Hey everyone ive been smoking pipe for a while now and ive heard people talk about sitting down and enjoying a bowl for close to an hour or even longer. I havent been able to do that, im luckly to have a bowl last 20 mins. I know people say to slow down but how slow? How do i establish a good rythm so i can enjoy a long smoke?
How slow is slow enough?
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I find that pipes will chug along pretty much at a lukewarm-to-the-hand sort of temperature once they are maybe 10 minutes in, it's like the briar has to warm up, things have to get going to establish the combustion equation that can be maintained easily. Essentially, I smoke on the edge of the pipe going out, and I think nothing of relights - the idea of lighting with one match and smoking perfectly to the bottom is just... ludicrous. Who cares? Far better to relight 10 times in an hour than to be madly puffing seeking some reward that isn't going to happen.
Chill and enjoy the pipe. The more you try to smoke it just so, the more it'll fight. Read, drive, do some secondary thing and see how that goes. Forget the pipe.
Chill and enjoy the pipe. The more you try to smoke it just so, the more it'll fight. Read, drive, do some secondary thing and see how that goes. Forget the pipe.
Depends on the size of the bowl as well, but how slow or fast you smoke will depend on you, the pipe, the tobacco and the pack. If it keeps going out, you are either smoking too slow or not packing it properly. Or maybe the tobacco needs drying. Experiment with your packing to see how it affects the burn. If you are smoking it too fast, the bowl will get real hot (some like clay get hot anyway), the flavor will suffer, you may generate a gurgle, and of course, you will burn through it in a short time. As many have said, try to relax and enjoy it with slow, steady sips, this is a relaxing pastime for pleasure, not a race. Like many things, it is a bit of an acquired skill learned over time, which is also part of what makes it worthwhile.
Never ever worry about how long a bowl lasts you. Do pay attention to heat generated, and if it's a briar, when it starts to get hot/very warm put 'er down for five minutes.
Happy piping!
Happy piping!
I smoke slow for taste and to avoid bite, not to prolong the smoke. I can't imagine wanting to smoke for an hour nonstop. I own mostly small-bowled pipes for that reason. The few larger ones I own I usually fill halfway.
You want to smoke just fast/slow enough to keep the pipe going (mostly, not worrying about relights). You don't want to be heating up the bowl any more than necessary, given that some pipes will burn a little hot if they are lit. I think flake, plug, rope, and coin burn more slowly than loose cut tobacco, and give a longer smoke. If you want a really long smoke, use a big bowl, slight moist tobacco that still stays lit, and as slow as cadence as will keep the pipe (mostly) lit. But you want this fast/slow and relight business to fade into the background. Tamp and tend the pipe as needed, but mostly relax, savor, and be transported.
If you're making big clouds of smoke, you are not savoring your smoke, and you're just wasting tons of nicotine into the air. We get our vitamin N by slowly rolling the smoke around our mouths and slowly absorbing it into the small blood vessels there. If you are just passing smoke through your mouth, you're not really going to get much out of it. But, if you just want to puff puff lots of smoke, then have fun... and please set on the other side of the room from me. Someone is going to think you're a beginner. Ha ha!
Thanks for the tips everyone! Slowing down is easier said than done. haha specially with some really good bacey but by slowing down it makes it taste even better. Thanks again everyone 
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