Making Bowl Last Longer

[TheWhale13]

I keep seeing people here smoking a bowl for over an hour if not two. I can't seem to make that happen, even if I really try to slow down.

Is there a way to make my bowls last longer? I know that the cut makes a difference, and moisture, cadence, and so on. Am I doing something wrong or are those guys not smoking their pipe half the time?

 

[Chasing Embers]

Smoke very slowly to the point the smoke is barely visible. Just nurse the ember.

 

[TheWhale13]

Smoke very slowly to the point the smoke is barely visible. Just nurse the ember.

I will try to really do this.

But what about packing? If I pack really loose, after lighting a fair bit of tobacco is just ashes after tamping. Should I pack harder, or don't light as aggressively?

I know I am overcomplicating this too much for some, but this annoys me.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I will try to really do this.

But what about packing? If I pack really loose, after lighting a fair bit of tobacco is just ashes after tamping. Should I pack harder, or don't light as aggressively?

I know I am overcomplicating this too much for some, but this annoys me.

I just gravity fill everything.

Not quite a tutorial, but it looks something like this.

 

[anotherbob]

I will try to really do this.

But what about packing? If I pack really loose, after lighting a fair bit of tobacco is just ashes after tamping. Should I pack harder, or don't light as aggressively?

I know I am overcomplicating this too much for some, but this annoys me.

best way to find out experimentation. Or you could just smoke two bowls. That works a charm

 

[condorlover1]

You could also consider following the new FDA/ Department of the Treasury guidelines by filling your pipe, putting it in your mouth but not lighting it. This will (a) save you a fortune on tobacco making a 50g tin last for ever (b) improve your breath freshness (c) reduce your carbon foot print (d) not harm your health in anyway unless you walk into a door with the pipe in your mouth thus ramming the stem down your throat.

 

[reloader]

I keep seeing people here smoking a bowl for over an hour if not two. I can't seem to make that happen, even if I really try to slow down.

Is there a way to make my bowls last longer? I know that the cut makes a difference, and moisture, cadence, and so on. Am I doing something wrong or are those guys not smoking their pipe half the time?

I wouldn't worry about it too much. I've never had a bowl last more than an hour. On a previous thread it seemed as though the average bowl smoke time was around 40 minutes. If I need to smoke longer than that I just have a second bowl. That gives me the opportunity to have two different blends in the same sitting.

 

[dunnyboy]

One totally acceptable way to make a bowl last for over an hour is to rest the pipe every five or ten minutes, then relight if necessary. If you want to make a medium/large bowl last over an hour of continuous smoking, practice the so-called breath(e) method. You can Google the breath(e) method but essentially you comfortably clench the pipe (I know, it sounds like an oxymoron) and let the smoke drift into your mouth without trying to draw it in or inhale it. Let the smoke linger in your mouth to enjoy the taste, then let it drift out. While the smoke is in your mouth, breathe normally through your nose. Although you can remove the pipe from time to time to rest your mouth, it's easier to smoke this way if the pipe isn't heavy or unbalanced. This method of smoking doesn't involve any special preparation beyond proper packing and very light tamping.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

Don't over think it. If you're smoking slow enough and enjoying it, that's all that matters. I really get more than an hour or if a medium sized bowl of Flake but it's more like 45 minutes to an hour for ribbon cut.

 

[NC TX ID pipeman]

You will be out of Prince Albert from a smaller vintage pipe bowl in 30 min..but decent tobacco smoked from bigger bowl makes easy hour to 2.5 hour smoke..try bigger bowl pipe anyway or meerschaum..tobacco taste from them better specially the mid to lower part of the bowl

 

[bullet08]

Just smoke it. Don't think about smoking. Breath. Soon, you'll forget that you are smoking and it will last forever.

 

[64alex]

It is not possible to give a specific advice as there are too many variables in technique, which have been referred above, we don't know how are you playing them.
My best word is this, being everything else equal try to use a blend stronger in taste/flavor (not necessary in nicotine strength) and your bowl should last longer as you will automatically slow down as more satisfied by the stronger taste.

 

[PipeIT]

It’s not like you have to keep puffing non stop, like a train ? LOL ?

Light it, take a few sips, let it go out, and come back to take a few puffs every now and then, and your bowls will last for hours.

This is how I smoke, a sip here, a sip there, and I can smoke a pipe all day.

 

[Searock Fan]

For what it's worth... I find I get the longest smoke from a plug cut (aka cake) tobacco. My technique is to fill the pipe "almost" to the top while trying not to leave any voids in the tobacco. I then check the draw. If it's good to go I move to the final step.

Now, some may think this is a good or bad idea, but hey, works for me. Plug cuts burn nicely after you get them lit, the problem is the lit part, as they are hard to get going. I pick another blend that has similar smoking characteristics but is a finer cut, give the jar a few shakes to make the smallest grains go to the bottom. I know, I could just grind some of the plug real fine, guess I like the contrast. Then I fish some of those small grains out and top off the bowl with them. They act like kindling when building a fire because they light easily and they will help get the plug burning.

 

[AJL67]

I’ve found as many have said here that smoking so slowly that it is almost out or you might think it is out tends to not only make it last, but you take 4 or 5 short quick sips on a bowl you think is dead and stoke it back to life and it’s not only a sense of accomplishment for lack of a better term but you are rewarded with some big, beautiful, gorgeous, yuge puffs of cool super flavorful smoke, such great puffs, the best, no other puffs are like them. ?

 

[JOHN72]

At the moment I usually smoke in large bowls. So it implies that if I have the habit of smoking slowly, and in addition, sometimes I let the pipe rest, when it has cooled down a little or a lot, I start smoking again. Then there is gravity loading, as Chasing rightly says. But of course gravity loading means that the bowl is more oxygenated, so to speak, which means that you don't smoke slow, i.e. if you smoke fast, maybe the tobacco burns faster. The temperature rises more easily. On the contrary, if you load the bowl tighter, cut it looser, or fold the flake, cake, and put it under pressure, etc. In short, when I smoke, I do it slowly, and sometimes I let the pipe rest, all very relaxed. If I am stressed, or in a hurry, I don't smoke at all, not even a mini cigar. I am a novice, still learning. So this is a personal opinion. Smoke in peace, or better not to smoke at all, at that time. Forgive me because I use the translator, and I do not know if I understand well what I mean.

 

[AJL67]

At the moment I usually smoke in large bowls. So it implies that if I have the habit of smoking slowly, and in addition, sometimes I let the pipe rest, when it has cooled down a little or a lot, I start smoking again. Then there is gravity loading, as Chasing rightly says. But of course gravity loading means that the bowl is more oxygenated, so to speak, which means that you don't smoke slow, i.e. if you smoke fast, maybe the tobacco burns faster. The temperature rises more easily. On the contrary, if you load the bowl tighter, cut it looser, or fold the flake, cake, and put it under pressure, etc. In short, when I smoke, I do it slowly, and sometimes I let the pipe rest, all very relaxed. If I am stressed, or in a hurry, I don't smoke at all, not even a mini cigar. I am a novice, still learning. So this is a personal opinion. Smoke in peace, or better not to smoke at all, at that time. Forgive me because I use the translator, and I do not know if I understand well what I mean.

Pretty good translation ??

 

[JOHN72]

Pretty good translation ??

Thank you very much friend AjL67

 

[AJL67]

A very wise man posted this summary it a beginners video here and i added a couple things that have helped me enjoy my pipes more.

• Use less tobacco than you think you should;
• Pack your tobacco looser than you think you should;
• Tamp less frequently than you think you should;
• Use less pressure while tamping than you think you should;
• Dry your tobacco more than you think you should.
• Slow down, you’re not a Choo-choo train, slow draws mean a cooler smoke, more flavor and less chance of tongue bite and gurgling
• If you think your pipe just went out take a test hit it you are still getting a little heat take a few short quick puffs in rapid succession to stoke the ember, a lot of times a pipe isn’t really “out yet” and you will coax it back to life and be rewarded with a nice big cool puff
• Relax and enjoy the experience, be contemplative, nothing says you have to puff with any specific cadence or even keep the bowl lit the entire time, no harm in a relight now and then.

 

[Ahi Ka]

Ive heard singing in your mind something like the national anthem or a hymn from your childhood will help you last longer.