Beginners issues

[essexhudson]

Hi all, I was looking for a pipe for a long time, and recently my wife brought me one whilst she was on holiday. Obviously I was excited to use it and I’ve done loads of research watching many YouTube videos and reading up on how to pack, light smoke and clean the pipe. So last night I tried for the first time and I’ve been left really disappointed. No matter how tight I try to pack the pipe it seems so airy. And I really have to inhale hard to get any success at all from the pipe and it still goes out instantly. My wife admittedly has said it was very cheap, it’s a bent pipe with made from what I think is patterned plastic with a metal bowl inserted with 3 holes at the bottom. Would you say this pipe is more a display not ideal for smoking pipe? The stem twists and turns extremely easily and pulls out with only very slight pressure also.

I have ordered a basic cob pipe I’m waiting to come through incase this pipe is the problem.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance

 

[jaytex1969]

Hello and welcome to the forum.
A photo or two would help, but, to my limited experience, that does sound like a subpar smoking device.
It would do you well to spend ten bucks on a Missouri Meerschaum cob or $70 on a Savinelli or Stanwell briar pipe to make sure you have something proper to smoke.
Even if the one you have is a usable item, you'll likely need or want a second pipe for rotation.
My pipes always seem "airy" to me, also. This could be leading you to pack too tightly. It's a perception issue. If your pipe has 3 holes in the bottom, that's probably part of it (depending on size) Most have a single draft hole.
To be honest, my first pipe was a POS, so don't be discouraged. You're on the right track!

EDIT: I see your cob is already on the way. No coffee yet...

 

[workman]

Pipe smoking seems very difficult to begin with. I guess your plastic pipe is not a good pipe. You will have better luck with your cob, but you will still have difficulties.

My nr 1 issue is moisture. Dry your tobacco until it is crispy or almost crispy. You will find out what you prefer.
Nr 2 is to smoke really slowly, hardly puffing.
Everything else, packing, gurgling, relights, soggy bottom etc is secondary to the above.

 

[mikethompson]

Essexhudson, firstly welcome to the forum.
You might want to post some pics of your pipe. It sounds vaguely like a William Demuth pipe I have, with a bakelite bowl and three draw holes at the bottom. It is possible that your pipe is for display only though. The cob should be better suited for your needs.
Workman has already mentioned this, but it bears repeating.
Dry your tobacco- I Don't have any blends that are ready to go out of the tin. Drying your leaf takes a lot of frustration out of keeping it lit and avoiding tounge bite.
Pack loosely- I use the three pinch method, and then a twist at the end. People will do different methods. If it is packed too tightly, you won't be able to draw, to loosely and it won't stay lit. You want to be in that goldilocks area.
Take your time- it is not a race to finish your bowl. Sip from the mouthpiece and let your bowl shoulder. This is called cadence, and is something I still struggle with.
Enjoy your journey!

 

[carolinachurchwarden]

I'm no expert on the matter, but I have visited enough B&M's that sold "pipe tobacco" according to their window advertisements only to be let down time and time again. They sometimes sell these pipes that look a little like a briar, but it also looks like plastic with a metal bowl insert. Me thinks these are meant more for green leaf, not brown, necessarily. That's just my opinion when I hear that it has the insert and three holes.
I think the three holes are indeed throwing you off, as pipe tobaccos is usually a little coarser in the bowl, which might be adding to the loose draw no matter how tightly you pack it. Try this with it before giving up on it. Fill in 3 lifts. Gravity fill to the brim, and gently tamp it in there with the pressure you'd use to shake a baby's hand. Next, fill again to the brim, and tamp it down with the pressure you'd use to shake a lady's hand, then one last time to the top, tamping with the pressure as if you're shaking a man's hand. Then light and puff slowly, making sure you get the entire top evenly lit. If you still have issues, I'd say it's not the best for at least smoking the tobacco you have on hand. Then I'd just sit back and wait for that cob. You should know pretty quickly if there's a difference, and my guess is, there will be a big difference.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Pics invaluable!
Once your photos are on a photo hosting site (such as Imgur.com; Postimage; Dropbox, etc. Photobucket), or on virtually any site, (including this site's album) such as eBay, Amazon, you-name-it, select the full sized image, then Control-click (Mac) or Right-click (Windows) on the image itself, then choose "copy image location" or similar words. Now paste that URL (the full web address, which should end in .jpg or .png) into the IMG box in the reply window of the thread you're posting to.
The site's album is also a good choice for displaying photos, and the same method works for obtaining the image's URL for copying into the IMG box.

 

[essexhudson]

Thanks for all the information and help so far. Hopefully a couple of pictures will show ok below. Apologies about the size or quality of them as I’m using my phone to pose.

 

[essexhudson]

 

[jpmcwjr]

 

[jpmcwjr]

 

[jpmcwjr]

Well, I'd ditch that one quicker than a fox. I dislike metal bowls, and the large three holer looks a menace.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

When it comes to musical instruments, most beginners waste their money on cheap GSO’s (guitar shaped objects) that cannot be tuned nor played for one reason or another because of the poor design. In pipes, we have a bunch of PSO’s out there (pipe shaped objects) that fall into the same catagory of poorly designed to the point of not being able to be used at all. Anything sold at a real pipe shop like Pipes and Cigars or Smokingpipes.com will be leaps and bounds easier to smoke with.

 

[olkofri]

Display piece. Or maybe it was designed by the antis to discourage people from smoking by frustrating the heck out of them and roasting their tongues? :?
Try with your cob.
Good advice has already been provided above. I'll just add that aromatics you don't want them bone dry, as that'll take away some of the flavour. Also, very dry tobacco burns very fast, and this might cause tongue burn. Relights will not be uncommon, especially for us beginners. Until you get the arts of packing and tamping down, you will have to relight a number of times, so don't worry too much about it.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Overly dry tobacco burns fast, yes. But burn rate can be adjusted by more aggressive tamping and smaller sips.

 

[mso489]

It was kind of your wife to buy you a pipe, since she knew you wanted one, but this isn't a good one for all of the reasons mentioned in the posts. Don't try to learn with this one. The only reason to keep it is as a gift, not for smoking. A few possibilities for inexpensive pipes that work: the aforementioned Missouri Meerschaum cobs, and I prefer those sold with acrylic stems. They can cost a little more, about $24, but are relatively easy to smoke and durable. Dr. Grabow pipes run about $25 to $40; they come with filters but you can smoke without the filters, with them, or get an adaptor. Welcome aboard and good luck.

 

[bnichols23]

Howdy & welcome, Essex! Glad to see you! Excellent advice already all around, so I won't go into tedious detail. In sum to kerp it brief, miket hit the nail on the head. Pay attention all the other old dudes too, but I 1,2,3 fashion that's the core!

 

[olkofri]

Funny that you mention it, MSO. I need a few more briars and was wondering if this Dr Grabow would be up to snuff. I am one of those who tend to gauge quality by price.

 

[jaytex1969]

That's a nice looking Grabow.
Don't worry, Essex. Duane will be along soon to show you how to turn your first pipe into a bonsai planter..

 

[essexhudson]

As I suspected that pipe was the problem. On the way home from work I popped to a tobacconist and purchased a fairly cheap wooden pipe. Not branded or anything special but it works! Successfully had my first bowl last night absolutely loved it. It took a few re lights especially down towards the bottom of the bowl so I think my packing needs some work but I’m now thouroughly enjoying smoking a pipe. Thanks for the help everyone.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Duane will be along soon to show you how to turn your first pipe into a bonsai planter..

?
That's not a Dunhill.