not do this with my Peterson system pipes until *after* I have swabbed out the well, that's a mistake you only make a few times before the lesson is hardwired in your brain!) So I don't expect that to be much of an issue for me with a chimney.

I'm wanting to learn about the purported advantages of chimney pipes versus more proportional pipes. I've heard that the taller/narrower bowls are great for straight virginia flakes (and perhaps flakes in general?). Thinking about blends like Luxury Navy Flake, Luxury Twist Flake, Sutlif 507C VA flake. I usually rub these flakes out, but I'm up for new methods if there's an advantage to be had in flavor or smoking performance.

 

[The Libertine]

This past Saturday evening I smoked a .95" X 2.75" chamber from top to bottom without a single re-light. Not one.

The key is tobacco prep and packing exactly so... Create a uniform 3D matrix of air and burnable fuel snaggle-bits.

Now that is a nice sized chamber. Get a few hours out of that don't you?

 

[georged]

Now that is a nice sized chamber. Get a few hours out of that don't you?

That's why I started down the Esserman Road. Wanting to be at cruising altitude for as long as possible.

Also, two normal sized bowls meant going through the prep and fill thing twice, as well as having double the cleanup.

So, since my circumstances allowed it---extended reading or movie time isn't an issue---I "went there".

Glad I did. Really big bowls actually taste better, too. (Each puff has been marinating in a still air chamber filled with warm, unburned tobacco)

The additional burning time is not proportional, however---double the volume only gets you a 50-60% increase in smoke duration. From about 90-100 minutes for a Group 6, to 150-160 minutes for an Esserman-class chamber.

 

[Sig]

I am currently smoking my tallest pipe, which isn't necessarily very tall. This also happens to be my favorite pipe I own. It's a cheap basket pipe stamped "Excelsior", "Imported Briar
Italy"
I really do not see any difference in smoking quality, but it definitely is a great smoker and very tasty and dry....hence why it's my favorite.
I do not believe its the shape that makes this one great, it's the wood, the stem material (Vulcanite) and the button shape....and it smokes tasty and dry 100% of the time. I do prefer large bowled pipes generally.

 

[gord]

Pack lighter. If the pack becomes too tight from smoking or tamping, smack the open end of the chamber against your palm to loosen it.

View attachment 340812

I just smoked the little Ropp and followed your directions. I packed very lightly to the top, compressed it lightly about 2/3 the way to the top with my little finger, filled it again lightly just enought that there was a space just below the top of the bowl, and had a great smoke that lasted just over 40 minutes. Given that I doubt that I even used 2/3 of the tobacco I usually use (and I thought I was packing lightly ) I was extremely happy. There was a minimum of hassle, and as I get used to doing a much lighter pack it'll also save on treasured Frigate stock, stretching it further. The pipe, as I've said before, loves BF and this solves the problem for me for my little Ropp.

Oh yeah, I did that hand smacking thing on the chamber, and it worked too!!

Thanks, Cap!

 

[gord]

I do occasionally invert my pipe bowl to remove the accumulated ash when/after I tamp. (I do not do this with my Peterson system pipes until *after* I have swabbed out the well, that's a mistake you only make a few times before the lesson is hardwired in your brain!) So I don't expect that to be much of an issue for me with a chimney.

I'm wanting to learn about the purported advantages of chimney pipes versus more proportional pipes. I've heard that the taller/narrower bowls are great for straight virginia flakes (and perhaps flakes in general?). Thinking about blends like Luxury Navy Flake, Luxury Twist Flake, Sutlif 507C VA flake. I usually rub these flakes out, but I'm up for new methods if there's an advantage to be had in flavor or smoking performance.

I'm in a phase now where I'm really trying to get to know my pipe and tobacco combinations. As a result, I'm tending to smoke certain pipes with certain tobaccos. Fit's into what you said above. The learning curve is always there, eh?

 

[The Libertine]

From about 90-100 minutes for a Group 6, to 150-160 minutes for an Esserman-class chamber.

Lost me here. What are these groups and classes?

 

[Chasing Embers]

Thanks, Cap!

Very welcome.

 

[georged]

Lost me here. What are these groups and classes?

Group size is a Dunhill standard that's often applied to describe other brands of pipes.

Rich Esserman is an American collector who is famous for his love of giant pipes (.95" x 2.75" chamber size being what he considers ideal)

 

[Chasing Embers]

I'm wanting to learn about the purported advantages of chimney pipes versus more proportional pipes.

Other than duration of smoking, I've not been able to discern any difference between the smoking properties of one pipe versus another.

 

[Egg Shen]

I have one of the really tall cobs. My lessons learned include: Smoke shag, or lighter fare. If you don’t, prepare for relights. This is where the hemp twine excels. You can reach down in there with it and light specific spots. Tallboys clench poorly too. I can’t recommend tall pipes, but they look good tucked into the chest of my overalls.

 

[georged]

PS ---

For anyone interested, this is the pipe I referred to above:

Spectacular Doug Finlay XL Bamboo Belge :: Pipe Talk

Doug is getting scary good at this pipe making thing... From a dead start six years ago to designing several "never seen before" shapes, and world-class execution. I am very difficult to impress. 7" long, 66 grams, chamber size .98" x 2.45"

pipesmagazine.com

PPS --- Turns out my rememberer sparked... the chamber is .98" x 2.50", not .95" x 2.75"

 

[bullet08]

Just have to manage the ash more. I used to put out the ember with a layer of ash. Occasionally just tilt the bowl and dump the ash out. Don't compress the ash too much. Thing is, it's all related to how you like your smoke. I really don't mind fidgeting with my pipe when I'm smoking. And occasional minute adjustment can give cleaner, refreshing smoke.