Best No Nonsense Way to Pack and Break in a Pipe

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Mr. Biggles

Lurker
Apr 15, 2025
23
28
Other then the three layer method, what would be the best no nonsense way to pack a pipe?

I also have a new pipe on the way and was curious if anyone new a good no nonsense way to break it in?
 
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PaulRVA

The Gentleman From Richmond
Don’t think about it is the best way 😜
Pack it loosely, press it down and repeat until filling 3/4 of the bowl.
Smoke that new pipe however you please and try what ever tobacco you want to smoke but let it cool down between smokes.
There’s going to be some trial and error but that’s part of the process.
It will all come together pretty quickly.
 

Briarcutter

Lifer
Aug 17, 2023
1,324
7,356
U.S.A.
Fill it loosely,pack it,repeat if necessary, draw on it,if you like the draw then light it up. If it's too tight, empty it and start over till you get "your" draw. Sometimes if it seems tight or restricted a pipe cleaner fixes it, if not start over. To me the most frustrating thing is too tight a draw. If on my unlit draw I think it's too tight or restricted I start over, I won't suffer with a tight draw. IMO, a tight draw is the most common culprit in a bad smoke with those just starting out.
 

ofafeather

Lifer
Apr 26, 2020
2,975
9,380
52
Where NY, CT & MA meet
To me the most frustrating thing is too tight a draw. If on my unlit draw I think it's too tight or restricted I start over, I won't suffer with a tight draw. IMO, a tight draw is the most common culprit in a bad smoke with those just starting out.
^^This^^ You can always adjust a draw that’s too open but a draw that’s too tight can be very difficult to correct during a smoke.
 

Briarcutter

Lifer
Aug 17, 2023
1,324
7,356
U.S.A.
^^This^^ You can always adjust a draw that’s too open but a draw that’s too tight can be very difficult to correct during a smoke.
^^^^This is exactly how I feel. But then I thought how does a beginner know what the right draw is? I didn't till I figured it out to my own preference. This may help. When my pipe is lit if I hold the chamber about six inches away from my mouth and gently blow on the lit bowl smoke streams out of the mouthpiece. Gently! So gently it would not extinguish a candle. That's my preference, YMMV
 
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telescopes

Pipe Dreamer and Star Gazer
One is probably okay just loading it up and smoking. Sure - why not.

However, it has been my experience that smoking it in thirds creates a nice break in that has never failed me yet. I've discussed smoking in strong winds and the dangers I have found doing so as it can ruin a pipe. In all three instances (over 40 years) the pipes that suffered burnout (3 out of 100s) were the pipes I ignored breaking in with a method. Keep in mind, smoking in gale force winds is not advisable. Unfortunately, there was a time in my life where it was either that or not smoke at all. Those days have long passed and now pipes seem to break in without any issues at all. But those experiences taught me that there is something to the myth, at least in extreme situations. Of course, I concede that these have only been my experiences in my part of the multiverse.

By the way, I concur with those above who encouraged you to use some of the over the counter burley blends. They do seem to cake up fast.
 

ofafeather

Lifer
Apr 26, 2020
2,975
9,380
52
Where NY, CT & MA meet
This is exactly how I feel. But then I thought how does a beginner know what the right draw is? I didn't till I figured it out to my own preference.
My impression from his posts in other threads is that OP has some experience pipe smoking but has not had a new pipe.

When my pipe is lit if I hold the chamber about six inches away from my mouth and gently blow on the lit bowl smoke streams out of the mouthpiece. Gently! So gently it would not extinguish a candle.
I like that description.
 
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Jan 28, 2018
14,960
178,617
68
Sarasota, FL
I've broken in hundreds of pipes. I've come to realize there's no reason to pack a new pipe any differently than one with a thousand bowls smoked in it. If there is a flaw in the briar, I'd rather find out during the first ten smokes than somewhere down the road when it would be much more difficult to get the provider to honor their warranty.
 

sardonicus87

Lifer
Jun 28, 2022
1,667
15,517
38
Lower Alabama
I've never done anything special to break-in a pipe, and honestly, I don't think they really need any special process.

If you smoke it right, you don't need cake to prevent it burning out, and they're all going to taste off in different ways until they are broken in, and it takes just as long to break-in filling and smoking like normal as it does to do some random method. I find they get carbonized pretty evenly right from the jump, except for the very bottom where the moisture from smoking collects.

The only exception to this for me is if there's stain inside the bowl, then I clean that out as best I can with alcohol before smoking it the first time.