How Much do you Adjust as you Smoke?

[ErikP]

I find that when I smoke a pipe, it tends to burn right down the middle and leave a lot of unburned tobacco on the sides. So I fiddle with it a lot and push some of that unburned tobacco on top of the cherry as it burns down.

I wonder if I am drawing too hard? Does your pipe usually burn pretty evenly, or do you poke around in the bowl multiple times? I find that the first half of a pipe smokes well, but the second half isn't as enjoyable. Might I be packing it too tightly? Or maybe I should just leave the tobacco on the sides alone?

I probably relight 7 or 8 times, not counting charring lights.

 

[OzPiper]

It comes down to your packing technique more than anything

Try gravity filling - small pinches of tobacco, tsp the heel of the bowl to settle, fill some more. When the bowl is full, tamp lightly

Make sure you light the top of the tobacco evenly

Tamp gently as necessary after that

 

[PipeIT]

Dry too, if tobacco is to moist, it can burn unevenly, or make it harder to light it evenly, so be sure to dry it fairly crisp.

Pinch a wad between your fingers and it should feel slightly crunchy/crispy.

In time too, with better packing, you can also leave it a little moister.

 

[warren]

I turn the tamper a quarter turn or so as I gently tamp a burning bowl. Why? Dunno, just do and it seems, I repeat, "seems" to pull the edges into the ember better than simply canting the tool.

 

[bullet08]

I usually look down the chamber and sternly instruct my tobacco to burn evenly. It works. But as the master of my pipes and tobacco, I do my part. I pack my tobacco with plenty of air space, and I light it evenly across the top. If they refuse to cooperate, they will be facing further dress down with a multiple fire torture.

 

[lraisch]

I have about a dozen tampers, but I found one that has a slightly concave base seems to help with this.

I tamp lightly from a slight angle around the ember and form a small rise in the center of the tobacco.

This seems to help in keeping all of the tobacco lit.

 

[ErikP]

It comes down to your packing technique more than anything

Try gravity filling - small pinches of tobacco, tsp the heel of the bowl to settle, fill some more. When the bowl is full, tamp lightly

Make sure you light the top of the tobacco evenly

Tamp gently as necessary after that

That helped a lot, thanks. The take-away from your message for me was that I'm packing too tightly. I'm used to cigars, but pipe tobacco needs more air space due, it seems.

 

[RustiePyles CPG]

When your breaking in a new pipe you want it to burn this way, it builds cake quickly. This can be accomplished by only tamping in the middle. Once a pipe is broken in you'll want to stop doing it. Only tamp around the edges, this can be done by holding your tamper at an angle or using a beveled or concave tamper. Also don't tamp to often or to firmly. You really only need to tamp if you can't get the pipe to relight, and only firm enough to settle the ash.

 

[kcghost]

I don't seem to have this happen often, but it usually occurs if I have been smoking one for 45 minutes or so and realize what I have done. Then I tamp the sides down and all is good.

 

[ThermionicScott]

I think even if you carefully light the whole surface of tobacco each time, you'll end up pushing unburned tobacco from the periphery toward the ember in the center at some point.

 

[bullet08]

I think even if you carefully light the whole surface of tobacco each time, you'll end up pushing unburned tobacco from the periphery toward the ember in the center at some point.

Most definitely likely. Playing with pick on your tamper becomes necessary at some point. It's very rare that I don't fidget with tobacco. It feels as if cobs have less of an issue when codger scoop is used and I'm not too greedy.

 

[Epip Oc'Cabot]

After decades of indulging in the beauty of smoking a pipe, one finds that every action, every nuance occurs innately and without fuss. Do you tell your beard and mustache to “grow” or does it just “happen”?

In some ways it is akin to breathing where you do not make a conscious decision to do so, but your body just “knows”…. or like your heartbeat…… no one consciously tells themself that “hey, I should have my heat beat now….. oh, let’s have it beat again”….. NO! It is just an innate rhythm of the subconscious.

So, wait young sprout…. after you have enough decades under your belt, you will not have to make all these decisions…. they will just…. happen.

YMMV…. of course….. but be sure to let us know when that happens down the road.

OR…. maybe it won’t happen…… but it will still be a helluva lot of enjoyment and fun fussing with the pipes and pipe tobaccos over the intervening years anyway.

 

[yanoJL]

I'm of the belief that tobacco doesn't have to be completely combusted to ash in order to be "spent". The heat from the neighboring ember is often sufficient to elicit flavor from the tobacco nearest to the chamber walls.
I have absolutely no empirical evidence to support this claim.

 

[crashthegrey]

I find unburnt sides to be a result of smoking too fast and packing too tight. Usually. Sometimes it just happens. I do tamp the sides in if this happens. Also, a good false light of the whole bowl and letting it go out first before smoking a bowl can help.

 

[Hillcrest]

Someone a coupe of weeks ago suggested resting the tamper in the center while drawing on the pipe allowing the airflow to draw down the sides --- this allows the sides to ignite. I have been doing that when this happens to me and it does work ... $.02 YMMV.

 

[bluegrassbrian]

I find unburnt sides to be a result of smoking too fast and packing too tight. Usually. Sometimes it just happens. I do tamp the sides in if this happens. Also, a good false light of the whole bowl and letting it go out first before smoking a bowl can help.

I'm a loud proponent of thorough charring lights.
It is the foundation on which the entire smoke rests.
A thorough and even charring light will set you up for success, while a poor charring light will lead to frequent relights and uneven burning.

 

[Epip Oc'Cabot]

I'm a loud proponent of thorough charring lights.
It is the foundation on which the entire smoke rests.
A thorough and even charring light will set you up for success, while a poor charring light will lead to frequent relights and uneven burning.

I agree with you about a thorough charring light…. but an addendum I would add is that if the initial charring light is not satisfactory….. it can be fixed by stirring a bit especially at the sides and doing the charring light again. In those rare occasions it happens to me out of laziness or whatever….. a “do-over” usually fixes what ails the bowl.

 

[Honkytonk Man]

All of the above, salient points, I would also add correct tamping will help your dilemma.

Try to bring the ash/tobacco in from the chamber walls, so it forms a dome shape. Using an 8 Deco tamper helps with this technique.

 

[mso489]

A little gentle tamping before relights should rearrange the unburnt tobacco into the ember so you don't have to stir up the ashes with the unburnt tobacco too much, which I think diminishes the flavor.

Pack the chamber full but not too tight to leave room for the air in the air-fuel mix.

You'll get it just right by habit, and find you are able to burn more of the tobacco over time, but don't bother about a little dottle (unburnt tobacco). Just enjoy the smoking.

 

[TheIronMonkey]

I’m usually pretty good about eyeballing the right amount of tobacco that goes in a chamber. On occasion, I’ve set out a tiny bit too much and am compelled to jam the little extra in there rather than leave it in the tray, which sometimes results in slightly too tight a pack requiring me to use a pick and open things up a bit.