So I've been smoking a few weeks now and have prided myself on not having to do many relights. Pipe doesn't seem terribly loosely packed, I use the "3 sprinkle method." But I noticed smoking Peterson Early Morning Pipe that pretty quickly after getting it going I would take a very small puff and get a ton of smoke, and it seemed to be running a bit hot. Not too hot to hold or anything like that, but when I retrohaled it kinda stung a little bit. Pipe hadn't been going very long. Does that sound like I probably did not pack tight enough? Draw is very easy... but its not like I'm blowing through the bowl very fast...
Maybe I'm not packing the pipe tight enough? Lots of smoke with small draw...
- Thread starter jtkuga
- Start date
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Slow your cadence. If you think you are having a slow cadence, slow it down even more.
#1 problem: worrying about doing re-lights.
#2 problem: no one else can go through your particular trial & error motions which have so many variables they cannot be listed. Just be patient and keep experimenting.
This is the perfect answer.
“Smoke slower” is a tired and lazy response.
It is a great answer, just short of "figure it out yourself, ha ha.
The reason why "smoke slower" is given so often, is that it just hardly ever occurs to the new pipesmoker that didn't grow up around pipesmokers that the goal is slow.
But yeh, a lot of variables also.
To the OP, you can also correct your packing with a gentle push of the tamper, but be careful not to over pack it. I'd rather push through with a loose pack than try to push through with one that's too tight.
I wish all new pipe smokers could just spend 5-10 minutes with an experienced pipe smoker. Having someone there physically showing me how to pack and draw would have saved me months of mediocre smokes when I first started.
I can’t add too much more to what @FLDRD and @cosmicfolklore said. Experiment, smoke slow, and pack light.
I can’t add too much more to what @FLDRD and @cosmicfolklore said. Experiment, smoke slow, and pack light.
Just "Kentucky Windage" your draws. The more you smoke, the more you'll get a feel for it. Flakes draw differently than ribbon for example, or some tobacco blends just burn easier than others even of the same cut. Some pipes just draw easier than others even with the same pack as other pipes.
Never mind that even if you only smoke one blend, you're not going to pack it exactly the same every time.
So you just have to adjust accordingly with each bowl. Sometimes you'll need to draw harder and sometimes lighter, sometimes draw more frequently and other times less frequently, sometimes draw for longer and others shorter, sometimes you'll want short light puffs more often and others longer draws less often.
Drawing on a bowl has 3 different parameters you could measure... how hard you're sucking, for how long each suck is, and how frequently you're sucking on it. Sometimes you have to adjust just one, sometimes all three, and the only way to know is to get a feel for it... no packing technique is going to change that aspect, and in my opinion, packing technique is too often the only aspect people look at, when there's many factors beyond just that. Like "if I could just perfect my packing technique..." or "but I packed it right...", like that's the only thing there is to it.
Unless you're in a slow smoking competition, packing technique isn't terribly critical, as long as you don't do it poorly. There's no one right way, but there's several wrong ways. I mostly "codger scoop" everything (no specific loading "technique", I just pinch off however much I feel like is the right amount and stuff it in) with no dry time and have no problems "keeping a pipe lit with few relights", not getting bit, and not having "bad smokes" in general. The key is to relax, don't over think it and hyper-fixate on perfection, and go with the flow.
Never mind that even if you only smoke one blend, you're not going to pack it exactly the same every time.
So you just have to adjust accordingly with each bowl. Sometimes you'll need to draw harder and sometimes lighter, sometimes draw more frequently and other times less frequently, sometimes draw for longer and others shorter, sometimes you'll want short light puffs more often and others longer draws less often.
Drawing on a bowl has 3 different parameters you could measure... how hard you're sucking, for how long each suck is, and how frequently you're sucking on it. Sometimes you have to adjust just one, sometimes all three, and the only way to know is to get a feel for it... no packing technique is going to change that aspect, and in my opinion, packing technique is too often the only aspect people look at, when there's many factors beyond just that. Like "if I could just perfect my packing technique..." or "but I packed it right...", like that's the only thing there is to it.
Unless you're in a slow smoking competition, packing technique isn't terribly critical, as long as you don't do it poorly. There's no one right way, but there's several wrong ways. I mostly "codger scoop" everything (no specific loading "technique", I just pinch off however much I feel like is the right amount and stuff it in) with no dry time and have no problems "keeping a pipe lit with few relights", not getting bit, and not having "bad smokes" in general. The key is to relax, don't over think it and hyper-fixate on perfection, and go with the flow.
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Try a few charring lights. Light it a little bit, lightly tamp it down flat, light again, tamp lightly, etc. When you’ve got it nicely charred and flat, you’ll get a good light the next time without heating it up too much.
Also, forget about relights. A nice slow cadence may actually result in the pipe going out if you’re talking or doing something else. You’re better off letting it go out and doing a quick light tamp and relight than trying to huff and puff it back to life.
Also, forget about relights. A nice slow cadence may actually result in the pipe going out if you’re talking or doing something else. You’re better off letting it go out and doing a quick light tamp and relight than trying to huff and puff it back to life.
No idea how this will be critiqued, lol, and may be way off base but I recall looking at some smoke wisping out a stem a long time ago and thinking one thing I could do is figure out how to perceive it when enjoying a pipe and not feel like I needed to be drawing in a bunch of smoke to validate, for lack of a better word, what I was doing.
If I wasn't lazy, I'd have said all this...
Yes. Everything @sardonicus87 said here is 100% on point. Pipe smoking really is that nuanced and unless you've done it enough, you're just not going to get the feel.If I wasn't lazy, I'd have said all this...
It's easy to feel like you're doing it "wrong" when it's not perfect and you're new to the experience.
Just relax & repeat.
Just relax & repeat.
Yep, sitting in the garage enjoying some fresh, out of a new bag, no drying time Wilke No. 515. Not so long ago I’d have dried it pretty well - it’s not a goopy blend but times have changed, have relighted about three times in the last 30 minutes, so what, sipping away and listening to music and typing (at the limit of my ability to multi task, haha). Just a matter of time and experimenting and yep, relax. And I’m 100% lazy in my garage right now, may fall asleep wh ………..
Great advice. Slowed down even further and it helped. I see how with different pipes you may have to adjust different things. I added in a pipe with Lane 1q, and it was packed a little lighter, but the pipe is a really bad hand me down, so I had to draw harder on that one to get less smoke. The good news is I'm actually getting a little flavor! Its hard to explain how I'm doing it, but I'm getting my nose involved, and after having the smoke in my mouth drawing in a little from the nose and sorta acting like I'm going to swallow it but not completing the swallow if that makes sense. I probably look pretty weird if you were watching me, but I'm getting some taste as opposed to just different smells. Highly recommend newbies like myself smoking two different pipes at the same time when trying to learn the different flavors of tobacco.
Don't puff. Let the smoke just roll into your mouth while gently breathing through your nose.
sounds like you are doing well to me. If you're not getting bite then you're doing good. And like riding a bike or kissing a polar bear the more you do it the better you'll get. And yes do experiment a bit. See if a tighter pack suits your smoking style better.
In a way with pipes there are lots of little simple things going on that all add up in a sort of complex way. As long as you are enjoying it and not scorching your tongue or setting your living room on fire you are doing good.
In a way with pipes there are lots of little simple things going on that all add up in a sort of complex way. As long as you are enjoying it and not scorching your tongue or setting your living room on fire you are doing good.
Agree here. Keep going and one day it clicks. Don’t over think things once you understand the fundamentals. We aren’t running a nuclear control room here
It's like learning to play an instrument. You can read all day long about technique for years, but no amount of reading will give you the "feel" that experience gives you and you'll sound like crap the first time you actually play the thing.
Knowing logically and having an idea how something feels or is supposed to feel or how it's supposed to be done isn't the same as actually having a feel (physically) for something or knowing how to do it.
the point is to enjoy smoking.Agree here. Keep going and one day it clicks. Don’t over think things once you understand the fundamentals. We aren’t running a nuclear control room here