Been smoking a pipe since September, and many times it goes well. I have largely been smoking cube cut, flake, and crumble cake type tobaccos lately. Recently I have been revisiting some of the more standard cuts of tobacco and I have a problem packing the bowl. At least I think that is the problem. It is like I have forgotten what I was doing a month ago that made those burn well.
It seems that no matter how loose I pack by the time I have smoked half way or a little more, that very open draw I packed has become a pin hole that will barely smoke. Even If I run a pipe cleaner down the pipe, that may work for a moment but then often right back to a bowl that isn't tight, but won't draw. I can't constantly be getting tobacco in the airway, can I? Like a few times every bowl?
With the flakes, cube cuts, an crumble cake type this doesn't seem to be a big problem, but on more typical cuts it is. It does happen some with the cube cuts too, but mostly not. I have been doing gravity feeds to make for a looser bowl, but it still seems to end up tighter after some smoking even though it hasn't even been tamped or barely tamped at all.
I barely use a tamper, I don't pack it down as I am smoking unless I feel I really have to do so because it is too loose to burn well. It almost seems like the light ash falls down in the tobacco and starts clogging things. Am I packing too loose? Do I need to remove ash from the bowl more often? I wish I knew other pipe smokers, I'm sure if someone watched me pack and smoke they could help me easier, but as it is that is not possible so I turn to you guys (again). I honestly think part of what I like about crumble cakes, flakes, and cube cut is that they are easier to pack and smoke for me.
These were the same cuts I started smoking, and I swear it was going better before I started smoking all the flakes.
I know this is user error, just trying to figure out if it is the smoking or the packing or both. I do dry everything before smoking, at least a half hour (usually longer) in a fairly dry house (around 40% humidity). This isn't the biggest deal in the world, but it does seem to cause a lot of re-lights on that last half or third of a bowl as the draw gets worse and the tobacco doesn't burn as well. I feel like if I smoke any slower I will no longer actually be smoking at all, but the tobacco does seem a bit moist down there towards the end too sometimes on these cuts.
Once again, about the time I think I am starting to get the hang of all this, turns out I look like a kid trying to smoke his dads pipe without a clue! I am sure that if there is a way to do so, I am making it harder than it really is. I still wish I could watch (in person) someone with a lot of experience pack and smoke a few bowls of different tobaccos. I have watched plenty of videos and I think I might still suck at smoking.
To give you examples of what I am talking about, a couple that have done this recently were Father Dempsey, Yorktown, and I think Pegasus also. I swear I have smoked the Pegasus and Dempsey without this happening in the past. I just cannot figure out what I am doing differently now than I was before I went down the flake rabbit hole.
Oh, also one more question, how much of an ember do you guys try to get going when you light the pipe? I have been just trying to get just enough to make it smoke a bit, but I saw a fella on one of these forum pages the other day saying that beginners are too afraid to get strong ember going in the beginning (because we are told to real slow and not ever puff) but that you should start with a full strong ember when lighting. Any opinions on this?
It seems that no matter how loose I pack by the time I have smoked half way or a little more, that very open draw I packed has become a pin hole that will barely smoke. Even If I run a pipe cleaner down the pipe, that may work for a moment but then often right back to a bowl that isn't tight, but won't draw. I can't constantly be getting tobacco in the airway, can I? Like a few times every bowl?
With the flakes, cube cuts, an crumble cake type this doesn't seem to be a big problem, but on more typical cuts it is. It does happen some with the cube cuts too, but mostly not. I have been doing gravity feeds to make for a looser bowl, but it still seems to end up tighter after some smoking even though it hasn't even been tamped or barely tamped at all.
I barely use a tamper, I don't pack it down as I am smoking unless I feel I really have to do so because it is too loose to burn well. It almost seems like the light ash falls down in the tobacco and starts clogging things. Am I packing too loose? Do I need to remove ash from the bowl more often? I wish I knew other pipe smokers, I'm sure if someone watched me pack and smoke they could help me easier, but as it is that is not possible so I turn to you guys (again). I honestly think part of what I like about crumble cakes, flakes, and cube cut is that they are easier to pack and smoke for me.
These were the same cuts I started smoking, and I swear it was going better before I started smoking all the flakes.
I know this is user error, just trying to figure out if it is the smoking or the packing or both. I do dry everything before smoking, at least a half hour (usually longer) in a fairly dry house (around 40% humidity). This isn't the biggest deal in the world, but it does seem to cause a lot of re-lights on that last half or third of a bowl as the draw gets worse and the tobacco doesn't burn as well. I feel like if I smoke any slower I will no longer actually be smoking at all, but the tobacco does seem a bit moist down there towards the end too sometimes on these cuts.
Once again, about the time I think I am starting to get the hang of all this, turns out I look like a kid trying to smoke his dads pipe without a clue! I am sure that if there is a way to do so, I am making it harder than it really is. I still wish I could watch (in person) someone with a lot of experience pack and smoke a few bowls of different tobaccos. I have watched plenty of videos and I think I might still suck at smoking.
To give you examples of what I am talking about, a couple that have done this recently were Father Dempsey, Yorktown, and I think Pegasus also. I swear I have smoked the Pegasus and Dempsey without this happening in the past. I just cannot figure out what I am doing differently now than I was before I went down the flake rabbit hole.
Oh, also one more question, how much of an ember do you guys try to get going when you light the pipe? I have been just trying to get just enough to make it smoke a bit, but I saw a fella on one of these forum pages the other day saying that beginners are too afraid to get strong ember going in the beginning (because we are told to real slow and not ever puff) but that you should start with a full strong ember when lighting. Any opinions on this?
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