Having Some Beginner Troubles

[louiezmich]

Hello everyone,
I am new to pipe smoking and new to the site. I recently started pipe smoking because after a year of smoking cigars I wanted to broaden my smokes to pipes as well. I really have found it very enjoyable, the concept of having different pipes for certain tobaccos and how to pack, how to smoke, how to light, not to char the rim, different styles of pipes, different tobacco names, tobacco brands and so on and so on. It all is pretty overwhelming. But just like cigars the learning and hearing what other more experienced smokers have to say is the best part for me, sucking in all their wisdom and using it for a more enjoyable smoke.
But even with all the different YouTube videos and reading up on the forums my pipe smoking enjoyment is solely based on hope for a better smoke next time mentality. At the moment I have a pipe that came in a forty dollar gift set from pipesandcigars.com. I've smoked probably 10-15 bowls with it and every time I have the same problems. The aroma the smoke gives off is wonderful but the taste gives me tongue bite and none of the flavors anyone is saying on the tobacco reviews I read about the same kind I'm smoking. I tried packing a tighter bowl and that didn't work. I tried tamping less often but then my pipe just went out and I had to keep relighting.
I thought its because I have a cheap pipe but I don't know. I was thinking about using the new pipe i just bought, its a very nice bent brier pipe with a rustic finish on it but I'm worried my techniques are wrong and I will burn the rim and still not get any flavor out of my pipe. I guess, since I'm babbling on, what I am asking is for someone to walk me through their smoking rituals from packing all the way to cleaning at the end of the smoke and I can ask questions from there as to what I am doing wrong.
Thank you in advance for any help,
Louie

 

[louiezmich]

Wow thank you so much, really that helped a lot. I didn't think that "Springy" was the consistency I was looking for. I see people on YouTube and such puffing and puffing and puffing so much on their pipe and I followed this method. Could me doing this cause the tobacco to burn too hot causing less and less flavor to come out of the tobacco? I imagine so since that's how it is with cigars too.
Also I am starting to get a little bit of black on the rim of my first pipe. It this just from causal wear from the match being close to the rim? Or am I ruining my pipe slowly without me knowing it. And two more questions (For now...sorry for all the questions I'm just eager to learn) when I do the "official light" do i want to burn the tobacco until i get a nice big cherry in the center? Because when I do this the tongue bite is harsh,
also I bought a $35 bent rustic pipe from a local tobacco shop (supposed to be the best in Illinois besides Chicago) do you think that was a good buy? Or could I have done better on eBay? Sorry for all the questions hopefully I can get some of these answered.

 

[louiezmich]

okay will do and thanks a lot. I was feeling a little intimidated with everyone and their fancy $200+ dollar pipes that I thought I couldn't enjoy the ones I currently have. I'll just break in the two briars with an occasional cob, smoke slow, learn and enjoy the art of pipe smoking. Thanks again

 

[nsfisher]

Welcome aboard mate. Not much I can add here, it's pretty much covered, except..... enjoy

 

[joshwolftree]

welcome to the forum, looks like the question are covered better than I could answer em. Keep trying you'll get that aha moment.

 

[plet]

Welcome to the forum ::
I don't smoke as often as I would like to so it has taking some time for me to build up a good technique. My latest leap forward has been to dump out the ash half way through the bowl and limit tamping to a minimum, as rothnh suggests.
Lot's of good advice in this thread. Happy puffing.

 

[ohin3]

pinch test, pack till tight but springy, smoke slow, tamp often with no more force than what gravity provides and you are definitely improving your odds of having a good smoke. It does take a while to master this art. My smokes are all good at this point but I still have the occasional sub par smoke and the occasional "perfect smoke" every now and then. Never worry that you your pipe is too cheap. I have never spent $200.00 on a pipe in 15 years and I seem to enjoy smoking just fine. Good luck on your journey in to this obsessive hobby and keep us posted.
Cheers.

 

[louiezmich]

Thanks a lot everyone I hope everyone is this helpful all the time, this is great learning from all of you.

 

[jah76]

Welcome to the forum!
Everyone else gave you some great advice. For myself working on my tobacco prep method and packing method was one of the biggest improvements I needed to make. It really opened up a lot of enjoyment in the hobby for me. And I STILL screw it up now and then. Practice and play around with it.
If you screw the pooch on it, don't be afraid to repack it or put it down and come back in an hour when it's dried out a bit. Don't be too hard on yourself when you hear about guys smoking everything down to a "fine white ash" and "all the way to the bottom". You'll get there. A few months ago I was dumping out half filled bowls of unburnt tobacco all the time. I just couldn't seem to smoke it past mid point. Working on my prep and packing worked wonders and I STILL look forward to learning more.
This hobby is about you and what you get out of it. Hope to see you around!

 

[mctrav]

The veterans here have invaluable knowledge and are always willing to help out, embrace this awesome site and enjoy the ride, I have.

 

[05venturer]

welcome to the club louiezmich

I will add my 2 cents worth in that you can't go wrong picking up a Grab bag of MM Cobs, you get 10 cobs for about $30 and it will give you a great rotation starting out. I am pretty much a Cob smoker exclusively other than a couple briars on occasion. Pretty tough for me to find a better smoking pipe than a cob, virtually zero break in time an a great cool smoker. Country Gentleman is my new fave.

 

[louiezmich]

you can't go wrong picking up a Grab bag of MM Cobs, you get 10 cobs for about $30 and it will give you a great rotation starting out.

Where did you find this "grab bag" of cobs. I would like to try them out since they are made in USA and give that classic pipe smoking look.

Country Gentleman is my new fave.

Ill have to check it out for sure!

 

[jah76]

Sponser on the left
They just redid their site too.
I have a Country Gentlemen and LBF and Haddo's Delight always taste good out of it.

 

[yadan]

Welcome to the forum and enjoy your new pipe adventures! ::

 

[Perique]

You've received some great advice here, and from pipe smokers far more experienced than I. However, I will add my .02 for what it's worth.
I would strongly suggest looking at estate pipes, as Roth briefly suggested above. In almost all cases, you'll get much more pipe for your money, and in many cases they will be of better quality than what is commonly available today. Furtherm and more importantly, they will already be broken in and likely have a nicely developed cake (or at least be free of the bowl coatings used so often today). I've found that these bowl coatings can impart strange, unpleasant flavors to the smoke. New pipes take awhile to break in and the breaking in period further complicates the already difficult process of learning to smoke a pipe. Had I known this when I first took up the pipe 'full time' a dew years back, I would have saved myself a lot of frustration and a little bit of money. There are many outstanding estate pipes from a all of top pipe makers available from a number of reputable dealers in the sub-$100 range that will arrive clean, sanitized, and smoke outstandlingy right out of the gate.

 

[bigvan]

Here’s another opinion to consider.
Yes, cobs are cheap (and cob seconds are even cheaper) and they have their fans. But given a cob’s less than sturdy bit, a shank that extend into the bowl, a draft hole well above the bottom of the bowl and the non-uniform draft chamber, I can’t recommend them as a “starter pipe” because I don’t think they will give you the best experience. Again, just an opinion.
I agree that estates could be the way to go. But rather than taking blind guesses on ebay, I recommend you look at the estates section of a reputable online retailer like smokingpipes.com. These pipes have been professionally cleaned and sterilized and you have a huge variety to choose from, which will help ensure that you end up with the right pipe for you.
As for tobacco, do your research and don’t settle for the cheapest blend you can find. As Jud has said so succinctly, buy the best quality tobacco you can afford. Personally I’ve never had the need to dry out my tobacco; not once in 25 years of pipe smoking, so I can’t comment on methods or recommended drying times.
I’ve always believed that if it’s too hot, slow down. A medium sized bowl should take you about 45 minutes to finish and a larger bowl should take over an hour. When in doubt, slow down.
Good luck, and let us know how it goes.

 

[tbradsim1]

Good Advice Big Van, listen to the man he has a lot of knowledge The old cajun

 

[rlunderhill]

Remember, everything gets easier with experience. The more time passes, the better you get at it.

 

[instymp]

+1 everyone, specially

"I agree that estates could be the way to go. But rather than taking blind guesses on ebay, I recommend you look at the estates section of a reputable online retailer like smokingpipes.com. These pipes have been professionally cleaned and sterilized and you have a huge variety to choose from, which will help ensure that you end up with the right pipe for you."

Until you know what you are doing. I bought & resold a bunch because I didn't know what I was doing & still don't when it comes to all the pipes out there & what I really like.

 

[portascat]

Remember, too, that "taste" is about 75% an olfactory experience. As well, personal body chemistry has some influence on how specific tobaccos "taste" or effect us.
Like booze, cars, and women what I like or enjoy may not be your cup of tea at all. Lots of Virginia fans here on the forum. I smoke a lot of tobaccos that have Virginia blended in, but a "straight" Virginia tastes a lot like, to me, a cigarette. No real flavor, a lot of bite, and I have yet to attempt more than a few minutes of a bowl of any of it. Something about it doesn't agree with me at all. I don't detect any of the nuances or subtleties of it. But many do, and therefore the reviews and descriptions mean something to them.
As far as estate pipe buying goes, stick with a proven element as a beginner. For example, an Adjustomatic Dr. Grabow. Very nice factory made pipes that smoke better than the filter style. Shouldn't run you more than about $30 to the house off of Ebay. Find an auction with pics and make sure the stem isn't chewed up and it doesn't look totally dogged out. Remember that mechanically a pipe can be in great condition, and look cosmetically "bad". It is easier to fix the cosmetic than mechanical, and if you are learning to smoke the mechanical is more important than the cosmetic.