First full bowl and a few questions!

[jsiddle]

Ok, so I was told that I needed to start with a few half bowls before I do full bowls... Well, starting friday, today was my first full bowl.
It actually went very smoothly, I only had to relight twice after the false and real lights.
Couple questions: towards the end the bowl was getting pretty hot, to the point i couldnt cup it like i was doing,

and had to hold it closer to the top of the bowl.
is that too hot?

what do i do when it gets that hot?
also, we had a cold water outside with us and after smoking a decent amount, i would take a drink and the water would actually sting.
is this normal for a rookie?

or is this side effects of the aforementioned heat?

 

[adam12]

Too hot = smoking too fast
When it gets that hot = let it cool down a bit and then resume/relight
Don't worry about relighting
The stinging of the water may be because you were smoking so fast it blew on your tongue in one spot over a long period of time

 

[jsiddle]

Don't worry about relighting

so rather slow down and smoke it cooler, rather than worrying about whether i have to relight or not?

 

[ace57]

Slow your smoking down some if not you will get a mouth full of burn.

 

[bigvan]

You're smoking too fast. It's pretty common for rookies, especially if you used to smoke cigs.
Slow down. A full bowl should last at least 45 minutes minimum and shouldn't be too hot to hold.

 

[jsiddle]

You're smoking too fast. It's pretty common for rookies, especially if you used to smoke cigs.

Never ever smoked anything before friday
So I gave my smoking virginity to pipes...
I think it took me about an hour to finish the bowl...
How long should the pipe stay lit if im not taking drags?

Slow your smoking down some if not you will get a mouth full of burn.

Oh it happened...

 

[rd02sir]

How long should the pipe stay lit if im not taking drags?
depends on the size of bowl and type of baccy youre smoking. If youre not taking any drags but it was fully it, you could prob get 5min without taking a drag and it still being lit. But aros are somewhat tricky, burns hot and wet
generally Aros will burn Hotter and Wetter than say an english or VaPer. I can sometimes get 1-1.5 hours out of a "standard" sized bowl if i'm ot hauling like a mad man. I smoke cigs too, so i'ts been hard to lear to slow things down, and that i don't need that billowing smoke to be satisfied.

 

[bigvan]

jsiddle, you've got me stumped. A bowl that lasted an hour but still burned too hot.
What kind of tobacco and pipe was is?

 

[adam12]

worrying about whether i have to relight or not

Please don't do this, smoking your pipe should have nothing to do with worrying about anything, let alone relighting ::
Puff and occasionally tamp gently, then relight as appropriate, and don't smoke too fast & furious

 

[fshu2]

my advice just chill keep the lighter close then it wont be annoying when you relight. the goal of pipe smoking is to relax not to smoke it to the bottom with out relights. yes this will come with time. my friends ask me how i keep it lit to the bottom each time and i tell them i just smoke and relax. when i relight i am never up set i just relight. when you slow down your smoking you will taste the toby even better.

 

[jsiddle]

jsiddle, you've got me stumped. A bowl that lasted an hour but still burned too hot.
What kind of tobacco and pipe was is?

The pipe is the one in the picture, its a basic straight pipe $30 briar with a rustic finish...
The tobacco is a local blend called chuck's wagon, its primarily a black cavendish with some ribbon strands of a VA...
I guess the reason I cant relax and just enjoy it with this blend, is I dont really taste ANYTHING... smell is kinda there when i try... but I really hope all toby's are this bland, for lack of a better word.

 

[jsiddle]

bump, wanna hear what bigvan has to say about what he asked about

 

[hawk60ce]

Hes offline. He'll be back around before too long.

 

[jsiddle]

What do you think hawk? my tongue is still a little burnt feeling...
But it took a decent amount of time to smoke the bowl...
Maybe its an extremely hot burning bacy?

 

[philip]

I have one $30 briar. It has very thin walls on the bowl and it does get hot.

I need to smoke it extra slowly and hold it carefully.
When you have the funds, get a nicer pipe to add to your collection. In the mean

time enjoy the pipe you have and take advantage of the opportunity it gives you to

smoke slowly.

 

[mluyckx]

so rather slow down and smoke it cooler, rather than worrying about whether i have to relight or not?

Yep.
If you have a sore tongue, get you some biotene, rinse with it a couple of times a day. It helps heal the tongue really well. Besides that, slow down... When I started it was a cadence thing. More like a puff-puff-drag rhythm... Then wait at least 30-60 seconds before repeating, your bowl will stay lit as you master packing technique. Relighting is better than burning your tongue and having to give it a rest for a couple of days.
Good luck & welcome aboard :puffpipe:

 

[jsiddle]

Thank you so much everyone for your help and answers

 

[baronsamedi]

If you've never smoked anything before, your tongue may just not be used to taking on heated smoke. Also, if it's a heavily cased aromatic, it could be moisture creating steam and the sugars in the casing making the smoke more acid than your mouth is used to.
+1 on the Biotene. It really does work and useful for a new smoker. I'd also take a whack at smoking an English blend. They are typically well-balanced and produce little bite unless your mouth happens to have a problem with a component tobacco. Peter Stokkebye Balkan Supreme and Newminster English Oriental are two low-priced bulk Englishes that I reccommend.

 

[fnord]

I'm very sorry a newb made such a rude comment to you earlier today, Jsiddle. The experienced posters around here are so patient with their responses. They enjoy the community of this forum and they have a passion for their hobby. (What enthusiast doesn't want to share?)
This is a pretty civilized place and the acts of kindness, consideration and generosity I've witnessed are mind boggling. I've read tobacco reviews here and have asked more specific questions of the reviewer. The next thing I know a PM shows up asking for my address so the reviewer can send me a sample.
How can you not love this place?
In the meantime, ask questions, sit back and enjoy all the responses. You ran into an asshole earlier and that was unfortunate. Move on. Smoke slow. Ask your supplier for an English style blend. If he doesn't have one shoot me a PM.
Fnord

 

[matchstickman]

A good rule of thumb is to learn to use your tamper in conjunction with proper packing and smoking cadence. After you take some puffs, you may notice your volume of smoke is not as much as it was, like the pipe is getting ready to go out. What you have to remember is that pipe tobacco is burned vertically, not horizontally like cigarettes or cigars, so the ember needs a little outside influence to ignite the rest of the tobacco as you go further down the bowl. If your pipe seems like it is about to go out, take a few gentle draws on the pipe, and as you puff, VERY LIGHTLY tamp the tobacco down. You don't need to apply much pressure at all, just the weight of the tamper should be enough. After a few puffs doing this, you will notice a nice volume of smoke and your pipe will be going again. This should cut down on the amount of flame that you have to apply to the tobacco and will help your tobacco burn cooler. I would agree that a bowl that is too hot to hold in your hand is too hot to be smoking. Pipe smoking is a trial and error process really. You just have to mess around with different techniques and different procedures until you find something that works for you. Hell, I've been smoking constantly for about a year and a half now, and I am still perfecting my technique and learning new things everyday. Don't rush it. Just enjoy it and have fun with it. Pipe smoking is all about relaxation and the pursuit of the finer things in life ::