Any Half-Bowl Smokers?

[cosmicfolklore]

They are hard to find now, but Savinelli Piumas are excellent pipes wuth .6" diameter bowls. Tsuge has a blowfish that is quaint with a .6" bowl also. I really like Hilson's older Dublins. They are .75" at the top but taper down, so if you fill it 3/4ths of the way, you get a perfect small chamber. Peterson has a small calabash shaped bowl at .5", but I can't remember the name of it. It is similar to the pipes that DeCaprio smoked in Django.
I have a couple of Meers that have .5" bowls, but I don't like them. For that small a diameter and something about the stone, it makes for a harsh smoke, IMO.
Keep in mind that a .5" x 1" chamber will smoke just as long as a .8 x 1.6" chambered pipe. The ratios are the exact same. If you want a shorter smoke, you have to find a more shallow bowl, like a .8" x 1" pot shape. Or, a .7" x .9". Just having a more narrow chamber does not shorten the time it takes. It is like cigars, the ring gauge is not as good an indicator of time as the length.
However, a more narrow chamber makes a more subtle tobacco like a Virginia focus the flavors, and allows you more depth of flavor.

 

[bcharles123]

I like half bowls occasionally on a big pipe. I have a few pipes that can easily fit two large flakes and that would be at least three hours for me which I rarely have.
I also like the air packing method on big pipes. It's basically half a bowl but starts at the top half and works it's way down.

 

[hiplainsdrifter]

I enjoy full bodied tobaccos, regardless of the blend style. However, I quickly have my fill. 10 minutes is plenty for me, and I don't really want to smoke more than 20 minutes. In the past, I felt an obligation to try to smoke as much of a bowl as possible, and smoking almost became a chore. So, I don't do that anymore. Now I load about a 3/4 bowl, smoke down to about 1/4 left and dump it. This allows me to get that great flavor bloom that usually happens in the second third, but minimizes the waste. Seems to work for me. As far as pipes, I do like a smaller pipe- not necessarily a more narrow diameter chamber though. Something like a Dunhill size 2 or an Ashton size X seems perfect for me. I like a smaller pipe because they are a lot more comfortable to clench and packable too.

 

[minfarshaw]

I agree with hiplainsdrifter. When I first started I felt bad about throwing away the "heel". Now, I smoke until I don't want it anymore and then toss. Usually I smoke 2/3 of the bowl. I have only experienced "nothing but white ash" once. But even that is pushing it. Let's say I've never smoked to nothing but white ash.

 

[joshb83]

The only time I've ever smoked a half filled pipe is to help build cake. However I realized that smoking the full bowl is just more worth it in that regard as well as it just tastes better and gives you the whole experience, there's nothing at all wrong with only smoking a half bowl. Sometimes you don't have time or you just don't feel like a full bowl. It's your pipe and your time, no one can tell you you're doing it wrong if you enjoy yourself!

 

[brass]

I have pipes with small bowls but elected to pack bowls half-full or so when I wanted shorter smokes. Now, I just fill the pipe I want to the top, smoke what I want, and set it aside when I've had enough. I'll finish it later that day or even the next day, enjoying it when I'm ready. No fuss, no worries.
If I had to do it over, I would have skipped the purchase of small bowled pipes. I recently found a use for them however, when tasting straight tobaccos for blending.
Pax