Aromatics - Tight pack vs. Loose pack?

[mephistopheles]

Hello all,
First: Assume that regardless of how tight or loose you pack that you are going to get a very good or even perfect draw.
Now, do you think it's better or worse in the case of aromatics to pack tighter or looser? Do you personally notice a difference in flavor?

 

[texmexpipe]

I can say that I prefer a lighter pack. I think the flavor comes when it draws more freely and I don't feel inclined to pull hard. Thus I'm much less likely to burn an aromatic to quickly. In most cases find that I loose flavor of a quality aromatic when this happens.

 

[phil67]

Tight pack... in anyone's pipe except mine.

 

[dottiewarden]

There is no simple answer to this question. In general I gravity fill or scoop and press to load my pipes. I have also experimented with tighter and looser packing and looser packing offers more control of the burn characteristics as you can lightly tamp throughout the smoke to keep the embers in contact with the unburned leaf below. I also tend to smoke tobacco dry, but when it comes to aros they tend to be wetter, and often lose flavor if over dried: some never seem to dry out! After fiddling with my Obester Vanilla, a fairly fine cut ribbon, I found I could pack it a little tighter with no ill efects, but with the Mac Baren Cbe Silver, it is rather coarse cut and definitely prefers to be packed loose.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I pack aros and non aros alike. As long as the tobacco has around the same firmness of a sponge cake, I'm good to go. I do tend to smoke aros fairyly dry though.

 

[freakiefrog]

I find that it has less to do with how I pack and more to do with how I "sip". Some lend themselves to longer draws while I find that some like shorter rhythmic puffs. I find that with aro's how I pack will have an impact on how much moisture is trapped in the bowl. A looser pack seems to let the moisture dissipate more so than a tighter pack like I might do on a flake or cake style tobacco. Just some different things to try and see if they work for you.

 

[puffdoggie]

I pack on the loose side. Gravity feed on the bottom half, fill to brim, then gently push down so the top is 1/8 to 1/4 inch below the rim. Works for me but your results may vary. It can also vary by the dampness of your blend but this method seems to work well with whatever I put in my bowl. Happy puffin',
Dave ::

 

[cobguy]

Tight pack is preferred.
If the pack is a little loose that's one thing, but once it starts

getting "aromatic" I just walk away! :wink: