How Often Do You Tamp?

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diamondback

Lifer
Feb 22, 2019
1,215
1,934
54
Rockvale, TN
This is a tough question for me to answer as honestly I don’t really think about it ??‍♂️ Pretty much it’s just a “feel” thing that’s based on how the blend is smoking, etc. I know some blends I tamp more than others. I tend to follow @python’s method by and large, but again, I ‘poke and prod’ at some blends more than others, and sometimes with certain blends in certain pipes...

Yeah, that’s as helpful as the advice: “It is what it is.” lol sorry!
 

Jack T

Starting to Get Obsessed
Oct 30, 2019
148
886
I hadn't thought about it until I read this. After observing my habits, I find that I light the pipe, let it go out, tamp it and relight. Then I do not tamp it again unless it goes out or the draw has no resistance, neither of which happens very often. About 2/3 of the way through, I may tamp lightly.
 

odobenus

Part of the Furniture Now
Dec 15, 2018
730
2,580
Vermont
Exceptions for Semois, though, right? My understanding is that the dryness of that tobacco requires more regular tampage.
 

Dissident_Mantis

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jan 8, 2020
132
332
This may sound crazy, but sometimes never. Sometimes I don't even do a char light. I like a nice ribbon cut English/Balkan blend. Occasionally I will just pack it in, light it and watch the ribbons expand and spill out of the bowl. If it seems lit enough, i just keep puffing away. I have smoked my Castello KKK (a rather large bowl) all of the way down without tamping a single time. I find that tamping is only necessary when the tobacco is moist, and I tend to dry out a bowls worth of tobacco ahead of time before i smoke it.
 
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Mis Pipas

Part of the Furniture Now
Nov 11, 2019
911
9,815
76
Holy Land
After the initial light, I only tamp if the pipe goes out and will not re-light. Then I will tamp and re-light. You should always try relighting without tamping first. Doing this will prevent a tightly packed smoke.

You shouldn't need to tamp much at all while smoking.
"your are god !!!!"
Pythoon HI, do yo remember the film "Analyze This" is a 1999 American gangster comedy film directed by Harold Ramis, who co-wrote the screenplay with playwright Kenneth Lonergan and Peter Tolan. The film stars Robert De Niro as a mafioso and Billy Crystal as his psychiatrist ?
............and the scenes where Deniro (the ganster) tells the Psychiatrist (Ben Sobel) "YOUR ARE GOOD DOCTOR !! .. YOU ARE GOOD DOCTOR !!!!"
 

tobefrank

Lifer
Jun 22, 2015
1,367
5,008
Australia
I don't tend to tamp the ember down as much as I use the tamper to create a venturi to rekindle the flame with oxygen.

I just lightly place the tamper on top of the tobacco and draw air in while it is still lit, bringing the ember back to life.
 
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charf

Part of the Furniture Now
Jul 10, 2018
575
3,192
New Zealand
I smoke mainly ribbon cut. I don’t tamp unless for a relight. Sometimes near the bottom of the bowl I will use the pick on the Czech tool to loosen the tobacco (down the side of the bowl in 3 places) then re-tamp. Saw that on a video somewhere I think. The rest of the bowl then usually smokes really well.
 
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F4RM3R

Part of the Furniture Now
Nov 28, 2019
567
2,516
39
Canada
I only tamp on relights and it's important to only use the weight of the tamper tool to push down the ash. Sometimes I'll remove some of the ash before relighting. A lot has to do with the cut of the blend I'm smoking.
+1

Yep. The "how often?" Question really depends on a few factors. Cut, moisture, blend, pipe, pressure. I prefer to tamp often, but lightly, sometimes it's just to even out the top of the ash and not really pressing down very much.
 
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