I think I must be doing something wrong

[thorin]

Hello!
I just started smoking a pipe about two weeks ago because work is stressing me the heck out and pipe smoking seems awesome. I read up all about it to avoid as many beginner mistakes as I can. Things are going well so far and I love it, but I have a couple questions to which I cannot find quick answers. This seems like the place to go for that so here I am.
I have to relight like 5-8 times in the course of a bowl. I feel like I am packing pretty light, just used gravity a couple of times, and I still have to relight all the time. I am definitely not puffing like mad cause it seems like that is a bad idea. Never had tongue bite and the bowl has never been too hot to hold.
So my question is, "Is my tobacco too wet, do I need to draw harder, do I need to pack lighter, or is it some combination of all of these? OR! is 8 relights normal? Lastly, how do I know if I am smoking too hot? I feel like I could draw harder bt I don't want to ruin the flavor." That is like 5 questions...
I am smoking a mild latakia blend called "outback" (sampler from P&C is in the mail). As far as I can tell it is straight latakia. I am alternating between two briar pipes about every other day. It's pretty humid where I am these days and the tobacco feels somewhat moist to the touch.

 

[unclearthur]

You need to pack tightly enough to keep your ember going. Try drying your tobacco a bit and gently tamping as you smoke. Just let the weight of the tamper do the work.

 

[markw4mms]

As usual, great advice from Uncle Arthur! I couldn't have said it better myself!

 

[thorin]

Thanks for the quick response! Since I am totally new to this I am not quite sure what drying the tobacco a bit entails. Like how long should I leave it out for and what should it feel like when it has the right moisture content?

 

[triprolo]

My advice would be to carve out a few hours and read everything you can on this site. You'll figure it out. A lot of good info here for free.

 

[octavius]

I have only been smoking for a few years, and I definitely struggled a bit at first. Honestly, time and finding out what works for you is what really gets you to a point where each smoke is enjoyable. It is tricky! Good advice, like Arthur's above, will definitely help you along the way. Check out the "three step" method for loading your pipe, you can find videos on youtube demonstrating the steps of the method. That helped me a lot.

 

[unclearthur]

For drying use the pinch method. When you pinch some of the tobacco it shouldn't stick together nor be tinder dry.

 

[olderthandirt]

And while your at it, don't be too hung up with re-lights.

Most folks will put flame to a bowl more than a few times from start to finish. It's the way it is.

The 1 match bowl is more an urban legend than the norm.
Keep doing exactly what you are doing, namely, paying attention to how you load a given pipe with a given blend and in time the number of re-lights will become fewer.

 

[pstlpkr]

The 1 match bowl is more an urban legend than the norm.

You're right Olderthandirt....

It's two matches per bowl... :D
Just kidding...
Multiple lights are the norm.

But, in a slow smoke competition or in a moment of quite reflection with a pipe... Char-true, and puff... puff... puff... ad infinitum.

::

 

[fullbent]

Count me out on the slow smoke...I tend to smoke way to fast! I've become used to it and it's just the way I smoke. ::

 

[baronsamedi]

I would experiment with different packing styles. There are several vids here on PM. Different pipe shapes favor different packing styles too. I like the Harry Method but it isn't as good for my meer because the bowl is so big I'd need a hand the size of a shovel, so I use the 3-Step Method most of the time.
You want the pack to be a little tight, just not so stuffed, you can't get a draw.
Plus I always do a "false light" then tamp then a real light. I'm never afraid to tamp if the draw gets too "free" or doesn't produce much smoke..
I often still need a relight toward the bottom or even more than one depending on humidity and how much I slobber in my pipe.
Hmm. Time to head up to "the Officer's Club" and contemplate this more thoroughly.

 

[francois1]

hi it takes time and practice as someone said read as much as you can i have started smoking a pipe again after

30 years and have found the information that is on thes forms extremly helpfull maybee you should try a different tobacco as i think the brand you are smoking as a biginner is to damp i find latitkia rather damp and

now seem to lean tothe peterson brands i avoid irish oak as it has to much n in it

just give it time and you will learn the pleasure of pipe smoking

david(scotland)

 

[francois1]

look up on the net PIPE SMOKING TIPS there is a huge amount of advice i found it very usefull

david(SCOTLAND)

 

[loneredtree]

You asked about drying the tobac.
You can spread out enough for a bowl on the counter. The time to leave it will vary from minutes to hours depending on the tobacco and humidity etc. Test it as per Uncle's post.
:puffpipe:

 

[antipodesman]

If you don't mind the re-lights, you may be getting more flavour than most pipe smokers who light once or twice. Its a good thing to have a cool pipe.