Different Packing Methods and Different Tobaccos

[wolfe64]

That's a good article stanlaurel.

I had a decent smoke with my cob last night with the filter in. It was not the easy draw as with the filter out, just a bit of resistance. The pipe smoked cooler than without the filter too.

This was with some Captain Black Gold.

I am taking a couple of days off from the pipe, smoked too much on the weekend for a noob (trying different things) and my mouth can feel it.
Mark

 

[warren]

Pouch: Insert bowel and scoop, tamp with finger and scoop, repeat until bowl is full, check the draw and light.

Tin: Stuff a bit of blend and tamp with finger, add a bit more, tamp and so on until bowl is full, check the draw and light.
I make no changes for different cuts. Ropes, coins and slices all get rubbed out to a satisfactory, to me, consistency.
I twist my finger a bit while tamping to "nest" the leaf.
Keep at it and you'll soon find the "rhythm" then, you'll get it right most every time.

 

[okiescout]

Took up breath smoking years ago which greatly cools, and slows the burn time. I can pick out all of the flavors that way. Any resistance in my pipes, and they burn too hot.
Chasing, I am very interested in hearing your instructions on this. Not trying to put you on the spot, just really interested in learning about this technique.
It took me a long time to realize I was actually packing my pipes too much.
I am comfortable with my packing and cadence but always interested in learning something new.

 

[wolfe64]

Lots of good information being exchanged here, thank you gentlemen :clap:

I just watched a YouTube video on the breath smoking technique, something I will have to try.
Mark

 

[wolfe64]

Corn leader, I apologize for not answering you earlier, but I started out with a cob.
Mark

 

[wolfe64]

Another thing about packing and draw is that no matter how I packed each pipe, I get a draw with very little to no resistance.

The only time a had a bit of resistance was the time I reinstalled the filter in my cob.

To me getting any resistance would mean having to pack the tobacco in there with a jack hammer.

Maybe I'll try to pack a bit tighter next time and see what happens.
Mark

 

[cornleader]

This thread has inspired me. I tried the Frank method on a few bowls over the past few days, ribbon cut only, and the smoke was absolutely amazing. I had slight resistance on the draw. I haven't tried it using flakes yet. I will have to try using this method on some Samuel Gawith Balkan Flake as the cube method didn't fancy me with this tobacco.

 

[matchstickman]

I always use the 3 step method and make sure when I check the draw at the end it feels like I am sipping a milk shake through a straw. I want to have some real good resistance and would rather it be too tight than too loose. I can always run a pipe cleaner through the stem to loosen it up.

There was a time when I would have written this off as nonsense, but smoking for a long time with a tongue that was scorched as all hell has taught me otherwise. I recall a certain piece of advice from someone on the forums many months ago (I wish I could give credit but I don't remember who it was that posted this); Run a pipe cleaner down the stem of your pipe until you can see it in the draft hole. Pack your pipe properly; not too tightly, not too loosely, and once it is packed, pull the pipe cleaner out of the pipe. This will ensure that you get the pack that you need to maintain a good burn rate, but the pipe cleaner will also make sure that the draft hole remains open so that you can get good airflow through the pipe while you're smoking. The pipe cleaner is to make sure that no errant pieces of tobacco wind up in the draft hole so that your airflow provides you with a good, dry, clean smoke. Try that and let us know if you have any success with it, but it seems to work well for me.

 

[wolfe64]

Thanks Pipe Novelist, I will have to try that and report back.

I did have a good smoke tonight with the Apples and Cream and my cob.

I let the tobacco dry for 45 minutes and used the 3 step method.

I had a flavourful smoke for the top 2/3 of a bowl and tasteless for the rest.

I did pack the 2nd and 3rd step real tight.

I am going to try it again tomorrow but sticking the pipe cleaner in first and packing the first step pretty tight and see how that works with the apples and cream.

So what I did taste of that tobacco was very good to me.

So let's see if I can get a full bowl of taste tomorrow !!!
Edit: I forgot to mention that I doubled a pipe cleaner and used it as a filter.

I am finding that this method of using a filter is really working out better for me. I have now done this in my cob and Dr Grabow bent briar and have had better smokes with a filter in place.
Mark

 

[fightintexasaggie]

Today I tried the Frank for the first time. Just some McC "Just plain nut" and an old willard briar. I was sure I didn't doit quite right, but WOW - must have! It burned for 45 minutes with no relights. Good luck with your experimenting!

 

[perdurabo]

I guess I use the Frank Three step. Is that a Dance. Lol. I gravity fill to the top, baby bear, Gravity fill to the top, momma bear, Gravity fill to the top, papa bear. Works great all the time every time. I used the Frank method briefly but found that I packed the pipe to tight, burning hot and losing flavor.

 

[wolfe64]

I found and tried another method of filling my pipe today called the "Bob Method".

It is the Frank Method minus the initial step so it leaves an air gap in the bottom of the bowl.

It worked really well for me. I did it in my cob and then later on in my Bulldog with Captain Black Gold.

Both times I got a decent smoke with no fuzzy mouth afterwards, which is a first for me.

Before I never really wanted a second smoke in the same day because my mouth tasted bad and was all fuzzy inside but that wasn't the case today.
Experiment, experiment, experiment........................
Mark

 

[greyfoxactual]

Saw the Frank version on YouTube and it reminded me of watching Uncle Jim when I was younger prepare his pipe. I don't know that I follow it exactly, but Uncle Jim would use his pipe to scoop from his pouch, lightly tap the side of the pipe a few times to remove the excess, which also lightly packs the bottom. He (and I) would repeat this process until the bowl was full.
I then grab a pinch from the pouch and place that pile lightly on top of the "full" chamber and lightly hold it with a finger. I pull any huge amount of stray off the side of the pile and begin the slow circle packing method with my thumbs a la Frank method.
It does not matter what type of tobacco I'm smoking*, it always lights and smokes well as long as I take my time smoking it.
*Drying out tobacco to the right point is the tricky part for me.

 

[brownpeter335]

Nice topic! This is really different. Thanks for sharing.

 

[maxx]

I feed the bowl pinch by pinch, gently pushing the tobacco into it till it's full, then press lightly to seat it. This way, there are no layers, as you get with the three step loading. It's sort of a modified swirl, as far as density of tobacco in the bowl. This works the best for me. I have no idea what the Frank method is, so I don't know if I've tried that.

 

[saltedplug]

For a long time I couldn't shake the idea that the best pack put the most tobacco in the bowl; beset with problems by over-packing, I thought about what I'd read and what made sense to me and have been using the following method for perhaps six months, with improvement. To me improvement means never having to dump the bowl and start over and significantly less need to insert a clear through the stem once the pipe is lit. I should also say that the draw I favor is more open than closed.
I gravity fill and tap the bowl as necessary so that the bowl is not untowardly empty. You can see too much openness if the size or the placement of the tobacco strands blocks the chamber from having a decent fill. I tap once when the bowl is almost fill, pile tobacco on top of the bowl, and tap again. Most of the tobacco is now in the bowl.
Now this is my improvement, having read so many accounts of successful packing emphasize the bottom of the bowl should have the most space and the top the least. I then pile tobacco on top of the bowl once more, and note, this is the only time my finger gets near the chamber and the first time it pushes down, I e a s e the piled tobacco into the bowl with the most gentle of pressure. As soon as there is even the smallest resistance, I take this as the signal that the bowl is as firmly packed as it needs to be. In so doing the bowl is less full than before I started this type of packing, but it also prevents the monkeying around, as above, with a too tight pack.
I don't think I'm done trying to improve my packing, but the above is definitely an improvement.

 

[mso489]

My dad used to pack Granger in his pipe holding the pouch in one hand and scooping the tobacco into the pipe inside the pouch with the thumb of his other hand. After trying many different approaches over some years, I have finally adopted something similar to this method, the key being learning what is an appropriate amount of pressure to apply with the packing thumb. You want to make sure the leaf is in the bottom of the bowl, getting it settled in pretty well, but you don't want to finish off by pressing so hard there's no room for the passage of air in and around the leaf. You want it firm but still a bit spongy. Depending on the blend, sometimes this will require a charring light to get everything to settle in for an even burn, and other times the tobacco will take it from there. But so far, right now, this works best for me. When I get too esoteric and have too many steps with too much over-thinking, too many judgements thrown in, it doesn't go as well.