Hello - total noob here
- Thread starter Scottie B
- Start date
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There is no rocket science involved, but there is still some skill that seems to only really come from experience.
Do you have pipe cleaners? you want each attempt to be a fresh start!
If it feels like too much of a hassle just pick another hobby, no harm done.
Welcome. We were all noobs at one point. Take your time and be patient. You don't have to smoke everyday. Some people smoke all day every day, others smoke a few bowls a week and some like me smoke a few bowls a month. Do it for you and if it's not for you, that's okay.
Well, I bought a Lorenzo spitfire bent billiard and some Amphora classic tobacco. I have no idea if those are any good but after reading more in this forum and the responses received, I’m pretty sure I did everything wrong. Tobacco too wet, packed too tight and drew too strongly. I had to light essentially with every puff and the smoke was either very strong (cough) or very light, making me draw hard to get anything. The bowl seemed to last forever and I was worn out at the end. I still have the aroma in my mouth and nose a day later. And it’s not a particularly pleasant aroma. For some background, I’m an ex cigarette smoker. I love fine whiskey and brandy but I quit drinking as well. So I’m looking for something else to fill the void. The nostalgic romanticism and the beauty of briar pipes and the rich sweet smell of pipe smoke is what attracted me. I’ll try again in a few days (probably tonight), this time after letting the tobacco dry out, packing more lightly and being being patient.
@Scottie B, yup, that sounds about what I experienced.
In fact I put my first pipe in a drawer for a few months before daring to give it another go. I'd bought some aromatics and burnt my tongue to bits. I thought I'd dried the tobacco out enough, but of course I hadn't.
Plus I didn't really understand the essentials of properly packing the bowl either.
After buying some non-aros, and using better packing techniques, I gave it another go and managed to get the "ah!" moment, not immediately, of course, but it did come.
Stick with it Scottie. Dry your tobacco out and learn some packing techniques from some of the guys here and YT.
In fact I put my first pipe in a drawer for a few months before daring to give it another go. I'd bought some aromatics and burnt my tongue to bits. I thought I'd dried the tobacco out enough, but of course I hadn't.
Plus I didn't really understand the essentials of properly packing the bowl either.
After buying some non-aros, and using better packing techniques, I gave it another go and managed to get the "ah!" moment, not immediately, of course, but it did come.
Stick with it Scottie. Dry your tobacco out and learn some packing techniques from some of the guys here and YT.
Welcome to the group from Montreal, Canada.
Had you ever smoked in any form before? I came from cigars, so there wasn't maybe as much of a learning curve - although - the learning, as I'm sure many will tell you on here, never ends.
Smoking a pipe has some complexity too - trying different types of tobaccos, blends, cuts, packing methods etc..
But seeing your comment on how you smelt some "delicious smoke", I would maybe tend to say that a big part of smoking a pipe, which I learned from cigars and then applied to wine and spirits, is learning to taste. Sipping and really learning to distinguish the different flavours, in different parts of your mouth, retrohaling, as you go down in the bowl etc.. That way you can better distinguish what you like, but as well, really enjoy the smoke on a much deeper level.
I've said it before and I'll say it again.
Dry dry dry! Let the tobacco sit out for a few hours and turn crispy. Then try again. But remember, it's super dry now, so don't puff as hard as the first time.
Dry dry dry! Let the tobacco sit out for a few hours and turn crispy. Then try again. But remember, it's super dry now, so don't puff as hard as the first time.
Puffaluffaguss……what an awesome name!!!!!!! Cheers to you mate!!
My first time smoking a pipe left me wondering the same thing. I also got a wicked tounge bite. I was smoking my pipe too fast and that cause my tobacco to burn too hot and left me with the taste of ash in my mouth, it was horrid. After about a month of sticking with it, and this forum, my smoking improved and still continues to improve. Do lots of reading and utilize this forum. There is a lot of great help here.
Thanks at @DeerparkDays it used to be my Xbox gamer tag which wasn't very appropriate for such a forum so i changed it to something more fitting lol. Your name ain't half bad either my friend I hope you stick around a bit I promise you'll enjoy it
Hello & welcome from New Orleans. I’m relatively new to pipes myself (>1year) & this forum has helped a ton! Read posts, ask questions & try not to get to hung up on it. Find what techniques, tobacco, & pipes work for you & enjoy.
I had the same experience which, as you can see by a good number of comments here, is very common. I couldn't understand how anyone enjoyed pipe smoking based on my first few attempts. But I stayed with it and after a couple of weeks of trying (letting my tongue heal from being bit between bowls) it all of a sudden clicked. I remember distinctly that it was the night of September 27, 2015 as I was watching a lunar eclipse. Because my focus was on the moon and not on my pipe, I took a more passive approach, not overthinking, and it all came together. 7+ years later I'm still refining my technique but I have a much better feel for it now as you will with time. Welcome and good luck!
Welcome from Pennsylvania and New York.
I think we all have fond memories of that delicious aroma—my only caution is that I don’t think the person doing the smoking quite gets the same smell/sensation/room note as people not doing the smoking get. I know I get a better sense of the room note if I have left the room I’ve been smoking in and come back in.
Besides drying longer and sipping slower, packing lighter and adjusting with a tamper might help.