All My Pipes Smoke Hot

[sablebrush52]

Woodsroad makes some very good points. Also keep in mind that tins are constantly slowly leaking and a little extra moisture prolongs viability in the tin. Add to that, water costs less than tobacco and that everything is sold by weight. I've seen a few comments on Daughters and Ryan's tubs being only 6oz or tins being 40g and therefore a ripoff. Mark doesn't believe that buyers should be paying for water instead of tobacco and he packages at the optimum moisture for the most flavor. That gives you an idea regarding how much excess moisture is in the tobacco in other blends.
With every blend that I smoke there has been a learning curve as I've experimented with different packing styles and different moisture levels to find that which offers me the most flavor. And as a general rule I've found that drier tobacco is more flavorful. It's also easier to keep the tobacco smoldering at that "just about to go out" level where the flavors can really come alive.
In my experience, excess moisture masks the flavors. As I wrote above, dry to the touch when squeezed, but still pliant, and certainly not crumbly dry. This is less of an issue with English, Balkan, or Oriental blends. But there is a palpable improvement in the flavors with regard to Virginias and Va/Pers. Ultimately, it's what works for the individual smoker. If you're happy where you're at, no need to explore.
I have a number of thin walled pipes and they all smoke well because I used those pipes to school me in how to smoke a blend while not getting the pipe hot. They have been great instructors in the matter of packing and cadence.
Lastly, there are no medals or ticker tape parades given for smoking a pipe without having to relight. There's no significance, no "proof of mastery" in being able to smoke a bowl to the bottom without a relight. In short, smoking a bowl to the bottom without a relight doesn't matter.

 

[woodsroad]

smoking a bowl to the bottom without a relight doesn't matter.

Nope, it doesn't matter one iota. But they do give out awards for it.

 

[sablebrush52]

Nope, it doesn't matter one iota. But they do give out awards for it.

They do? Damn. I can do that without much of a problem, depending on the blend. Some burn more readily than others.

 

[ashdigger]

They give out awards but I prefer a participation ribbon.

 

[bassbug]

Unless the awards are more tobacco or pipes, I don't have the shelf space....

 

[jpmcwjr]

Everyone gets a plastic participation "trophy", but it's filled with top aged tobaccos!
:puffpipe:

 

[aquadoc]

"Pipes to cigars I liken to fly fishn' vs. bass crank-bait."
I think that says it all perfectly. Back when I had pipes, I never drank beer and smoked my pipes...
It was Scotch or Irish whisky or Coffee and a pipe....cigars were made for a good room temperature Milk Stout or an IPA...

 

[cosmicfolklore]

The only thing that matters for me in smoking a bowl to the bottom without relighting is that I hate blends that require me to constantly fiddle with them while smoking. 90% of the time while I am smoking my pipe, I am either driving or working at my workbench, with my mind and hands busy, so I don't want to constantly keep having to grab a lighter or stir down a flake. I'd rather light my pipe, tamp once, and then an hour or hour-and-a-half latter know that I am done by the lack of smoke. I don't expect a trophy or kudos, but I do mention it in my comments, because there are lots of craftsmen or drivers on here that smoke while their hands and minds are busy, and maybe they'd like a little word or two, instead of just constantly being told that it's ok to relight. Of course it's ok to relight. I still have to do it myself, because I am a mere mortal. But, I do try to avoid relighting, and I empathize for guys who get frustrated with constantly feeling like they are relighting their pipes.
Ha, trophies for smoking to the bottom will be awarded right after the ribbons for drinking an entire bottle of tequila and certificates for winning arguments with your wife.

 

[mawnansmiff]

"Thin walls common occurrence the pipe is more prone to get hot at least this was my experience in recent past. and these pipes weren't nowhere too cheap ones but rather med priced and more."
Paul, I wonder if you experienced that with any of your new Blakemar pipes. I ask because my Blakemar Hungarian smokes very hot due to thin walls and mine was the budget version. I do however see the very same pipe in their higher price ranges (due to better grain) and the physical dimensions are the same meaning that whatever the price range, that particular model smokes hot. Even the company owner smokes one himself and claims it burns hot!
My bent bulldogs from the same company however burn just fine due to being thicker walled ::
Regards,
Jay.

 

[jpmcwjr]

One of my Hungarians has rather thin walls, and it's hotter than a $2.00 pistol. Another one has thick walls and is cooler than the other side of the pillow. Both seem to follow the laws of thermodynamics.

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

Jay; Oh no happy to tell you no issues whatsoever with Blakemar, although ,again this Blakemar of mine has thicker walls

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I usually suggest that new pipe smokers start out with a clay pipe, because once you have mastered keeping that thing cool enough to smoke, you can then smoke any pipe. If you start with a thick walled pipe, you may just continue developing bad habits. Well, bad habits is sort of dogmatic, because it places judgement on an action. But... If you smoke with the tobacco too hot, you are going to have many scorched tongue incidents and you wont be getting nearly as much flavor as the slower smokers. You may blame the whole pipe thing, and move on to cigarettes, dipping, heroine, crack, then you'll be turning tricks in truck stops to just keep alive, and all because you wouldn't listen. Mark my words!!!

 

[jpmcwjr]

There's another benefit to smoking to the bottom or very nearly so: When you're done, the briar is dry. The heat from the ember dissipates the moisture and the heel is no longer soggy. Ready for a pipe-cleaner and time to reload! This would seem to reduce or eliminate the need to rest the pipe for any period. Though resting a pipe regardless of moisture in the heel seems a natural thing.

 

[atjurhs]

"put the damn pipe down" (slow down and enjoy the process) that and "sipping" has been the solution all along, I just had to discover this on my own with the comments y'all provided

 

[foggymountain]

Two strange suggestions which may or may not work: 1)drill holes in the bowl for cooling (smoke over metal pail or giant ashtray; 2) put some antennae on top of the bowl. Heat rises so they will draw the heat up and dissipate it.

 

[toobfreak]

This would seem to reduce or eliminate the need to rest the pipe for any period. Though resting a pipe regardless of moisture in the heel seems a natural thing.

jpmcwjr, I love your comments about dryness and moisture! If only half the people would listen to what you are telling them, you are solving 80% of the problems out there for them! I hereby dub you M.M.M.
Master of Moisture Management. ::

 

[mawnansmiff]

"Master of Moisture Management." :rofl:
Regards,
Jay.

 

[shutterbugg]

The fact is, even if the tobacco has zero moisture, the greatest accumulation of tars occurs in the bottom dregs of the bowl. Now if you happen to like the taste of that burning crud, or simply don't mind getting the concentrated carcinogenic agents from it into yourself, then smoking to the bottom of the bowl is a matter of personal choice which nobody has a right to chide you for. I happen to abhor the taste of it, even from bone-dry tobacco, and wouldn't smoke it any sooner than I'd smoke the filter of a cigarette. That's my personal choice, which again, no one but a boor would stoop to chide me for. To paraphrase Andrew Zimmern, "If it seems good, smoke it!"

 

[toobfreak]

I think it depends on the tobacco. Some will smoke all the way down before I even know it, others will reach a point to where the flavor changes for whatever reason, tar or something for the worse, and I just don't want to smoke it any further.
In my experience, the coolest, driest pipe I've smoked is the gourd calabash. Because you hold it by the gourd, you never really feel much heat from the fire in the bowl. Because the bowl is a fairly simple shape, the meerschaum is less delicate than most carved pipes. Meerschaum has a natural ability to draw out moisture and unlike a regular pipe where the draft hole is off to the side, the calabash pipe has the hole directly on the bottom so the air draw in more even, fewer dead zones (where tobacco resists burning), nowhere for moisture to build up and lay or gurgle, and for whatever reason, more tobacco burns more cleanly to the bottom in these pipes for me than any other I have tried.
Any moisture that does survive the flame gets lost to the gourd which greatly cools the smoke. They are no harder to clean than any other pipe. If you don't have at least one true calabash, I'd suggest getting one while you still can. Good gourds for pipe-making are now almost a thing of the past.

 

[panamacharlie]

Just to be contrary; In my modest collection are two Petersons, one with a thin bowl and one with a thick one. The one with a thin bowl always smokes cool, the one with the thick bowl quickly gets too hot to touch. Go figure.