Another Random Musing

[Bob the bear]

Title edited for caps! Please read Rule 9 on titles.

Purely a random musing. Is it just me or do other folk get a kick out of a perfectly packed bowl so that it lights on the first light without needing a char light? It’s not so common …but for some reason I smile like a kid in a candy store when it happens.

 

[warren]

What? What about the ritual? Lots of members love the ritual! Load, char, tamp, relight. Without the ritual some would be lost. Gotta have that ritual!

 

[Bob the bear]

What? What about the ritual? Lots of members love the ritual!

Indeed, can not argue with that. But sometimes I get a kick out of little things

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Great... it's the simple things that can bring us the most pleasure, sometimes. I don't ever strive for a char light these days. But, what makes me the most happy is when I am clenching my pipe while doing something else and I don't realize that the pipe has finished until I taste a bit of ash from the bottom of the bowl.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I haven't worried about a charring light for some time now. Light it, press the ember down with my finger, and enjoy the smoke.

 

[Chasing Embers]

when I am clenching my pipe while doing something else and I don't realize that the pipe has finished until I taste a bit of ash from the bottom of the bowl.

That's why I use such large pipes at work. I rarely pay attention to the pipe and I like to have a pipe going for a good long time while I'm occupied with something else.

 

[UB 40]

I like to light and puff it right away, whenever possible.

 

[Egg Shen]

Some blends just don’t need one. I could take satisfaction in that, but chances are I selected that blend because I am not in the mood to light multiple matches or just want something easy to ignite in wind or while driving, so it’s not like it’s some unexpected surprise. Don’t let me steal your joy though…it is the little things after all.

 

[Searock Fan]

Simple pleasures for simple mind.

 

[K.E. Powell]

What? What about the ritual? Lots of members love the ritual! Load, char, tamp, relight. Without the ritual some would be lost. Gotta have that ritual!

This has a Shirley Jackon's "The Lottery" kinda vibe to it.

"Although the forum members had forgotten the ritual and lost the original black tobacco tin, they remembered to use pipe nails."

 

[Bob the bear]

Simple pleasures for simple mind.

Indeed. Small things amuse small minds haha

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

I'm not all that consistent, all sorts of variables, I just take what I get and adapt.

 

[WVOldFart]

That's one of many reasons I like codger blends. Usually I can scoop the tobacco in the pipe, light it and by tamping occasionally won't have to relight. A very simple pleasure but it satisfies me.

 

[TN Jed]

I hate changing out flints and re-gassing butane, so the fewer
lights the better.

 

[ARTOPUT]

What? What about the ritual? Lots of members love the ritual! Load, char, tamp, relight. Without the ritual some would be lost. Gotta have that ritual!

I am just glad there is not a secret handshake to go with the ritual to keep the pipe going.

 

[Bobby Bailey]

I rarely need a char light. And, unless I lay the pipe down too long, rarely need a relight.

 

[bullet08]

Never understood char light. But I'm doing it more often lately. Result is more evenly spread ember on top. But it could be due to only smoking outside.

 

[anotherbob]

oh the char light is essential for me. Though I realized you can do it in more steps and it still works great. I like how you know you got the char right when you can just sorta kiss the flame to the tobacco and the whole top layer seems to light evenly.
Why is the char light important, I don't know the pipe Gods are compassionate yet capricious in their whims.

 

[Searock Fan]

This thread is interesting, if for no other reason, as an outstanding example of how different pipe people are in their approach to smoking. The only iron clad rule is that there are no iron clad rules.

 

[ARTOPUT]

All the talk here about char lighting of a bowl. Takes me back to the reenactment days of mountain man camp. They would have a fire-starting contest with a bird's nest of tender. The guys that always won the contest are the ones that knew how to use char cloth and got the fire going in just a few seconds. I seem to recall the mountain men could put a very small piece of char cloth in their pipes and hit it with the flint and steel and have the pipe up and running. I wonder if it is not where this term char lighting comes from, back before the ease of matches. Makes good sense to me. If you have never heard of char cloth you might want to google it. It goes way back and used to start all kinds of fires. Char cloth - Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Char_cloth