Couple Of Beginner Questions

[smokyhead18]

Hello! I've been smoking a pipe for about 2 months now , so apologies if i ask already answered or discussed questions on the forum.

I recently got this Lorenzo Garden pipe

The website where i bought it provides little to no information about it. Just that it's called "Lorenzo Garden Red". At the same time, I find it quite odd, since on the pipe itself "Sport" and "Spitfire" is engraved, which makes me wonder if they delivered a "Lorenzo Spirfire Sport" or the one in the image, since both look visually the same.
The one that came in is a bit more expensive than the one i thought i ordered. But who am i to complain about freebies? hehe
Anyways, the pipe itself is 5 inches long and has a 9mm filter. After i searched the internet to inform myself on the pipe, i found close to no information. It just feels incomplete knowing i'm using something i'm not 100% informed about. I was wondering if anyone has more info, regardless of the difference between the two aforementioned models? I would highly appreciate it!
And now for the beginner part.
Are stems usually this small on pipes? Or are there longer stems as well, but are not church wardens? When i first saw the picture from the website i figured it would be much more longer than that.
How fast would the pipe break if i would smoke it, say, once per day?
If i understood correctly, when lighting the pipe, the first few smokes aren't supposed to make the pipe stay lit, but only to make a little ash, after which you must tamp it, so you can re-light again so it stays lit definitely. When i light my pipe, the first smoke usually lasts longer than expected.

Seeing as how my tongue doesn't burn and the pipe doesn't go out after a couple more puffs, i just keep going and then tamp it in the process of puffing.
Am i doing something wrong here? Or is there another proper way i should be aware about regarding the first smokes? I give the tobacco in the bowl a couple of twists before lighting, and also i'm smoking Captain Black regular tobacco if that helps with anything
And lastly, is it normal to get the "sipping coke through a straw" sensation at the beginning of the pipe, and then slowly losing the sensation as more air circulates through the tobacco at the end of it? This made me doubt i had packed correctly, but i wanted to ask just to be sure.
Thank you all in advance!

 

[wasnsfisher]

Pipes come in all diff shapes an sizes. Capt Black not a bad OTC baccy but watch the moisture. Straw feeling on lighting is good packing and as u smoke it will git looser feeling, so don't be shy bout tamping a bit from time to time. You're doin just fine mate, take er cool an enjoy

 

[sablebrush52]

For the first part of your post, there are sites with information about Lorenzo pipes:
https://pipedia.org/wiki/Lorenzo
http://pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-l6.html
Stems vary in length. Most are proportionate to the length of the bowl/shank when it comes to the classic shapes. There are stem lengths between standard and Churchwarden, though it is uncommon to see them. I like designs that favor a longer stem.
A pipe is broken in when you no longer taste heated wood in your smoke. There is no standard length of time for breaking in a pipe. It depends on the wood from which the bowl is fashioned.
Some smokers perform a charring light at the beginning, a few puffs to singe the tobacco across the top, then tamp down the singed tobacco before performing what is called a "true" light. It isn't really necessary to do that. If you're getting a good initial light and enjoying the smoke, you're doing fine.
On the subject of "puffing", most of us puff to get a pipe started. But once it's going we slowly sip the smoke. The pipe stays cooler and the flavors from the tobacco are better.
In any event, welcome to the forum and welcome to pipes!

 

[thesmokindragon]

+1 w/sablebrush52
Not knowing much about Lorenzo pipes I did a few searches online and it looks like the Garden line are stamped "Garden", so if you have a spitfire stamp on the pipe it is the spitfire line.
As for starting out, I found that choosing the right bacci is also key - when I started out choosing some OTC brands ( heavy in moisture and PG ), not having good tech on smoking really made for a horrible experience for me and I strayed away - coming back 20 years later some key factors that helped me truly enjoy being a brother of briar - having good tech on packing and prep, slow smoking speed and finding a premium bacci made all the difference in the world for me IMHO. You have to find what the right balance is for you and above all else have fun and enjoy the experience.
It took me about 6 to 12 months to find my balance. I would get yourself some corn cob pipes so you can let the briar pipe rest a few days after a day of smoking; this is also key to not souring the briar. Having some low-cost cobs will let you build a pipe rotation and also try different blends in different pipes ( size and depth of chambers and material of pipes ) will also give different results, which again is one of the great things about this wonderful hobby - an endless journey, which is what I enjoy most and of course the great company of all the brother and sisters of briar.
So take you time, find your balance and above all else...have fun! ::

 

[scrumpyjack]

I can't say a lot about Lorenzo other than that was my first briar. It is a Spitfire. I love it. One of my best smoking pipes. It was a nonfilter pipe I got at my local Cigar Shop for about $30 bucks. I got lucky with it for sure.
You will get tons of advice on here. I would say experiment with packing until you find what's right for you. Pack a little looser than you think you need to as you start out. You will figure out what works best depending on the tobacco you smoke. Dry the tobacco out more than you think you should, and most importantly, ENJOY. Don't overthink it. The journey is part of the fun.

 

[cortezattic]

Welcome to the forums!

 

[mso489]

You're paying close attention to things and it sounds like you are well on your way to getting it right. After a while, the various points become muscle memory and happen on automatic pilot, and that just comes with time and repetition. A bowl a day is fine; that's about what I smoke. Moderate. My standard advice to new pipe smokers is to buy sample blends in small quantities for about two years, since your taste will change. An ounce in buik, one tin, or a pouch is plenty. Even the blends you like, since your taste will develop. Save what you don't like in a jar, because you may like it later, and it might improve with a little age besides. Study up a little on filters. Many on Forums like unfiltered pipes, or filter pipes used without a filter or with a non-filter adaptor. You may like a filter, but learn the various kinds -- balsa, 6 mm, 9 mm, and stingers on some of the older pipes. Some of these are not strictly filters, but they reside in the stem to smooth, dry out, or improve the smoke. Lots to learn, but it's enjoyable to study, and there's no pressure. Just enjoy.

 

[olkofri]

Yeah, you seem well on your way to pipe heaven. I wish that with only two months I weren't burning my tongue.
I second the advice on cobs. Here, all the cobs you could want.
One question though, when you mention the 'sipping coke through a straw', are you referring to draw resistance or tangy sensation in the tongue?

 

[jpmcwjr]

Sipping=gentle draws. Taste sensation might be tangy with some tobaccos, but it's the force with which you draw he's talking about.