My Packing Experiment

[carolinachurchwarden]

When I first started smoking a pipe way back in 2001, I picked up a cheap cob and a pouch of CB Gold and a cheap pipe nail. I can't really remember how I did it back then. Doesn't really matter, cause the time is now, not then.
The other day I was at the office, wanted to pack up a bowl and have a smoke before a meeting I had to be in at 1 pm sharp. I was doing my work, thinking I'd be able to get it finished in time to enjoy my smoke leisurely before my meeting. Well one thing led to another and then another, and before I knew my smoke time was being eaten away. Until then, I mostly took my time. Smoking my pipe is a ritual for me. Much like grooming my beard when I have one, or wet shaving when I don't. I love the process. Needless to say, I really wanted to try the Lane 1-Q I had bought and dried to my tastes and jarred the night before. I usually pack via the gravity feed method, three lifts, a little heavier tamp with my tamper on each. This day, was not the day for that. Didn't have time to do what I normally do, so I just scooped up some in my bowl from the zip top bag, a little over the top, then stuffed it in with my finger, feeling it lightly pack, then I scooped up some more. The whole process was super quick and looked a lot like this:
Scoop, pack, pack, scoop, pack, pack, scoop, pack, fire, light, puff.
I couldn't beleive it. Was one of the best packs I had done in a while and I never even really thought about it...I just...did it. Only one light for the entire bowl. Felt great. So I have been trying this out with other blends and yet again, while breaking in a new cob a bit this morning on the way to the office, I smoked some more 1-Q and I got it...the fabled last dump, white ash, smoke...off one light. That's never really happened to me before. Felt great. I'm discovering more and more for myself that the least amount of effort, that is to say the less and less exacting I try to be, the better my smokes seem to be. That's not saying that I don't care about the process still, I do, but it seems the more time and effort into making sure I'm packed just right, the less enjoyable I found the smoke. All those pack, test draw, dump, repeat 3 times efforts just don't seem to work for me. I like how I can feel it when I pack it in with my finger, even though I've seen people say "don't ever poke your finger inside to pack". I kinda like it. I like the way it feels. I can feel how it's packed as I go, where I can't really tell with a tamper.
I'm going to keep going like this. Scoop, pack, pack, scoop, pack, pack, scoop, pack, fire, light, puff for a while and just see if I'm right about my method. It's what seems to just work for me. Having great smokes on already great day, just puts a smile on my face.

 

[bigpond]

I believe you’ve discovered the joy of the “codger scoop”,

 

[pianopuffer]

As I’m working my way through the codger blends I have been trying this new to me method. Glad to hear you’ve been getting good results, that’s what it’s all about!

 

[anthonyrosenthal74]

I don't put much thought into packing anymore. It seems the less effort makes for the better smoke. I simply load some tobacco into the chamber until it's full and press down a bit with my finger. If I feel like I need to add a bit more tobacco, I simply add a bit more.

I like how I can feel it when I pack it in with my finger, even though I've seen people say "don't ever poke your finger inside to pack". I kinda like it. I like the way it feels.

I can't understand why they would say that. It seems to me you can far better judge the pack by feel with your finger than without.

 

[npod]

OP = 557 words 2,756 characters
“codger scoop” = 2 words 14 characters
:puffpipe:
Both work

 

[sablebrush52]

At a certain point, you know what the tobacco should feel like when you pack, and you just do it. I don't think about it, I just scoop and pack. With coins and flakes it's a bit different, but with ribbon and shag, it's really straightforward. Lighter pack at the bottom of the chamber, denser pack at the top. Light up and you're on your way.

 

[warren]

That's the reason my tobacco for the day goes from tin to pouch. When I'm standing under a tree, trying not to get rained on too much, it works. It's the only way to load a pipe when driving, pouch between my thighs, scoop and tamp. As I've written before, not a fan of rituals, I smoke the pipe ... it's merely a vessel for the tobacco. Loading, for me is all about feel, touch and it only takes a couple of bowls to learn to do it right.

 

[carolinachurchwarden]

OP = 557 words 2,756 characters

Also: 2,204 characters without spaces and 5 paragraphs!
I like to tell a story, keeps things interesting....

I can't understand why they would say that.

It was either a video or an article that mentioned something about the on your fingers. I couldn't honestly care less about all that. I've used my finger plenty of times now and I couldn't tell one difference. Black Frigate tastes the same either way, and that's all that counts. Also, just finished another smoke of BF this time, same result. One light, ash at bottom. Boom.
@Sablebrush, yep, I'm a codger scoop and smoke man now for sure. Flakes and coins, I do like, but I think I've discovered I enjoy them rubbed out better, so still same concept. Rub out, drizzle in, pack with my finger, light, puff, relax. Just did that one last night with my LBF to see if it worked. Obviously different if I fold and stuff.

 

[anthonyrosenthal74]

something about the on your fingers.

I'm assuming you meant 'oil on your fingers.' You missed a word, haha. But even so, if you're using your fingers to pull tobacco out of the tin, or jar, or pouch, what does it matter? :crazy:

Black Frigate tastes the same either way, and that's all that counts.

Very true.

 

[carolinachurchwarden]

That's the reason my tobacco for the day goes from tin to pouch.

Do you only take one blend out a day? I could do that, I just might prefer something different in the afternoon than what I had in the morning.
I do like to load it from a pouch/bag, whatever is useful. Since I've been drying everything at home now, I just toss a little into a zip top bag and load from that during the day. I don't have a designated tobacco pouch, just because I may smoke 2 or 3 different things on a heavy day, a lot of times never the same thing twice. Just depends on my mood.

 

[carolinachurchwarden]

I'm assuming you meant 'oil on your fingers.' You missed a word, haha.

Yeah, brain works faster than fingers on most occasions...

But even so, if you're using your fingers to pull tobacco out of the tin, or jar, or pouch, what does it matter?

Exactly what I thought, but I was just using the tamper because that's what others used. I'm starting to just weave my own row here and do what I want and how I want, but it takes time, patience, and trial and error to learn that you don't like doing it one way, but something different.

 

[anthonyrosenthal74]

Exactly what I thought, but I was just using the tamper because that's what others used. I'm starting to just weave my own row here and do what I want and how I want, but it takes time, patience, and trial and error to learn that you don't like doing it one way, but something different.

I agree. I think most of us learn in time that simplicity is best. Sure the different packing methods serve a purpose, especially when you're first getting started, and there are a few packing methods I may still use on occasion depending on the blend. But I find that in most cases now, they're unnecessary. Even with folding and stuffing flakes or coins, the hardest part about a good pack is having the right size chamber for the flake. You may need two flakes, a flake and a half, one single flake, or even three quarters of a flake.

 

[exbenedict]

That's how my grandfather id it and that's how he taught me.

 

[dunnyboy]

Personally @carolinachurchwarden, I enjoyed your description. I am a codger and when I started pipe smoking there was no internet, no YouTube and no forums. It never occurred to me that there was a methodology that could be codified; you just packed, tamped and lit the tobacco intuitively and improved the results by trial and error. But as pipe smoking became a hobby, as opposed to an activity, and as more people took the effort to teach others how to do it successfully, techniques were developed and transmitted. I think this is a good thing. It makes learning about pipes and tobacco and pipe smoking fun and draws more people into the hobby. As you discovered, the best part of this learning curve is that, as you get more experienced, you discover things for yourself. The student becomes the master and you get to pass on what you've learned to others.

 

[mso489]

carolina', I think your earlier more methodical ritual taught you how packing a pipe should feel and made your codger scoop work better when you tried it. Sometimes the slightly more complicated methods we learn help us do better when we simplify them. I'm mostly a codger scooper (being a total codger) but I realize as I'm doing it that I'm being fussy and sensitive to how the leaf it setting in the pipe. It's like practicing anything else. Pretty soon the experience streamlines the process so it looks easier, like watching anyone do a job with which they are totally familiar. So many things look easier than they are in the hands of a "pro."

 

[olkofri]

Been trying my own version of the codger scoop myself. Problem I found with the codger method is the need to dry the tobacco prior to smoking, and I only dry a small amount each time, which makes it impossible to just drop the pipe into the jar and start fingering tobacco in.
The thing with the other methods is that they're meant to pack a full pipe, all the way to the rim, and I need to pack only 3/4 of the bowl, or less if the chamber is too large. The only method that works for that is the codger scoop. So I came up with my own version: a mixture of the 3-layer (which is only 2 in my case) and the codger pack. Not bad, but I still have to relight constantly.

 

[mso489]

olkofri, I like smaller pipes for the purpose. I have a range from extra large to Peterson Belgique. A partial bowl does just fine, but I do like to pack a full bowl, just for a sense of symmetry I guess.