Getting Back to Pipes after Cigars - Advice?

[ErikP]

Title edited for caps and brevity. —You'll not lack for advice on this forum!
Welcome!!
And why not introduce yourself, and tell us what you like to smoke?

I picked up a pipe and some bulk tobacco from a smoke shop on Friday evening, and remembered what I used to love about smoking a pipe years ago. The rich flavor of the tobacco, and texture of the smoke.

When I smoked a pipe some years ago, I didn't have a lot of guidance. I'm thinking it was late 90's, and the internet wasn't so chock full of information and friendly communities. At the time, I found that my pipe would go out easily (I didn't know how to pack) and I would often get tougue bite (I didn't know how often to puff). That said, I mainly stopped because I was a cigarette smoker then, and that can really kill one's palate, so it wasn't as enjoyable as I found it recently.

A little digging this weekend tells me that:

• a sizeable bowl can last 45 minutes+
• it's fine to relight several times
• I should sip gently, but more frequently than I would puff on a cigar if I want to keep the bowl going
• I should char the bowl at least once & level it
• I should pack in stages, and check the draw as I go (still working on this, but already better results than before)

Things I have seen mentioned, but which I don't have a solid grasp on:

• it's not a bad idea to tamp before a relight
• how bowl shape/size affects a pack and a light
• how different tobaccos burn and taste

The last item I'll probably figure out as I go along, but any advice on the middle item? How does a different bowl affect how I pack & light it, if at all? Anything else that might be useful as I continue on this journey?

I just ordered the following items (attached image) - a better pipe than the crappy one I got at a smoke shop, and a sample of different tobaccos. I also picked up a "shorty" pipe and a pipe tool. I should probably get a tobacco pouch for travel too.

 

[sablebrush52]

You're off to a good start. Practice is the best teacher.

 

[mso489]

My usual song and dance for people starting or re-starting pipe smoking is to buy only small quantities of blends for the first year or two, an ounce or two of bulk, or one pouch or tin. Your tastes will change, so don't buy a lot of one blend even if you like it a lot.

If you don't like a blend, jar it and try it again in six months or a year. Again, your tastes will change, the blend will age a little, and in the meantime you might figure out how to smoke it enjoyably.

In the U..S. right now a tin of premium pipe tobacco costs about as much as one premium cigar, and a tin will give you twenty or more smokes in a medium size chamber pipe. So this is a nice savings, even if you smoke moderately.

It sounds like you are making good progress. Now just take your time and enjoy the adventure.

 

[ErikP]

My usual song and dance for people starting or re-starting pipe smoking is to buy only small quantities of blends for the first year or two, an ounce or two of bulk, or one pouch or tin. Your tastes will change, so don't buy a lot of one blend even if you like it a lot.

If you don't like a blend, jar it and try it again in six months or a year. Again, your tastes will change, the blend will age a little, and in the meantime you might figure out how to smoke it enjoyably.

In the U..S. right now a tin of premium pipe tobacco costs about as much as one premium cigar, and a tin will give you twenty or more smokes in a medium size chamber pipe. So this is a nice savings, even if you smoke moderately.

It sounds like you are making good progress. Now just take your time and enjoy the adventure.

Sound advice - thanks!

I experienced what you're talking about over the past several years with cigars. Some that I thought were "meh" 10 years ago are now favorites, and most of my old favorites are things I don't care for today.

I also found that most of the cigars I buy tend to be better with a bit of age on them. I just did a little bit of searching, and it looks like that's a thing with pipe tobacco as well (no surprise, really). With cigars, some are best with just a few weeks of "rest" to get their moisture content stabilized. Others taste noticably better after 6, 12 or 18 months. (I had a box of Padron 2000's that sat for 2 years & were wonderful!)

I'd imagine that I'll find the same is true of pipe tobacco - some slight benefit from a few months of "cellaring" (if that word applies to such a short time period), and a much more noticable benefit from a few years. I'll have to think through storage solutions, but it looks like it's simpler if I have sealed tins - just put them on a shelf in a cool dry place & let 'em sit.

 

[bullet08]

Yes. You won't fit in a typical Dunhill size 6. But your tobacco will

 

[warren99]

I smoked a pipe when I was younger, then gave it up for a number of years. Like you, I returned to pipe smoking after I gave up cigarettes. Unless you go crazy buying pipes and tobacco as some people do (myself included), it is much more economical than cigar smoking; although I do indulge in a stogie now and then. You've chosen a good selection of tobaccos and Erik Nording makes fine pipes. That said, pipe smoking does take a bit more patience than cigar smoking as well as practice packing and keeping the pipe lit. There are a number of good sites on the web that discuss various tried and true methods for both, a you have already found. Enjoy and welcome aboard.

 

[WhiteCrown]

To answer your question on how bowl shape/size affects a pack and a light:

I find that wider bowls accept and sometimes "want" slightly tighter packs, probably because there is more cross-section for air to pass through. Of course there are exceptions, like when smoking an unfiltered corn cob with a narrow bowl- the shank/stem are so wide open that you almost need to pack it more tightly or the draw is too airy. I suppose I pack my pipe to create a sweet-spot of restriction on the draw. The longer I smoke, the more I also notice that some individual tobaccos have their own sweet spot with how tightly they "like" to be packed to maximize flavor and control temperature.

I would say don't hesitate to experiment. Tamp it down a little tighter and see what it does. If its too tight, scoop the ember out, fluff up the tobacco with the spike on your pipe tool, and relight. Too loose, tamp it back down a bit. Sure, you may introduce a slightly poor taste with ash and semi-burnt leaf, but next time you smoke that blend (or pipe) you'll know right where Goldilocks needs to be.

As far as shape, I think some pipes like to be packed a little loose on the bottom depending on the draw hole. Some have more tendency to block/restrict the draw if you push down the tobacco, regardless of how tight the overall pack is due to the hole itself becoming partially blocked. I'm kind of guessing here though. Again, try different things and you'll figure it out. Good luck and happy smoking!

 

[PaulDM]

I still haven't really figured out how bowl shape affects a smoke. I tend to smoke aros and english blends in larger bowls. I find that aros tend to smoke faster that a quality VA flake (solid or broken) and that a big bowl of VA is sometimes more than I really want. And a more complex blend, with multiple tobaccos, may benefit from a bigger bowl bc I pick up different nuances as the bowl burns down. No idea if that is really true. Just my perception.

As far as technique goes, I find it helps to just think of a bowl of tobacco as an upside down campfire. There is a sweet spoke between too loose and too firm a pack, although I prefer leaning towards the firmer side. Looser on the bottom, tighter on top, and tamping occasionally and lightly brings the denser top tobacco down in contact with the burning ember as the lower level of tobacco gets consumed. Sometimes a slight angled tamp helps as well.

 

[OzPiper]

I too got back to pipes after many years smoking cigars

Don’t overthink things
2 bowls of the same blend in the same pipe (one immediately after the 1st) - one smokes down to ash with a 1 match light. The other needs several re-lights
So many variables.

Just go with the flow, stop navel gazing and enjoy

 

[hyperstar]

You also need a tamper and a pipe lighter for your pipe. You might damage your pipe using a torch lighter to lit.
I would smoke pipe and cigar simultaneously, feeling the difference and synergy of their tastes.

You can smoke your pipe first. If you encounter any questions, post it on the forum.

 

[ErikP]

On the lighter and tamper, check. i picked up both.

That's an interesting thought - cigar and pipe together. I find that I need to puff the pipe much more often than a cigar, or it goes out. If I set the pipe down for a full minute, it will need a relight.

Is that typical, or will it change as my technique evolves?

 

[tklee]

Welcome "back" to pipe smoking, and welcome to the forum!

 

[OverMountain]

I picked up a pipe and some bulk tobacco from a smoke shop on Friday evening, and remembered what I used to love about smoking a pipe years ago. The rich flavor of the tobacco, and texture of the smoke.

When I smoked a pipe some years ago, I didn't have a lot of guidance. I'm thinking it was late 90's, and the internet wasn't so chock full of information and friendly communities. At the time, I found that my pipe would go out easily (I didn't know how to pack) and I would often get tougue bite (I didn't know how often to puff). That said, I mainly stopped because I was a cigarette smoker then, and that can really kill one's palate, so it wasn't as enjoyable as I found it recently.

A little digging this weekend tells me that:

• a sizeable bowl can last 45 minutes+
• it's fine to relight several times
• I should sip gently, but more frequently than I would puff on a cigar if I want to keep the bowl going
• I should char the bowl at least once & level it
• I should pack in stages, and check the draw as I go (still working on this, but already better results than before)

Things I have seen mentioned, but which I don't have a solid grasp on:

• it's not a bad idea to tamp before a relight
• how bowl shape/size affects a pack and a light
• how different tobaccos burn and taste

The last item I'll probably figure out as I go along, but any advice on the middle item? How does a different bowl affect how I pack & light it, if at all? Anything else that might be useful as I continue on this journey?

I just ordered the following items (attached image) - a better pipe than the crappy one I got at a smoke shop, and a sample of different tobaccos. I also picked up a "shorty" pipe and a pipe tool. I should probably get a tobacco pouch for travel too.

View attachment 228460

You’re off to a great (and very informed start).

Bengal slices was a “wow” blend the first time for me.

If I could add anything, I’d say try some SWR/SWRA into the mix. It’s a easy to smoke blend without much fuss with good taste.

Best of luck and see you around the forums.

 

[kcghost]

Practice is the only way to get better at this. You'll have to learn what packing method works for you, what tempo works for you, and above all be patient. I always tell noobs or guys getting back into it that a pipe is a totally different animal than a cigar or cigarette. And for gosh sakes don't be afraid of relights. It is not a badge of accomplishment to smoke a pipe with one relight. It is usually a sign that you are going too fast.

 

[proteus]

Lots of good information here so I'll only add that the pack can always be tamped a bit more during a smoke and tends to be packed down as you deal with the ash cake. If you pack too tightly it only gets worse but you can use the pipe tool wire to loosen a bit by inserting and lifting the tobacco pile a bit. Easier to just pack very lightly and then tamp down more as you smoke to dial it in. Like a lot of other things you'll know it when you hit the sweet spot.

 

[minerLuke]

My only suggestion would be to start with a 'codger' /drugstore burley blend since they taste good and they tend to be somewhat more forgiving with packing and burning. I think the learning curve with them is a little easier than other genres of pipe tobacco.

Buy 2 or 3 pouches or 1 Oz bulk samples of any of the following off the top of my head:

Carter Hall
Prince Albert
Sir Walter Raleigh
Granger
Half and Half
Velvet
Edward G Robinson

Also classic burley blends taste great in a cob so for the price of a couple tins you can pick out a cob you like, they are great for learning on.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Welcome!
I would leave the chamber size and shape to much later — If at all— in your explorations. And just dry the tobacco a bit and load it into the pipe, no "technique" needed.

 

[Lucashly]

You'll hear practice, learn and patience a lot.