Looking Forward to Giving This a Try

[arvetus]

Well, my supplies have came in and I'm looking forward to giving this a try. Having enjoyed my share of cigars, I'm sure this will be quite a different experience. Many of my cigars have been enjoyed after more than just one or two refreshing "beverages," so this will take a different style, but I'm looking forward to it.
I've got a Savinelli 313 and a Savinelli 601, so I am thinking about using the 313 for aromatics and the 601 for non. Not sure if it matters.
I also have a couple more on the way since I got the itch and the price was right and I have two poker pipes on the way that I found on the auction site. One is an estate Smoker's Inn poker pipe with a bent stem and the other is a new Mr. Brog poker with a straight stem that's coming directly from Poland. I am really liking the poker style and the etching on the bowl of the Mr. Brog looked cool to me, so I couldn't resist. Got the Smoker's Inn for the exorbitant price of $15, so for that, I also couldn't say no.
Figure that should give me a few to use in rotation if I employ this "hobby" a bit more regularly. I'll admit, it is a little intimidating to hear everyone talking about it, but I'll see what I come up with.
Edited by jvnshr: Title capitalization (please check Rule #9)

 

[aquadoc]

Nice.

 

[mso489]

arv', welcome aboard. It sounds like you are making a thoughtful approach to your pipes and leaf. Don't let the detail swamp you. Much of it are just fine points and points of discussion, once you master the basics. I think many, maybe most, members here don't designate pipes unless they are smoking something notorious for ghosting, but you know your own taste buds, and if you get too much residue taste, then designate. The famous offenders are Lakeland aromatics (not their non-aros), and Latakia for some people. Much advice may follow, so those are just my two cents. Feel free with questions. Lots of good info and informed opinion here, although not always from me.

 

[arvetus]

Thanks mso. I was thinking of the full bent for non aromatics only because I have read that pipe style is prone to gurgling with the wetness that some aromatic blends can have. I don't know for myself firsthand, but I more or less wanted to try different styles and stems and see what might work best for me. I am a fan of the looks of straight and then a 1/4 or 1/2 bent. I don't know what you would call the 601, but that would be about as bent as what appeals to my eye, in fact, it's almost too bent. But I'll try it and see what I think of it as I use it.
I did buy a handful of small cobs just to have, but I think I want to start with a briar so I don't pick up bad habits...as if smoking isn't bad enough. :lol:
Looks as though, with anything else in life, everyone has to find what works for them, so I will try to take any recommendations with a grain of salt. Like I said, it seems intimidating only because I tend to take advice more personal, but I the older I get, I am trying to distance myself and realize that any advice given is based on one's personal experience and may or may not work for my application.
But everyone here seems like a good, well intentioned bunch of folks.

 

[mso489]

arv', I have the 601 as a churchwarden with a full-arched stem, and it is excellent. I don't think the length of stem has any bearing on how it would smoke. That's it in my avatar.

 

[olkofri]

601 is half-bent. The 316 is your 1/4 bent.
Neat pipes. I've had a hard time with cobs, what with their more open draught and all. Coming from cigars, you might find their draught too open too, but you know yourself. Enjoy!

 

[arvetus]

That's what I'm wondering. I am used to a cigar draught, so I have no idea what to look for when packing the pipe, but I have a feeling that that type of draught might be too tight for a pipe bowl. Guess we'll wing it and see what happens.

 

[mso489]

I like my 601 because it is one of the Savinelli's without a balsa filter. Sav and Rossi (their econo-pipe line) both offer series with no balsa filters, as with the Oscar Lucite Sav series, and the Vittoria and some Palermo Rossi. I have a Rossi prince and a Rossi zulu that do not have filters. This is usually spelled out in the text on individual pipes, so look closely at the specs in shopping pipes. Sturdy durable smokers all.

 

[scloyd]

Nice choice in Savinelli's. I have two, Clark's Favorite and Trevi Rusticated 904KS.

 

[arvetus]

Well, I tried a couple smokes over the weekend. After a date night Saturday, Wife and I spent some time on the porch and I fired up the 313 with some Autumn Evening. Wife said it smelled really good, but I had some time keeping it lit. I went through about 8 or 10 matches and it seemed like I could draw from it one second and then it would be out and....nothing.
Yesterday, I fired up the 601 with some Peter Stokebye 17 English Luxury thinking that an aromatic may not be a good beginner smoke. First I have to say that WOW, now that's a good blend! I really like that Latakia. That was amazing, especially on a retrohale. But...still had he same issues with keeping it lit...even with tamping.
Because the pipe kept going out, I started smoking it MUCH faster and harder than I should or even wanted to. But I was trying to keep the darn thing going. Now, I could definitely tell that I was smoking too fast because the bowl was starting to get warm, but not too warm to keep my hand on, but even with some fast puffing, I could not keep it lit. Would you say that if the pipe goes out pretty quick that I might still be packing too lose? Or am I tamping too much?

I thought I might be packing it too tight, but understanding physics, I wouldn't think that tightly packed tobacco would have a problem with staying lit as long as I kept puffing. So if I can puff like a train and the bowl still won't stay lit, I would guess it's packed too loose. Thoughts??

 

[slowroll]

Perhaps also too moist. A lot of us think most tobacco as shipped is way too moist. I give most of mine about 3 minutes in a toaster oven at about 180 F before loading the pipe. I like it just short of crispy.

 

[lawdawg]

I would advise against puffing to keep a pipe going. It just ruins the taste and in my experience causes bite. No shame in a relight. When I smoke Virginias, I smoke them so slow that there will easily be 5 or more relights per bowl. Regardless, relighting is just a part of smoking
That being said, ten relights is a lot depending on the tobacco blend, and I agree with slowroll about the moisture issue. Probably just need to dry your baccy a little more. Dried tobacco (not too dried... not crumbly) will smoke cooler and therefore be easier to taste since your mouth and tongue won't be dealing with steam and hot air.
There is a steep learning curve in pipe smoking, but it is well worth the effort. I've been smoking for years and am still refining and improving my technique. I still get "bad" smokes sometimes, and "good" smokes other times, and sometimes even phenomenal smokes. It's all part of the process.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I went through about 8 or 10 matches and it seemed like I could draw from it one second and then it would be out and....nothing.

Sounds like you packed it too tight.

 

[arvetus]

I wondered about it being too moist. I went home at lunch and have some set out to dry for this evening ... if I get a chance.

I don't mind relighting, but I couldn't even keep it going for a minute, let alone 5 or 10 before I took a break. Trying to practice the "breath method" that muttnchop discusses. Already can retrohale...I do that with cigars. I CAN say however, that while I really do enjoy a good cigar, and I will still have one on special occasions with friends...weddings, babies, holiday celebrations, etc., I think I'm going to enjoy the pipe a lot more. Of the two blends I've tried, I like them both better than any cigar I've ever had. Now to just get the mechanics down.

 

[olkofri]

I have the same problem. Even with properly dried toby I still have to relight light crazy; sometimes it's 1-2 puffs and it's out. My tongue hates it, of course, as relighting can be harsh on the mouth and throat: which is the point of proper technique that requires few to no relights, but that takes time.
I've given up on the breath method for the time being. I think it's easier to master when you're a seasoned piper rather than when you're a beginner.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Doesn't sound "properly dried" Back into the oven!

 

[arvetus]

Well, I set out some 1-Q to dry out on Monday and went ahead packed the pipe Monday evening. I did it a little looser than I did before, and tried to gravity fill it. I didn't get a chance to smoke it then but I did last night. I was able to get down to about half a bowl before it went out the first time and after dumping the ash before each re-light, I think I had to re-light 3 more times to finish. The last time it went out, there were like 3 strands of tobacco left with the ash, so I figured that was fine.
The entire smoke lasted about 45 minutes. I think I'm still smoking it too fast, so I will have to try and slow it down some. For me, I didn't think 1-Q had that much flavor. It wasn't bad tasting, just very light. I don't taste vanilla myself, I just taste the earthiness of the tobacco, albeit very light. But I may come to appreciate it after a while since I have a feeling I will like the heavier blends. I only bought 3oz of it, so I have most of it in a pint jar and then a small amount in a 1/2 pint. May still play around with what I have in the 1/2 pint, but I think y'all may be on to something with the dry thing. It also may be a matter of that I'm not taking enough time to light it and get the ember started. This time, I tried to take my time with lighting it and tried to get a nice, dull glow in the center of the bowl. I am still working on the technique, but it will continue to play around. I might be on the right track now. I need to work on my tamping though. After about half a bowl, every time I would tamp, I'd kill it. But perhaps I'll figure it out eventually.

 

[lawdawg]

Sounds like you are figuring it out ::
On the tamping issue, once or twice per bowl I will use the little spoon on the Czech tool to scoop out the burnt ashes. Tamping a small amount of ash into the embers / unburned tobacco helps to keep a nice even burn, but too much ash tends to smother the burn. You might experiment with dumping your ashes and see how it goes.

 

[arvetus]

I will play around with that for sure.

I was thinking about my 45 minute smoke...I still think that's not long enough, but it was a Virginia heavy blend and from what I'm gathering, they tend to burn hotter and quicker than a burley heavy blend.
I have a Ready Rubbed clone on the way to try the Burley heavy side and I have a few other aromatics that have some Burley in the mix and of course the Latakia blends already on the shelf to play around with. It probably will take me more time than most because I don't do it every day. But I may do it more here at the beginning while I try to get the hang of the mechanics and then do it more of on a "when I feel like it" basis.
Some of my decision to try pipe smoking was just to try it. I've tried and enjoy cigars on special occasions. Why not try a pipe? And some of it was just simply for my own learning curiosity and just learning one more thing to do. Ahh well... ::

 

[mso489]

Sip don't puff, is a good mantra. Try packing another pipe when you end one smoke, letting it dry until the next day. That seems to help. Most assume they need a charring light, the first light they don't expect to stay lit. Also, gently tamp down the bowl before you relight. You need some air in there to keep an ember going, so don't pack it down too hard. It takes a few bowls to get the feel, and a few weeks to get it going well. Don't push too hard nor expect too much. Take it as a sort of game, like learning anything else for the first time.