About as new as I can get...after mentioning to my wife last year that I wanted to take up pipe smoking and getting some rolled eyes from my wife I brought it up again last week and she said nope....well today was my birthday so lo and behold I am kind of surprised that I open a bag from the local cigar shop that has an H.I.S briar pipe, tamp, case, and lighter, along with a tin of TSUGE RYUJIN(ribbon blend of Virginia, Latakia, Acadian) and smoked my first bowl this morning along w/ a cup of coffee on the back patio while watching my 2 year old play outside. Very enjoyable and relaxing. Its even more surprising since everyone in her family smokes cigarettes(her mom just quit) and my dad was a heavy cigarette smoker and I know tobacco pipes aren't without risk but present a much lower risk than cigarettes(but all OTC and Rx drugs recommended by FDA also have risks, some worse than the occasional pipe...so pick your poison. I also know there are some studies showing certain health benefits to occasional nicotine but as long as the FDA and their lobbies are the ones fueling and funding the medical journals WEBMD and other research sources will always speak negatively of nicotine of any form)
I do have a few questions as I'm new and going at this in a "self taught" fashion. I'll try to be clear and concise and try not to rant as I have in the introductory paragraph:
-Break in: I've read some sources that a briar pipe needs a break in, where some posts here and Pipe Smokers Forum show that not everyone does a break in and some of the modern carbon lined pipes don't need one. My understanding is just to take it slow at first until "cake" forms regardless of whether you choose to do a typical break in or not...I decided to start w/ a full bowl and just take it slow. How will I know when a good cake is formed and it is properly broken in?
-Smoking pace/temp: I read on a source that you want it to be constantly at the verge of going out. I varied from just on the verge to going out to warm to the touch but not uncomfortably so. Is this a good place to be? I would smoke it til it heats up then slow down a bit...varying the pace caused it to go out a few times and I had to relight @ halfway, and then 2 other times before I finished the bowl. I understand all pipes/tobacco smoke differently but figure this might just be a good rule of thumb.
-I had trouble lighting it at first...could just be because it was windy. I was using a soft flame pipe lighter. Any tips? I know this seems basic but not having more than an occasional cigar(no more than 2-3 in the last 3 years or so) not sure if it is the lighter or not...I even used my body/hands to shield the flame but just wouldn't take for a while.
-Clenching: A few times I clenched and accidentally inhaled a bit....towards the end I think I figured it out...while clenching breathe in and out through your nose and then only breathe in w/ your mouth when you want some smoke...is this the jist of it? Seems like common sense but being new and also being one who wants to get a small corn cob to take out on the boat for fishing, I need to be able to reliably clench without getting my lungs burned...
-when to finish: I think I read resources that said you'll know when you are done when it is uncomfortable. I noticed towards the end it bit more but also had a more fuller taste...along the lines of something that came off the smoker with a peppery flavor. How do you guys know when to quit? When the bite becomes unbearable or when the bottom is filled with ash?
-I noticed when tamping I would get the ash/soot on my hands/clothes....is this because I'm tamping too hard? I tried stoking a little bit vs tamping and noticed the temperature was about the same w/ both and stoking was the cleaner alternative. I've read that stoking does present a higher risk of making too hot a burn vs tamping so want to learn how to tamp w/o making a mess if possible.
-The bowl lasted about 45 mins-1 hr. Is this a good reference? I've read estimates from 10-20 mins all the way to 2-3 hrs per bowl, depending on pipe size/tobacco....
-Cleaning: I knocked all the ash out then wiped it out around the bottom of the bowl w/ the scoop that was on my tamper, then doubled over a pipe cleaner and wiped the inside of the bowl, then took the reed off the bowl and ran a second pipe cleaner through the reed and bowl...is this about it?
I know a lot of these seem obvious/basic but as relaxing as it was, it would be nice to be able to do it w/o getting ash all over me and having to fiddle with the pipe for an hour straight.
I do have a few questions as I'm new and going at this in a "self taught" fashion. I'll try to be clear and concise and try not to rant as I have in the introductory paragraph:
-Break in: I've read some sources that a briar pipe needs a break in, where some posts here and Pipe Smokers Forum show that not everyone does a break in and some of the modern carbon lined pipes don't need one. My understanding is just to take it slow at first until "cake" forms regardless of whether you choose to do a typical break in or not...I decided to start w/ a full bowl and just take it slow. How will I know when a good cake is formed and it is properly broken in?
-Smoking pace/temp: I read on a source that you want it to be constantly at the verge of going out. I varied from just on the verge to going out to warm to the touch but not uncomfortably so. Is this a good place to be? I would smoke it til it heats up then slow down a bit...varying the pace caused it to go out a few times and I had to relight @ halfway, and then 2 other times before I finished the bowl. I understand all pipes/tobacco smoke differently but figure this might just be a good rule of thumb.
-I had trouble lighting it at first...could just be because it was windy. I was using a soft flame pipe lighter. Any tips? I know this seems basic but not having more than an occasional cigar(no more than 2-3 in the last 3 years or so) not sure if it is the lighter or not...I even used my body/hands to shield the flame but just wouldn't take for a while.
-Clenching: A few times I clenched and accidentally inhaled a bit....towards the end I think I figured it out...while clenching breathe in and out through your nose and then only breathe in w/ your mouth when you want some smoke...is this the jist of it? Seems like common sense but being new and also being one who wants to get a small corn cob to take out on the boat for fishing, I need to be able to reliably clench without getting my lungs burned...
-when to finish: I think I read resources that said you'll know when you are done when it is uncomfortable. I noticed towards the end it bit more but also had a more fuller taste...along the lines of something that came off the smoker with a peppery flavor. How do you guys know when to quit? When the bite becomes unbearable or when the bottom is filled with ash?
-I noticed when tamping I would get the ash/soot on my hands/clothes....is this because I'm tamping too hard? I tried stoking a little bit vs tamping and noticed the temperature was about the same w/ both and stoking was the cleaner alternative. I've read that stoking does present a higher risk of making too hot a burn vs tamping so want to learn how to tamp w/o making a mess if possible.
-The bowl lasted about 45 mins-1 hr. Is this a good reference? I've read estimates from 10-20 mins all the way to 2-3 hrs per bowl, depending on pipe size/tobacco....
-Cleaning: I knocked all the ash out then wiped it out around the bottom of the bowl w/ the scoop that was on my tamper, then doubled over a pipe cleaner and wiped the inside of the bowl, then took the reed off the bowl and ran a second pipe cleaner through the reed and bowl...is this about it?
I know a lot of these seem obvious/basic but as relaxing as it was, it would be nice to be able to do it w/o getting ash all over me and having to fiddle with the pipe for an hour straight.
