If You're Still Struggling With Packing...

[ignaciojn]

Too much dottle? Hot smokes? Wet smokes? Constant relights?
This video, and specially this very simple way of filling (at 03:20) made a world of difference to my smoking experience in the early days.

It's not a method (that's the beauty of it), it's the philosophy behind filling a pipe.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13HppvluaJ0
Credits to the wonderful Gray Bailey.

 

[bluto]

Gray is the man

 

[Chasing Embers]

It's not a method

It actually is. Some call it the "codger scoop" method.

 

[ignaciojn]

Haha, fair enough.

But it feels strange to use the words "codger" and "method" in the same sentence.

 

[lawdawg]

Let me just scoop my pipe into my tin of Gawith Full Virginia Flake... :nana: ::

 

[Chasing Embers]

Haha, fair enough.

But it feels strange to use the words "codger" and "method" in the same sentence.

:rofl:

Let me just scoop my pipe into my tin of Gawith Full Virginia Flake...

Rub out all the flakes and you can.

 

[woodsroad]

Just scoop and pack​

 

[rdavid]

Yeah... I went through the whole obsession with different packing techniques. 2 stage, 3 stage blah blah. I finally just found the gravity method and pack till it feels right. Can always adjust on the fly with a tamper and/or a pick. Works for me anyway.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Just scoop and pack

Exclusive footage from the Esoterica factory. :clap:

 

[woodsroad]

I had a long drive back from an assignment in the city tonight. Now, usually, I take some care in packing a bowl, but this evening I just wanted to get on the road and get home. I popped open a tin of Doblone d'Oro, grabbed a wad of baccy, didn't rub out the coins, and just jammed it all tight into a cob and lit it. The drive home was an hour and the pipe only needed two relights (with tamping). So much for technique.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Yep, it's all myth and dogma. The less technical you get about smoking a pipe, the easier it is.

 

[woodsroad]

Yup, well said.

Every pipe is different, every tobacco. You just can't generalize, and there isn't just one answer.

 

[sablebrush52]

Doblone d'Oro? It's tinned dry enough to just fill and light up. Those little coins are perfect to squash into a bowl. I don't ever have to futz with it. Lights easily and smokes effortlessly.
Codger scoop works for most non flake cuts. Flakes I either rub out or cube and gravity feed. The thing about codger scoop is that a practiced smoker can do that effortlessly and get a proper pack each time.
For those who are pack challenged there's always the Frank method, though he appears to always pack straight from the tin, so I have some serious reservations about his knowledge. Get the moisture right and then do that method and it should work just fine.

 

[npod]

Those little coins are perfect to squash into a bowl. I don't ever have to futz with it. Lights easily and smokes effortlessly.

:clap:

 

[ignaciojn]

For those who are pack challenged there's always the Frank method

I used the Frank Method a lot in the beginning. It cuts substantially the number of relights, but the bottom of the bowl usually gets very wet.
Also, it's very difficult to do with dried tobacco.

 

[woodsroad]

Hmmmm, I see a causal relationship here.

 

[texasfiremedic]

Hmm never seen this before. A fellow forum member gave me the greatest advice on pipe smoking not too long ago which has vastly improved my smokes. Pack it much lighter than you think you should.

 

[bluto]

The idea is to leave small air pockets for good burning and draw
Whatever method , cut or moisture , use your experience and feel

 

[jpmcwjr]

If it's dry enough no "technique" is required. Exception: flake, rope, plug: those require some doing.

 

[woodsroad]

My pipe wasn’t packed lightly. It was jammed full of twisted coins of Dark Fired, and smoked like porn starlet.