Grinding Pipe tobacco

[rknoblauch]

So just a question say if you stuffed the first third of your pipe with normal in ground tobacco then put ground tobacco on top would it affect the smoke in any way? Has anybody tried it?

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Do it! That's an order, and report back with details. Now go...

 

[mso489]

If you grind tobacco to powder, you end up with snuff. My guess is that if you get the leaf too small it will just clog the pipe and/or get drawn up the stem into your mouth, but if you feel adventurous, give it a go. Maybe use a straight stem pipe that cleans easily, in case you have some residue. Maybe not a high-end pipe. Some people use spice or coffee grinders to chop up tobacco, but I think they do this briefly, for small but not powdered leaf.

 

[rknoblauch]

It would be a coarse grind in a hand held twist grinder. I think the normal ribbon would stop the small ground tobacco from coming through. My reason to do this is the pipe I smoke out of seems to leave a considerable amount of dottle in the bottom and cannot seem to get a proper lite on the top I will let you know if this solves any of my issues.

 

[warren]

Load it proper. Light it proper. Tamp and relight proper. Smoke it proper. Should solve both of your problems. Should be no need to think outside of the box. Still, your experiment could prove interesting or, at least entertaining. Go for it.

 

[rknoblauch]

Proper right ill make sure to not miss pipe class this week for my lesson. Not to be a snide remark it's just everybody has a different view on proper.

 

[sthbkr77]

If you have a tough flake like Dark Star, grinding some (dont overdo it) will help you get it lit initially. Think tinder for a fire.
If your goal is to get through the dottle at the bottom, it doesn't matter whats on top, it's about how you pack and keep lit as you get that far down into the bowl. Hopefully this helps.

 

[ray47]

I slightly grounded up some C&D's Big & Burley last year and it affected both the taste, in a bad way and the burn rate (fast). Some large leaf is just meant to be left as is. Also tried the same thing with Old Joe Krantz and got the same results.

 

[rknoblauch]

Thanks for the insight. These are aeros so I hope it wont give them a set of teeth. And it is probably a packing issue.

 

[johnnyiii]

I mix a black cav with g&h dark birds eye and kendal dark. The latter two are shaggy cuts and hard to mix. I thus throw it all in a small food processor. Mixes great and ends up in smallll bits. Smokes wonderfully.

 

[deathmetal]

More finely chopped tobacco at the top lights easier, but burns off in a big cloud of smoke. It can be really useful in getting flake lit however!

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I've got a friend who grinds up His Balkans to dust in a coffee grinder and packs it tight as heck. He swears by it, every bowl. He's a quirky surgeon, and can't be told anything. I've tried it, but his way seems to burn too fast for me. I'll give a flake a pulse in a grinder, but not dust, just enough to break it up. And, not all flakes all the time. Just when the mood hits me.

 

[deathmetal]

I've tried it, but his way seems to burn too fast for me.

This is my concern as well. It goes up so quickly that precious Nicotine may be lost!

 

[warren]

I define proper as mucking around until you find what works for you. That's why I said "give it a go." Might work.

 

[puffinbilly5]

Funny this came up, I've got some Cube Cut I'd like to grind. It's just too much work smoking it as is.

 

[rknoblauch]

[quoteI define proper as mucking around until you find what works for you. That's why I said "give it a go." Might work.[/quote]

May the definition of proper be now known.
So here it goes I packed a bowl of CAO EILEENS DREAM this morning packed the first 2/3 of the bowl as per proper WITH unground tobacco and the last 1/3 with ground and it makes it easier upon initial light up(false light to real light) also seem to bring more flavour with this aro as well in the first third which seemed to taper off as it burned into the unground then also needed to be re lit several times there after. Next is going to be 7/8 ground and just a small amount to stop the grind from working it's way into the shank.

 

[hawky454]

My reason to do this is the pipe I smoke out of seems to leave a considerable amount of dottle in the bottom

I never smoke my tobacco to complete ash. Some smokers do but I have to guess that most don't. I simply don't enjoy the last bit of tobacco at the bottom of the bowl, it gets too hot and tastes ashy.

 

[cigrmaster]

Bunch of blasphemers. Smoke the blend as the blender intended. If it is a ribbon load your bowl and smoke, flake, either fold and stuff or cube cut. Plug, slice some off cube it or just smoke it in big hunks. Blenders use a specific cut of tobacco as they believe that will be the best flavors for that blend.
By grinding your tobacco you are taking all the blenders hard work and grinding it to shit. The pipe Gods are watching and you will feel their wrath.

 

[rknoblauch]

If their wrath is providing me with a mouthful of flavour I shall be struck with their hand of enjoyment. Now may you be held in contempt for as per "proper" in this forum. Good day.

 

[pipestud]

One of the best pipe smoking tips I ever picked up was back in 1996. I was reading the P&T Magazine article on pipe maker Michael Butera. He mentioned in the article that he always used a one speed food processor to grind up his tobacco before loading and smoking it. Butera said that the further mixing of the various leaf in blends would be more uniform and make the flavor presentation better. He also said it makes the pipe much easier to pack evenly, thus preventing hot spots and making the burn much more uniform as you work your way down the bowl.
All of that sure made sense to me. So, late one night when my wife was asleep I looked around the kitchen. I couldn't find a one speed food processor but I did find her juicer. I can tell you right now not to use one of those as the speed of the blender turned my tobacco into puree. I quickly washed out her juicer and went back to bed. I did get a one speed Black and Decker food processor that I now use all the time.
As a final note, the very next morning after I first tried my wife's juicer, I got in all kinds of trouble and was in the dog house for a week. Mostly because she didn't enjoy the flavor that Latakia shards left in her fresh squeezed orange juice. Guess I didn't wash the dadgum thing out good enough. )-: