I think whats more important is figureing out what the draw should be like for the different cuts. Every time you smoke think about what you did and how you liked the outcome was it cool hot sour gurgling etc. I tried every style imaginable but settled in on gravity filling following with grabbing a pinch that i think will fill the bowl and working it in to my desired draw but some cuts i like to take a different approach just keep playing around to you find your grove and enjoy the learning curve its part of the fun
Best tobacco packing method?
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But that leaves out how pressure from packing will vary the draw and how higher moisture will restrict the draw when tamped or packed more than when it's dry. For me, the draw ends up similar for all cuts.
"I found that time was shortened for me significantly by using hygrometers I found on Amazon for $10."
Goodness John, how many hygrometers do you have? Surely just one would suffice?
Regards,
Jay.
Goodness John, how many hygrometers do you have? Surely just one would suffice?
Regards,
Jay.
Not as many as tobaccos or pipes! I started with one, and now have three. One is often in my travel kit, and since I have a half dozen or more jars and bags going at one time, and as it takes several hours for the read out to stabilize, three is about right. A small investment for bliss! :lol:
I prefer the eyeball method if I just rubbed it out. If I'm driving I dig, scoop and use finger pressure.
But then there's a method I use while drinking. It's the DGAF method, pack then light.
But then there's a method I use while drinking. It's the DGAF method, pack then light.
for me the draw ends up similar for all cuts
No problem, and your clarification is appreciated. It's all good!
guys thanks for all the advice! I dried out my tobacco for 30 mins on a paper towel before I smoked it (Peterson Connoisseur's Choice), and packed the same way I had been, it was SO much better! the taste was way better, barely any tongue bite, and it stayed lit way longer too! I'm thinking that it might have been the humidity of the tobacco rather than the packing that was the problem...
jpmcwjr good point I didn't think about the hygrometers...I have a couple of digital meters from my cigar smoking days...is there a suggested RH for pipe tobaccos? I previously was keeping my cigars at a stable 72% using Boveda packs, but from what I understand, pipe tobaccos don't need to humidified right? So the hygrometer would be more to monitor the tobacco until it reached the right 'dryness'?
to be honest I think I've been approaching this new hobby way to 'scientifcially'...i've been reading every article/book that I can, last night after reading your guys' comments I threw some tobacco out to dry, left it a little while and smoked it without thinking too much about it...best smoke i've had! it seems to be getting better every bowlful too!
jpmcwjr good point I didn't think about the hygrometers...I have a couple of digital meters from my cigar smoking days...is there a suggested RH for pipe tobaccos? I previously was keeping my cigars at a stable 72% using Boveda packs, but from what I understand, pipe tobaccos don't need to humidified right? So the hygrometer would be more to monitor the tobacco until it reached the right 'dryness'?
to be honest I think I've been approaching this new hobby way to 'scientifcially'...i've been reading every article/book that I can, last night after reading your guys' comments I threw some tobacco out to dry, left it a little while and smoked it without thinking too much about it...best smoke i've had! it seems to be getting better every bowlful too!
It took me 6-8 months of trial and error to find what works for me. I watched a video of the 'Frank' method online that was a revelation, after trying that I realised that I had been packing too tightly with the 3-step method. The beauty of this is that the tobacco in the center of the bowl does not get compressed as much as with other packing methods, allowing air to be drawn through the tobacco rather than down the sides of the bowl. These days I don't follow the Frank method exactly, but I adhere to the golden rule of never actually sticking my finger into the chamber during the packing process.
"as it takes several hours for the read out to stabilize"
So John, let me get this right. You decide you fancy smoking a bowl, you select your blend and insert your probe but you have to wait several hours for the device to stabilise first before you get the reading that satisfies you?
"A small investment for bliss!"
And a heck of a long wait too :
:
Regards,
Jay.
So John, let me get this right. You decide you fancy smoking a bowl, you select your blend and insert your probe but you have to wait several hours for the device to stabilise first before you get the reading that satisfies you?
"A small investment for bliss!"
And a heck of a long wait too :
:Regards,
Jay.
Uh, Jay, really? :?: 
No, I fancy a bowl of X, Y or Zed, so I open a jar that I know is about right as I checked it three days ago. I rotate the hygrometers only when I think a blend is too moist or too dry. I try to guess what moisture it's carrying and then test it overnight. (that helps me become "learned" faster) I sometimes carry heavy zip locks about (heavy thickness!) and they dry out pretty quickly, esp. when left in the car.
No, I fancy a bowl of X, Y or Zed, so I open a jar that I know is about right as I checked it three days ago. I rotate the hygrometers only when I think a blend is too moist or too dry. I try to guess what moisture it's carrying and then test it overnight. (that helps me become "learned" faster) I sometimes carry heavy zip locks about (heavy thickness!) and they dry out pretty quickly, esp. when left in the car.
Two of the best know American blenders have said they prefer their tobaccos in the 55-65% RH range. I go between 60-70%. Many tobaccos come in at well over 80% RH. And, yes, pipe tobacco can get too dry, but it's easy enough to throw some water soaked bits of terracotta in the jar for a bit.
No rules!!
I always use a digit to load and tamp the pack. If it's dry enough, it's actually difficult to tamp too heavily such that it impacts the draw to any degree.
Jay-
Not a probe, but a little rectangle about the size of a third of a match box. It goes in the jar or bag. I believe a probe will measure moisture content, and is what the big boys use in blending houses. Way too much $ for home use, though if someone finds one under $20, please post!
Hell, they're now about $5. I paid ten a year ago.
Not a probe, but a little rectangle about the size of a third of a match box. It goes in the jar or bag. I believe a probe will measure moisture content, and is what the big boys use in blending houses. Way too much $ for home use, though if someone finds one under $20, please post!
Hell, they're now about $5. I paid ten a year ago.
Aha...I think I now follow you John ::
So the hygrometer goes in the jar.
You say you have three of these. I wonder, side by side do they all give the same readings in any given location?
Thing is, I have several devices with digital thermometers and if sat side by side all give different readings and the variation can be huge!
So how important is accuracy in all of this?
Regards,
Jay.
:So the hygrometer goes in the jar.
You say you have three of these. I wonder, side by side do they all give the same readings in any given location?
Thing is, I have several devices with digital thermometers and if sat side by side all give different readings and the variation can be huge!
So how important is accuracy in all of this?
Regards,
Jay.
For five or ten bucks, no; they vary as much as 5%! So accuracy is at a premium that I don't think I can afford. But I am much closer to the mark than the putz who just goes into it blindly and thinks some big names ship tobacco that's perfect for smoking straight out of the tin. For them, it is perfect, and will be defended to the end as superior to those who pay attention to such things.
What worked best for me was to try all of the methods that I came across online. I tried all levels of moisture also, and when I started to see what worked best for me, I just started using the codger scoop to pack my pipe, but knowing how densely to pack it came from experience in experimenting. I don't even think about how I pack now. I just do it. But, without having played with all of the different methods of packing, I wouldn't have been able to easily use the ol' codger scoop as successfully.
I don't have any special way of packing the bowl. I just try to get it not too right. I think most new smokers spend too much time reading, and not enough time smoking!
With all but flakes, I dodger scoop, press, light, puff.
With flakes, I fold and stuff, light, puff.
I guess I've tried pretty much every way you can pack a pipe. Dodger scoop and pack with finger is quick, easy and works.
With flakes, I fold and stuff, light, puff.
I guess I've tried pretty much every way you can pack a pipe. Dodger scoop and pack with finger is quick, easy and works.
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