Newbie Questions.

[mpjetset]

SNIP...
1. (Experience ) Is a pipe going to have a similar experience as a cigar?

No.

2. (Taste) I've heard everything from "it's an acquired taste" to "you have to get used to it".. is it a bit of both?
I can have patience and learn to adapt but I'm truly scared of completely altering my mouth in a way that food and drink won't taste the same. Is this a valid fear?
I'm definitely not a type of person who can lie to myself and say I like it if I don't.

Well, it takes time, patience, and temperance so initially you will probably be disappointed. I was and still am close to a super-taster after 35 years, so I don't think you're in any danger unless you over-do it.

3. There are a vast amount of blends from what I can tell..it's overwhelming. What's a good couple recommendations to try in the beginning of my journey.

I will let others suggest tobaccos but stay away from Virginias until you gain some experience.

If you've taken the time to read this, I truly appreciate your time. I look forward to your responses. -Justin

Justin, I sense that you are highly compatible with pipe smoking and you are going to approach it carefully. Order a couple $11 Missouri Meerschaum (corn cob) pipes from their website and a mild Burley blend that sounds interesting to you (a sampler might be good). Corn cob pipes are most forgiving and after a dozen smokes over two or three weeks you'll have an idea of what it's like. Hydrate, don't pack to the top of the pipe, take your time, and you'll be fine.

 

[kcghost]

1. No.
2. It talrs most people a while to learn how to smoke a pipe. Some us never get the hang of tastes other than one is good another is not. You will have to find this out for yourself.
3. I would recommend "Westminster" for English's and "Six Pence" for Virginia Periques.

 

[JTH1991]

1. No.
2. It talrs most people a while to learn how to smoke a pipe. Some us never get the hang of tastes other than one is good another is not. You will have to find this out for yourself.
3. I would recommend "Westminster" for English's and "Six Pence" for Virginia Periques.

Thanks for the info!

 

[woodsroad]

Smoking isn’t for everyone. In fact, it isn’t for most people. The primary reason most people smoke is an affinity for nicotine, not the flavor. Many do find a world of flavors in both pipes and cigars, but for the majority of the population, it doesn’t ring the bell. If you find that you don’t enjoy it, count yourself lucky. It’s an expensive, dirty and unhealthy pursuit.

 

[PApiper63]

I smoked a couple of cigars a day for about 30 years. About a year ago I spontaneously decided to try pipe smoking. I literally walked in to a local cigar shop to buy a new box and instead walked out with a pipe and a couple tobacco to try. I never thought pipe smoking would just about totally replace cigar smoking.
I have found the flavors of pipe tobacco to be much more enjoyable and the hobby to be much more rewarding. It took me about six weeks of smoking three or four bowls a day to get a comfortable technique and to be able to really taste the nuances of pipe tobacco. For me cigar smoking was a hobby but pipe smoking is a lifestyle. As an added bonus, the wife likes it much more and even encourages me to smoke my pipe in the house. That would've never happened with cigars. On rare occasions I will still smoke a cigar but I am so glad I had the patience to stick with the pipe. My only regret is that I didn't discover pipe smoking years ago. Give it some time and educate yourself. I don't think you will be sorry.

 

[/Adam\]

What’s up JTH1991. So I’m so happy you posted these questions. Because I’m also all but brand new to pipe smoking myself. And until today…and I mean just a hour ago. I hadn’t yet been able to taste much of, if any, of the nuances in the tobaccos i‘ve tried. And I’ve tried a few different non aromatic and aromatic blends both. But today, just an hour ago….i had the most glorious experience with tobacco I’ve ever had. And literally want to shout it from the top of a mountain so everyone knows I finally figured out how to smoke a pipe!! haha.
I’ve smoked cigarettes for over 20 years and until now just figured maybe my taste buds weren’t as good as necessary anymore to be able to get the flavors from the tobacco I’ve been smoking out of my pipes. But that’s not at all true. The issue was that I was doing a few things slightly wrong. This was causing me to get a little tongue bite, and only tasting tobacco flavor, and an ashy, burnt rubber taste.
One is I was packing the bowl too tight. I’d been trying to pack tight enough to feel some resistance. Like drinking water through a straw. I needed to be packing only tight enough to just barely notice a difference between drawing through an empty pipe and full one. Which I did with my last bowl. Secondly I was drawing too hard and taking in far too much smoke. I heard a few guys here say they can just breath through their nose with their mouth closed, with a good seal around the stem, and thats enough to draw Smoke into the mouth. I tried this today and realized it worked for me and i immediately started to taste the sweetness from the JM Boswells Berry Cobbler blend i packed in my pipe. I also heard a few guys here say that the flavors that one can taste, come from the oils in the tobacco, being released by the tobacco that is just outside of the cherry burning in the center of the bowl. So I immediately realized I had probably been using my lighter too much and lighting one or two times too many, and getting the entire top layer of tobacco to be red hot and burning. I just figured that was necessary to keep the pipe lit. Now I know to just kiss the tobacco with the flame a few times and let the cherry start to happen naturally. This, combined with me taking in smaller amounts of smoke initially, must have allowed those oils to begin to release, rather than get burned away, and I was finally able to taste what I was supposed to. I tasted the berry, notes of chocolate and white chocolate, I could taste a slight tart or citrusy flavor which I assume came from either the berry topping or any Virginias that are in that blend. Shortly after, I realized doing it this way was actually causing me to inhale a small amount of that smoke that was being drawn into my mouth. All I needed to do now was to start sipping again like I always did instead of breathing in through my nose but just a bit slower and with less suction. I still made sure to breath in through my nose occasionally to incorporate my sniffer too, but not always so I wasn’t inhaling with every breath. it was amazing!! And I immediately realized what was happening. This bowl I was smoking was the bowl where everything just clicked. Now I cant Wait to smoke my next bowl. Can’t wait to try different blends.
Anyway dude, my apologies for writing so much. I’m sure you can tell I’m terrible at typing in proper form and I’m not the best at explaining what it is I’m trying to convey in text form. I just figured I could help a bit because it just all clicked for me. I’d say keep watching YouTube Videos and reading what everyone here suggests about how to properly pack and how to properly light and smoke a pipe. Most importantly, if it’s something you truly fancy for yourself, don’t give up. It might not go as you envisioned at first. But eventually it’ll all just click, and soon you’ll be a pro. After that happens you’ll be sitting on the front porch and having the most deeply contemplative, most profound, and most thought provoking reflective pipe smoking sessions ever. Good luck my friend!! .

Oh yeah, a super big thank you to all of you veteran pipe smokers here that contribute to these forum threads. I can’t begin to explain the joy I’m feeling right now to have finally figured out a thing or two about this glorious hobby. Cheers fellas.

 

[K.E. Powell]

Welcome to the forum! I hope my response and the responses of others will be of use to you.

Before I answer your questions directly, let me caution that cigar smoking, and especially pipe smoking, take practice and trial and error until one is able to consistently smoke well and know and enjoy what they are smoking. There are pinned threads in this forum that discuss proper technique that I highly encourage you to read, especially if you are thinking of taking up the pipe.

Now, as to your questions:

1. Pipe tobacco is similar to cigars, but they are still very different experiences, both in how they are consumed and in flavor profile. It's hard to make any fast generalities that don't have myriad exceptions, but for most people, learning to smoke a cigar properly is easier than smoking a pipe properly, but cigars generally have a more robust profile and heavier nicotine content.

2. Permanent damage to the taste buds is possible if you smoke heavily, often, and hot. In moderation, however, long term damage is unlikely. That being said, smoking carries risk to oral health. You can ameliorate the risks with good oral hygiene and smoking in moderation, but you cannot eliminate the risk entirely.

3. It's hard to recommend just a single blend as taste vary widely. I'd recommend a sampler pack from a reputable retailer, that way you are getting time-honored blends in a variety of genres. For newer smokers, English blends or burley-forward blends tend to be the most forgiving, whereas pure Virginias and heavily topped aromatics are less forgiving to bad technique. But try a little of everything. As for the pipe itself, I would recommend a decent cob or estate briar to start, and if you like it, you can eventually upgrade to something more your style.

Happy smoking!

 

[PiperCalvinist]

My friend, I've only been smoking for 4-1/2 months. So I'm speaking from limited experience, but I have experienced that ashy taste you are talking about, and it largely comes from smoking too hot, which burns the tobacco too fast, which burns off the natural and even added flavors that are the best thing about pipe smoking! Do yourself a favor and buy a $10 Missouri Meerschaum pipe on Amazon, a pack of matches, and $3 tamper and go to thecountrysquire.com and buy a 1 or 2 oz. bag of Tombigbee or Cherokee. If you don't like that, then smoking a pipe will not likely be your thing. I started on aromatics (you really need the right kind of quality). I have slowly developed a liking (even loving) for some non-aromatic blends, particularly Virginias and Dark Kentucky. Smoking a pipe and loving it requires patience and perseverance. Your going to encounter difficulties. Your going to have lots of questions. Your going to have some GREAT SMOKES, and then not so great. That's how you learn and develop. I've found the learning experience ALONE to be quite enjoyable - and the help found on this forum is priceless. You are already finding out that the pipe community, as a whole, is a great community.

 

[OzPiper]

What’s up JTH1991. So I’m so happy you posted these questions. Because I’m also all but brand new to pipe smoking myself. And until today…and I mean just a hour ago. I hadn’t yet been able to taste much of, if any, of the nuances in the tobaccos i‘ve tried. And I’ve tried a few different non aromatic and aromatic blends both. But today, just an hour ago….i had the most glorious experience with tobacco I’ve ever had. And literally want to shout it from the top of a mountain so everyone knows I finally figured out how to smoke a pipe!! haha.
I’ve smoked cigarettes for over 20 years and until now just figured maybe my taste buds weren’t as good as necessary anymore to be able to get the flavors from the tobacco I’ve been smoking out of my pipes. But that’s not at all true. The issue was that I was doing a few things slightly wrong. This was causing me to get a little tongue bite, and only tasting tobacco flavor, and an ashy, burnt rubber taste.
One is I was packing the bowl too tight. I’d been trying to pack tight enough to feel some resistance. Like drinking water through a straw. I needed to be packing only tight enough to just barely notice a difference between drawing through an empty pipe and full one. Which I did with my last bowl. Secondly I was drawing too hard and taking in far too much smoke. I heard a few guys here say they can just breath through their nose with their mouth closed, with a good seal around the stem, and thats enough to draw Smoke into the mouth. I tried this today and realized it worked for me and i immediately started to taste the sweetness from the JM Boswells Berry Cobbler blend i packed in my pipe. I also heard a few guys here say that the flavors that one can taste, come from the oils in the tobacco, being released by the tobacco that is just outside of the cherry burning in the center of the bowl. So I immediately realized I had probably been using my lighter too much and lighting one or two times too many, and getting the entire top layer of tobacco to be red hot and burning. I just figured that was necessary to keep the pipe lit. Now I know to just kiss the tobacco with the flame a few times and let the cherry start to happen naturally. This, combined with me taking in smaller amounts of smoke initially, must have allowed those oils to begin to release, rather than get burned away, and I was finally able to taste what I was supposed to. I tasted the berry, notes of chocolate and white chocolate, I could taste a slight tart or citrusy flavor which I assume came from either the berry topping or any Virginias that are in that blend. Shortly after, I realized doing it this way was actually causing me to inhale a small amount of that smoke that was being drawn into my mouth. All I needed to do now was to start sipping again like I always did instead of breathing in through my nose but just a bit slower and with less suction. I still made sure to breath in through my nose occasionally to incorporate my sniffer too, but not always so I wasn’t inhaling with every breath. it was amazing!! And I immediately realized what was happening. This bowl I was smoking was the bowl where everything just clicked. Now I cant Wait to smoke my next bowl. Can’t wait to try different blends.
Anyway dude, my apologies for writing so much. I’m sure you can tell I’m terrible at typing in proper form and I’m not the best at explaining what it is I’m trying to convey in text form. I just figured I could help a bit because it just all clicked for me. I’d say keep watching YouTube Videos and reading what everyone here suggests about how to properly pack and how to properly light and smoke a pipe. Most importantly, if it’s something you truly fancy for yourself, don’t give up. It might not go as you envisioned at first. But eventually it’ll all just click, and soon you’ll be a pro. After that happens you’ll be sitting on the front porch and having the most deeply contemplative, most profound, and most thought provoking reflective pipe smoking sessions ever. Good luck my friend!! .

Oh yeah, a super big thank you to all of you veteran pipe smokers here that contribute to these forum threads. I can’t begin to explain the joy I’m feeling right now to have finally figured out a thing or two about this glorious hobby. Cheers fellas.

Just very pleased it all came together for you

 

[/Adam\]

Just very pleased it all came together for you

Thank you sir!

 

[JTH1991]

Hey all! Been a while, here's an update on where I am in this journey. I ordered a corn cob pipe and four tobaccos to try. I got Sutliff early morning pipe, C&D Autumn Evening, Sutliff Apple, and East Farthing. So far, I've tried the Early morning pipe and my experience has been wonderful. It tastes so good and much better than a cigar in my opinion.

 

[JTH1991]

What’s up JTH1991. So I’m so happy you posted these questions. Because I’m also all but brand new to pipe smoking myself. And until today…and I mean just a hour ago. I hadn’t yet been able to taste much of, if any, of the nuances in the tobaccos i‘ve tried. And I’ve tried a few different non aromatic and aromatic blends both. But today, just an hour ago….i had the most glorious experience with tobacco I’ve ever had. And literally want to shout it from the top of a mountain so everyone knows I finally figured out how to smoke a pipe!! haha.
I’ve smoked cigarettes for over 20 years and until now just figured maybe my taste buds weren’t as good as necessary anymore to be able to get the flavors from the tobacco I’ve been smoking out of my pipes. But that’s not at all true. The issue was that I was doing a few things slightly wrong. This was causing me to get a little tongue bite, and only tasting tobacco flavor, and an ashy, burnt rubber taste.
One is I was packing the bowl too tight. I’d been trying to pack tight enough to feel some resistance. Like drinking water through a straw. I needed to be packing only tight enough to just barely notice a difference between drawing through an empty pipe and full one. Which I did with my last bowl. Secondly I was drawing too hard and taking in far too much smoke. I heard a few guys here say they can just breath through their nose with their mouth closed, with a good seal around the stem, and thats enough to draw Smoke into the mouth. I tried this today and realized it worked for me and i immediately started to taste the sweetness from the JM Boswells Berry Cobbler blend i packed in my pipe. I also heard a few guys here say that the flavors that one can taste, come from the oils in the tobacco, being released by the tobacco that is just outside of the cherry burning in the center of the bowl. So I immediately realized I had probably been using my lighter too much and lighting one or two times too many, and getting the entire top layer of tobacco to be red hot and burning. I just figured that was necessary to keep the pipe lit. Now I know to just kiss the tobacco with the flame a few times and let the cherry start to happen naturally. This, combined with me taking in smaller amounts of smoke initially, must have allowed those oils to begin to release, rather than get burned away, and I was finally able to taste what I was supposed to. I tasted the berry, notes of chocolate and white chocolate, I could taste a slight tart or citrusy flavor which I assume came from either the berry topping or any Virginias that are in that blend. Shortly after, I realized doing it this way was actually causing me to inhale a small amount of that smoke that was being drawn into my mouth. All I needed to do now was to start sipping again like I always did instead of breathing in through my nose but just a bit slower and with less suction. I still made sure to breath in through my nose occasionally to incorporate my sniffer too, but not always so I wasn’t inhaling with every breath. it was amazing!! And I immediately realized what was happening. This bowl I was smoking was the bowl where everything just clicked. Now I cant Wait to smoke my next bowl. Can’t wait to try different blends.
Anyway dude, my apologies for writing so much. I’m sure you can tell I’m terrible at typing in proper form and I’m not the best at explaining what it is I’m trying to convey in text form. I just figured I could help a bit because it just all clicked for me. I’d say keep watching YouTube Videos and reading what everyone here suggests about how to properly pack and how to properly light and smoke a pipe. Most importantly, if it’s something you truly fancy for yourself, don’t give up. It might not go as you envisioned at first. But eventually it’ll all just click, and soon you’ll be a pro. After that happens you’ll be sitting on the front porch and having the most deeply contemplative, most profound, and most thought provoking reflective pipe smoking sessions ever. Good luck my friend!! .

Oh yeah, a super big thank you to all of you veteran pipe smokers here that contribute to these forum threads. I can’t begin to explain the joy I’m feeling right now to have finally figured out a thing or two about this glorious hobby. Cheers fellas.

I didn't mind at all. It was enjoyable to read my friend

 

[Searock Fan]

Any moron can take a match and turn a cigar into ash. But to become a real pipe smoker it takes time and patience.

 

[a town piper]

Welcome aboard. All you need is a Dr Grabow savoy. Pipe cleaners and a can of Prince Albert. That's good to go for a newbie.

 

[PipeIT]

I didn’t read through all the posts, so not sure if anyone replied to what I am about to say…

Anytime someone talks about something tasting like ash, as long as someone’s palate is ok, and there are also no allergic reactions, or sensitivities, it usually just comes down to smoking style.

Check out this cigar post on lighting them.

How to Properly Light a Cigar - Davidoff of London :: Cigar Discussion

This is a really good video for those that haven’t seen it. :) I like how Eddie fully lights it before taking the first puff.

pipesmagazine.com

A fine cigar should be smoked slowly, even somewhat sipped.

When it comes to pipes, you definitely sip and smoke them slowly…

Hopefully, you just need to adjust your smoking style is all. There’s a lot of amazing cigars, and they taste nothing like ash, same for pipes.

 

[jdlander]

What’s up JTH1991. So I’m so happy you posted these questions. Because I’m also all but brand new to pipe smoking myself. And until today…and I mean just a hour ago. I hadn’t yet been able to taste much of, if any, of the nuances in the tobaccos i‘ve tried. And I’ve tried a few different non aromatic and aromatic blends both. But today, just an hour ago….i had the most glorious experience with tobacco I’ve ever had. And literally want to shout it from the top of a mountain so everyone knows I finally figured out how to smoke a pipe!! haha.
I’ve smoked cigarettes for over 20 years and until now just figured maybe my taste buds weren’t as good as necessary anymore to be able to get the flavors from the tobacco I’ve been smoking out of my pipes. But that’s not at all true. The issue was that I was doing a few things slightly wrong. This was causing me to get a little tongue bite, and only tasting tobacco flavor, and an ashy, burnt rubber taste.
One is I was packing the bowl too tight. I’d been trying to pack tight enough to feel some resistance. Like drinking water through a straw. I needed to be packing only tight enough to just barely notice a difference between drawing through an empty pipe and full one. Which I did with my last bowl. Secondly I was drawing too hard and taking in far too much smoke. I heard a few guys here say they can just breath through their nose with their mouth closed, with a good seal around the stem, and thats enough to draw Smoke into the mouth. I tried this today and realized it worked for me and i immediately started to taste the sweetness from the JM Boswells Berry Cobbler blend i packed in my pipe. I also heard a few guys here say that the flavors that one can taste, come from the oils in the tobacco, being released by the tobacco that is just outside of the cherry burning in the center of the bowl. So I immediately realized I had probably been using my lighter too much and lighting one or two times too many, and getting the entire top layer of tobacco to be red hot and burning. I just figured that was necessary to keep the pipe lit. Now I know to just kiss the tobacco with the flame a few times and let the cherry start to happen naturally. This, combined with me taking in smaller amounts of smoke initially, must have allowed those oils to begin to release, rather than get burned away, and I was finally able to taste what I was supposed to. I tasted the berry, notes of chocolate and white chocolate, I could taste a slight tart or citrusy flavor which I assume came from either the berry topping or any Virginias that are in that blend. Shortly after, I realized doing it this way was actually causing me to inhale a small amount of that smoke that was being drawn into my mouth. All I needed to do now was to start sipping again like I always did instead of breathing in through my nose but just a bit slower and with less suction. I still made sure to breath in through my nose occasionally to incorporate my sniffer too, but not always so I wasn’t inhaling with every breath. it was amazing!! And I immediately realized what was happening. This bowl I was smoking was the bowl where everything just clicked. Now I cant Wait to smoke my next bowl. Can’t wait to try different blends.
Anyway dude, my apologies for writing so much. I’m sure you can tell I’m terrible at typing in proper form and I’m not the best at explaining what it is I’m trying to convey in text form. I just figured I could help a bit because it just all clicked for me. I’d say keep watching YouTube Videos and reading what everyone here suggests about how to properly pack and how to properly light and smoke a pipe. Most importantly, if it’s something you truly fancy for yourself, don’t give up. It might not go as you envisioned at first. But eventually it’ll all just click, and soon you’ll be a pro. After that happens you’ll be sitting on the front porch and having the most deeply contemplative, most profound, and most thought provoking reflective pipe smoking sessions ever. Good luck my friend!! .

Oh yeah, a super big thank you to all of you veteran pipe smokers here that contribute to these forum threads. I can’t begin to explain the joy I’m feeling right now to have finally figured out a thing or two about this glorious hobby. Cheers fellas.

I'm pretty new to pipe smoking as well (about 4 months now), and everything you wrote here is EXACTLY what I have been learning, and, like you, I have finally had a week where I've had three AMAZING bowls.

I think maybe I'm still too heavy with my light. Do you lightly sip/draw on the pipe when you are lighting/relighting? I guess you'd have to if the pipe is below the lip of the bowl, right? So when you say the flame only kisses the tobacco, this means the flame is not getting drawn down into the tobacco?

And what about tamping? I still can't figure out if I should be tamping during the smoking process or not. Same with knocking out ash during my smoke. Should I let it sit, or lightly knock it out? Just curious what you are doing on these, since we seem to be on the same learning path...

 

[JTH1991]

I'm pretty new to pipe smoking as well (about 4 months now), and everything you wrote here is EXACTLY what I have been learning, and, like you, I have finally had a week where I've had three AMAZING bowls.

I think maybe I'm still too heavy with my light. Do you lightly sip/draw on the pipe when you are lighting/relighting? I guess you'd have to if the pipe is below the lip of the bowl, right? So when you say the flame only kisses the tobacco, this means the flame is not getting drawn down into the tobacco?

And what about tamping? I still can't figure out if I should be tamping during the smoking process or not. Same with knocking out ash during my smoke. Should I let it sit, or lightly knock it out? Just curious what you are doing on these, since we seem to be on the same learning path...

I sip when I light/relight but not super hard. And from what I can tell, and what I've been doing, you tamp down every so often as you smoke to keep the cherry down on the untouched tobacco. I'm still extremely new but that's been working for me. I also sip as I tamp so I don't extinguish my lit tobacco

 

[/Adam\]

I'm pretty new to pipe smoking as well (about 4 months now), and everything you wrote here is EXACTLY what I have been learning, and, like you, I have finally had a week where I've had three AMAZING bowls.

I think maybe I'm still too heavy with my light. Do you lightly sip/draw on the pipe when you are lighting/relighting? I guess you'd have to if the pipe is below the lip of the bowl, right? So when you say the flame only kisses the tobacco, this means the flame is not getting drawn down into the tobacco?

And what about tamping? I still can't figure out if I should be tamping during the smoking process or not. Same with knocking out ash during my smoke. Should I let it sit, or lightly knock it out? Just curious what you are doing on these, since we seem to be on the same learning path...

Yeah for sure, any time I’m l relighting I try to do it as lightly as possible. But one thing I’d ask is are you drying your tobacco before packing it? I find that no matter what blend or type I’m smoking that if I dry it just enough it will stay lit throughout the entire smoke. Maybe one relight halfway through because I decided to let the bowl cool off a bit. Ok so right from the beginning, I’ll light/false light and draw pretty strong just to get the top layer to ignite and kind of unfurl. Then lightly tamp. On the true light I find myself making sure to draw pretty slowly and soft just to get the cherry started. I’d say it usually takes 3-5 minutes before I need to do anything else other than smoke like I normally do. At the 3-5 minute mark I’ll notice that I’m getting less smoke from each draw. This is when I tamp lightly again. Tamping is what seems to keep the bowl lit and smoking, for me anyway. After I tamp I’ll notice that the cherry is hotter and burning better again and I’m getting those fuller richer puffs of smoke. After that it’s just kind of a rinse and repeat thing all the way to the bottom of the bowl.

As far as knocking ash out I usually don’t have to until the very bottom of the bowl. And that’s just because the noob in me is still curious and learning. It seems to me that when I get to the bottom of the bowl I can taste that the cherry has burned all the way down to the airway and things are tasting ashy and burnt. I could probably just use my lighter to try and ignite any remaining tobacco that’s on the other end of the bowl, other end meaning opposite the airway. And I do sometimes, but about half of the time I’ll use my pipe tool to poke around to try and feel what going on under the ash or I’ll lightly loosen the ash cake from the little tobacco that’s underneath and dump it. Then try to move any remaining tobacco around just a bit to relight it to finish it off. Honestly though those last few puffs are entirely unnecessary and taste horrible in my opinion haha.

Again I think drying the tobacco will help if you don’t do this already. I let my tobacco sit on a paper plate under a lamp until I can just start to feel the tips of the longer thinner ribbons of tobacco start to get crispy sort of. The rest of the shorter cut stuff will still feel slightly moist. I don’t think drying any more than that is necessary. This seems to allow me to smoke without relighting at all. The tamper is all you need and it’s only necessary when I start to notice that my cherry is getting cool and I’m getting less smoke. If I need to relight I’ll do it as gently as possible for sure. Hopefully this helps a bit my friend. Always happy to try and help a brother out.

 

[jdlander]

one thing I’d ask is are you drying your tobacco before packing it? I find that no matter what blend or type I’m smoking that if I dry it just enough it will stay lit throughout the entire smoke.

I have also been learning this. All of my best smokes were with pretty crispy tobacco this past week.

However ... none of those were with aromatics. I have heard that if you dry out aromatics, they lose their ... flavor. I haven't tried to dry out aromatics yet to experiment with this. Have you?

 

[/Adam\]

I have also been learning this. All of my best smokes were with pretty crispy tobacco this past week.

However ... none of those were with aromatics. I have heard that if you dry out aromatics, they lose their ... flavor. I haven't tried to dry out aromatics yet to experiment with this. Have you?

I have. I don’t dry anything until it’s all crispy. The majority of the tobacco will still feel just barely noticeably moist. Non aeros will feel less so. But if I let an Aero set long enough under a warm lamp, the longer ribbon cuts will start to have that slightly dry or starting to get crispy feeling at the ends and edges. The darker and more rough cut stuff like the cavendish that’s in the Aero blend will still feel a little bit moist. Also when I’m drying out an aero I like to set the paper plate on a stack of books or something to raise it up closer to the light bulb. Aeros take forever to dry out and I find this way works perfect. It dries everything out pretty evenly and bit quicker. The longer ribbon cuts getting that slightly crispy feel is the tell tale sign for me that it’s dry enough. I wouldn’t want to dry it out too much and lose the flavors. I’m not 100% sure but I think I also recall someone saying somewhere, or I read it in an article somewhere that drying out an aero too much will do that. I know it’s perfectly fine to smoke tobacco at a wide range of moisture levels. Sometimes I’ll just smoke it like it is straight from the jar. But at my currently low level of experience I find that the proper drying time really helps to ensure a tasty smoke.