Do Some Pipes Smoke Hotter Than Others?

[grandalfpipes]

I'm a fairly new pipe smoker. I know that some tobaccos smoke hotter than others. I know that some smokers smoke hotter than others. But do some pipes tend to smoke hotter than others? And if so, which ones and why (material, shapes, size, quality of briar)? I appreciate any feedback and wisdom you might have for me! Thanks!

 

[Servant King]

I find that the Dublin shape equates to a hotter smoke for me. The conical shape leaves very little wood there at the bottom of the bowl, and that's where I have historically had heat issues, no matter how much I dry my tobacco, how lightly I pack it, and no matter how slowly I smoke.

 

[CAlabama]

I have a very small Grabow (Lark I believe) that gets so hot it blistered the finish. Then there are clays….

 

[Pipe_Guard]

some pipes do smoke hotter. Clays for instance. And those nomally used for crack and meth.

But in the real world, composition of blend, moisture of blend, how fast and hard you puff on it, will have a bigger impact than we admit.

Yes, I have pipes that got hot. I had a grabow riviera in the olden times that was small, but i got it hot enough to make the finish get sticky.

But I have had more pipes smoke cooler with certain blends, and specific weather, then they would at other times of the year.

I had a pipe that I liked smoking in winter time, outside. It would smoke cool but very moist inside. With Prince Albert.

In warm weather, it would smoke HOT to the touch, but dry inside.87

 

[grandalfpipes]

I have a very small Grabow (Lark I believe) that gets so hot it blistered the finish. Then there are clays….

I've never smoked a clay, but I'll take that as a warning!

 

[grandalfpipes]

I find that the Dublin shape equates to a hotter smoke for me. The conical shape leaves very little wood there at the bottom of the bowl, and that's where I have historically had heat issues, no matter how much I dry my tobacco, how lightly I pack it, and no matter how slowly I smoke.

This is interesting, because I was smoking a Dublin when the question came up. I was smoking it much like I have been smoking other pipes recently, even with the same tobacco, but it was much hotter to the touch and much more quickly than my other pipes. That makes a lot of sense. Thanks!

 

[warren99]

Discounting tobacco types, moisture content and packing, I find that pipes with thin bowl walls, regardless of style, do tend to smoke hotter than those with thick walls, which makes sense since there is less material to absorb the heat.

 

[Servant King]

This is interesting, because I was smoking a Dublin when the question came up. I was smoking it much like I have been smoking other pipes recently, even with the same tobacco, but it was much hotter to the touch and much more quickly than my other pipes. That makes a lot of sense. Thanks!

Happy to help. I should also mention that over time, I naturally gravitated toward beefier shapes like authors and pots. Nothing I had any control over, just the natural evolution of my tastes, I suppose. The fact that these shapes handle the heat so much better was simply an added bonus. However, smoking that one Dublin did in effect "train" me to dry longer, pack looser, and smoke slower, and these are all beneficial strategies regardless of what shape your pipe is.

Just my three cents (inflation adjusted...).

 

[bullet08]

It's a natural material. Everyone of 'em is different.

 

[OzPiper]

Clays and porcelain smoke hotter.
As do morta. But morta cools relative quickly

I have a few briars that tend to smoke hot, no matter the blend.

Since I mostly smoke with pipe in hand, it’s a signal to slow my cadence or put down the pipe for a few minutes

You adjust

 

[Auxsender]

some pipes do smoke hotter. Clays for instance. And those nomally used for crack and meth.

But in the real world, composition of blend, moisture of blend, how fast and hard you puff on it, will have a bigger impact than we admit.

Yes, I have pipes that got hot. I had a grabow riviera in the olden times that was small, but i got it hot enough to make the finish get sticky.

But I have had more pipes smoke cooler with certain blends, and specific weather, then they would at other times of the year.

I had a pipe that I liked smoking in winter time, outside. It would smoke cool but very moist inside. With Prince Albert.

In warm weather, it would smoke HOT to the touch, but dry inside.87

Absolutely no one is using clay tobacco pipes for meth or crack.
I’m not sure where you got that information but it’s pure nonsense.

If a briar tobacco pipe becomes hot to the touch, it’s the smoker’s poor form.

 

[Searock Fan]

"Do some pipes smoke hotter than others?" ABSOLUTELY!

 

[bobpnm]

Yes.

 

[anotherbob]

I've never smoked a clay, but I'll take that as a warning!

I personally find clays smoke cooler but the bowl gets super hot. Don't touch the bowl when smoking a clay.

 

[captainsousie]

You'll get different answers for this, but I find there is a difference. Nothing really tells you which one will smoke hotter but you'll figure it out.

 

[frozenchurchwarden]

Thermal properties of wood - Puuinfo

The thermal conductivity of wood is relatively low because of the porosity of timber. Thermal conductivity declines as the density of the wood decreases. In the direction of the grain, the thermal conductivity of wood is about twice what it is perpendicular to the grain. For example, the thermal...

puuinfo.fi

The thermal conductivity of wood (example given is Pine) is 57% higher in the direction parallel with the grain, so anywhere you see birdseye grain on a pipe it's probably going to get twice as hot there as other parts of the pipe (Briar is very dense compared to Pine).

You might think a pipe "smokes hot" if your pipe has top grain where you grasp it.
Of course painted pipes will have no indication of where the grain ends so you're at the mercy of luck there.

 

[BingBong]

Yes. Bowl mass, wall thickness, shape will all have an influence. I'm not overboard about volcano shapes, but I am really curious if they smoke cool and may yet acquire one.

 

[Pipe_Guard]

I have a grabow that has walls nearly a 1/4" think. And a Ropp etudiant j03 where the walls, may be an 1/8"... the ropp can smoke cooler to the touch with virginia heavy blends.

 

[The Benedictine]

Yep all pipes smoke differently.

 

[lraisch]

Perhaps more so than the Dublin, a bulldog with its triangular shank will have thinner walls near the bottom of the bowl and may get too hot there.

I think though the question may have been more about the heat of the smoke rather than how hot the bowl gets. In that case I think a pipe with a lacquer finish, or one made with briar that hasn't been well cured may tend to smoke hotter.