Great to see you back, Funk. And, thank you.
On Smoking Slowly and the Benefits...
- Thread starter cosmicfolklore
- Start date
I’ve been in the mountains, walking segments of the AT, and just enjoying nature. Not much cell coverage.
But smoking slowly is so hard 
I have been working on this and this thread helped me continue to consider slowing down - thank you! I’m relatively new to pipes, so it’s hard to tame my enthusiasm and proclivity to turn my pipe in to a red-hot kiln, but I’m getting there with practice! And enjoying the flavors and lack of stinging tongue as a reward.
I have been working on this and this thread helped me continue to consider slowing down - thank you! I’m relatively new to pipes, so it’s hard to tame my enthusiasm and proclivity to turn my pipe in to a red-hot kiln, but I’m getting there with practice! And enjoying the flavors and lack of stinging tongue as a reward.
My progress in slow smoking is going, at least imho, going very well indeed. I'll look forward to posting on this but right now, I'm outta the house. Really nice day and it's no time to be inside. 
By no means an expert, but I find that certain tobaccos lend themselves more easily to slow smoking. Folded or lightly rubbed-out flakes and broken flakes seem to work better for me than ribbons or fully rubbed-out flakes. I think it's because there's more air around the strands to keep the tobacco smoldering without having to puff and because there's less resistance to fight against. Packing ribbons more loosely accomplishes the same thing but I'm always tempted to stuff in a bit more to "fill" the bowl.
Yes, I've found similar results. And as cosmicfolklore said in my now (to me) infamous post on gurgling, so does learning how to smoke and drying your tobacco more. I don't go bone dry, but go at least two stages farther than I used to. Going to cover this in an upcoming post.
Cosmicfolklore, thanks for the beautiful and very useful article! The „time machine“, so inspiring!
Also reading everyone's comments (real experience) is a real treasure!
I am still very new to pipe smoking (two months of smoking 5 bowls per week). As for smoking SLOWLY, the first lesson I've got was after smoking FAST the aromatics with a short-stem pipe. It resulted in a severe tongue bite that didn't go away for a week.
That was quite a week. I bought some Biotene mouthwash and spent the whole week trying different ways to soothe my tongue. And I don't want to repeat that experience, so I tried to watch and read about smoking slowly.
At the same time, I love to see some smoke coming out of my pipe and mouth. Could be my immaturity, but completely smokeless pipe smoking for me beats the half of the reason to smoke. But the amazing value of this article and every advise to smoke slowly is that I am reminded to stay mindful about the quality of my smoke. I cannot smoke slowly (yet), but I can always smoke slower! For now, the greatest achievement for me is that I can still see some smoke coming out of my pipe and enjoy it, yet I manage not to overheat the bowl and avoid the tongue bite.
By the way, yesterday I smoked Vintage Latakia blend for the first time. That smoke seemed very different. It was present, but at the same time very light, almost transparent. For me it was a new experience. And I loved the blend very much...
Also reading everyone's comments (real experience) is a real treasure!
I am still very new to pipe smoking (two months of smoking 5 bowls per week). As for smoking SLOWLY, the first lesson I've got was after smoking FAST the aromatics with a short-stem pipe. It resulted in a severe tongue bite that didn't go away for a week.
That was quite a week. I bought some Biotene mouthwash and spent the whole week trying different ways to soothe my tongue. And I don't want to repeat that experience, so I tried to watch and read about smoking slowly. At the same time, I love to see some smoke coming out of my pipe and mouth. Could be my immaturity, but completely smokeless pipe smoking for me beats the half of the reason to smoke. But the amazing value of this article and every advise to smoke slowly is that I am reminded to stay mindful about the quality of my smoke. I cannot smoke slowly (yet), but I can always smoke slower! For now, the greatest achievement for me is that I can still see some smoke coming out of my pipe and enjoy it, yet I manage not to overheat the bowl and avoid the tongue bite.
By the way, yesterday I smoked Vintage Latakia blend for the first time. That smoke seemed very different. It was present, but at the same time very light, almost transparent. For me it was a new experience. And I loved the blend very much...
I'll second this post, and add here that I have copied Cosmicfolklore's article, pasted it, printed it out, and put it into my "smoking book." It's well worth doing. The best synopsis of slow smoking I've read. Be assured, sir, that your words eventually penetrate our thick heads!!Cosmicfolklore, thanks for the beautiful and very useful article! The „time machine“, so inspiring!
Also reading everyone's comments (real experience) is a real treasure!
I am still very new to pipe smoking (two months of smoking 5 bowls per week). As for smoking SLOWLY, the first lesson I've got was after smoking FAST the aromatics with a short-stem pipe. It resulted in a severe tongue bite that didn't go away for a week.
At the same time, I love to see some smoke coming out of my pipe and mouth. Could be my immaturity, but completely smokeless pipe smoking for me beats the half of the reason to smoke. But the amazing value of this article and every advise to smoke slowly is that I am reminded to stay mindful about the quality of my smoke. I cannot smoke slowly (yet), but I can always smoke slower! For now, the greatest achievement for me is that I can still see some smoke coming out of my pipe and enjoy it, yet I manage not to overheat the bowl and avoid the tongue bite.
By the way, yesterday I smoked Vintage Latakia blend for the first time. That smoke seemed very different. It was present, but at the same time very light, almost transparent. For me it was a new experience. And I loved the blend very much...
Salut!
Gord
Absolutely fantastic post, thank you very much for sharing. Some great points made very well.
Not sure why I didn’t see this last year, maybe I did and forgot…
Great post!
I personally never try, or worry about keeping a pipe lit, it’s never been my thing, and every time I try to keep it lit longer, the flavors of the blends aren’t as complex/rich.
I’ve always barely lit my pipes, take a few sips, let it go out cool down and repeat, and it always been the most rewarding.
With basic one dimensional types of blends it’s might not matter much, other than taking the flavor of Burley or VA, and turning it ash like as an example, but then there are complex blends, that if you want the full reward, you have to go slow, some even extremely slow.
Thanks for sharing!
Great post!
I personally never try, or worry about keeping a pipe lit, it’s never been my thing, and every time I try to keep it lit longer, the flavors of the blends aren’t as complex/rich.
I’ve always barely lit my pipes, take a few sips, let it go out cool down and repeat, and it always been the most rewarding.
With basic one dimensional types of blends it’s might not matter much, other than taking the flavor of Burley or VA, and turning it ash like as an example, but then there are complex blends, that if you want the full reward, you have to go slow, some even extremely slow.
Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for this post!
I struggle with slowing down. We are often told to go slow but I've yet to hear a explanation of how to slow down.
No puffing and let the smoke trickle in? Occasional puffs? If so, how often and how little? For slow smoking experts, are relights frequent? If so, how much on a typical bowl?
I'm a data driven guy. Tech/engineering background. My career has been taking the guesswork out of processes and standardizing so that any schmuck off the street can take a process that has been detailed and standardized and excel in it.
I realize it takes the "romance" out of smoking and turns it into yet another data point but it's the way my brain works. I've often found that taking the ham-fistedness of a newbie out of the equation with regard to processes that are prone to error, such as pipe smoking, results in several benefits. More people willing to take it on, as the awkwardness of the beginner is negated. A "buy in" to the process as the beginner proceeds with much more confidence since the guesswork is removed from the process, turning into a devoted ambassador for pipe smoking.
I struggle with slowing down. We are often told to go slow but I've yet to hear a explanation of how to slow down.
No puffing and let the smoke trickle in? Occasional puffs? If so, how often and how little? For slow smoking experts, are relights frequent? If so, how much on a typical bowl?
I'm a data driven guy. Tech/engineering background. My career has been taking the guesswork out of processes and standardizing so that any schmuck off the street can take a process that has been detailed and standardized and excel in it.
I realize it takes the "romance" out of smoking and turns it into yet another data point but it's the way my brain works. I've often found that taking the ham-fistedness of a newbie out of the equation with regard to processes that are prone to error, such as pipe smoking, results in several benefits. More people willing to take it on, as the awkwardness of the beginner is negated. A "buy in" to the process as the beginner proceeds with much more confidence since the guesswork is removed from the process, turning into a devoted ambassador for pipe smoking.
What is this? I'm new to pipe smoking, and this is the first I've heard of scraping a pipe.
RTFM
You should research the topic in forums, articles, google it, read a beginners pipe book, as this is important to know. Carbon build-up in pipes, particularly briar pipes, has many implications, both positive and negative: mellowing the pipe, reducing tobacco capacity in the bowl, potentially cracking the bowl if left too thick, "ghosting", etc.
I prefer a thick coating on my large bowls, but I scrape often with my smaller pipes.
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I will attempt to provide you with a partial answer. A conversation would be more appropriate I think than attempting to put it all in writing at one go. And you should seek alternate perspectives.
I have long experience as a pipe smoker but others will likely have different, equally valid, perspectives.
Slow smoking requires, above all, concentration. When I smoke a pipe, it is a meditative pleasure. I avoid all distractions such as conversation, reading, watching video, or intense thought. A little light background music or ASMR sounds is all I can tolerate. Audio books is pushing my limits of concentration.
An average size bowl lasts me 1.5 to 2 hours, depending on the blend. My preference is for a well rubbed and exceedingly dry tobacco, packed somewhat tight.
Embrace the need for frequent re-lights (10 or so per bowl). Puff gently (sip)--shallow puffs, not deep puffs. The frequency of puffs, and the depth of the puff, are determined by how well the tobacco is burning. One needs to develop a sense for how warm the bowl is in the hand--the pipe, and the smoke, should never be permitted to grow hot, or cold!
Sense the amount of smoke entering your mouth with each puff. Strive to keep this smoke density constant--neither too little nor too much. When the smoke thins, it is time to do something--puff harder, or more frequently, until the smoke thickens--or tamp and re-light if the combustion can no longer be maintained by puffing.
After the first light, if the tobacco rises to a point where it might fall out of the bowl, I gently tamp it down.
If the bowl is properly packed, I have no need to tamp again until after the halfway point, at which point the need to tamp grows more frequent.
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@occidentalist.. There seem to be two schools of thought, one as @Professor Moriarty has posted about staying focused, and mine, light the pipe and forget about it. But, Moriarty is right, especially in the beginning. Think about learning to drive a stick shift. You have to focus on letting up off of the clutch as you gently give it gas, then shifting, down shifting, etc... then after a while you no longer have to think about it. You just drive, no longer even thinking about the gas/clutch exchange. That's when you can just get a pipe going, and walk around doing things without having to think about it al all. I tend to walk around with unlit pipes in clench between smokes. And, mostly, I never even remember packing or lighting anymore.
But, if I had to maintain that level of focus as I did in the beginning, I would not smoke pipes. I have way too many thing to get done in a day to give smoking that much thought.
But, if I had to maintain that level of focus as I did in the beginning, I would not smoke pipes. I have way too many thing to get done in a day to give smoking that much thought.
What you said about the flavor coming from the tobacco around the ember heating up and releasing its oils and flavor is sage knowledge, and wish it was passed to me whem I first started down this rabbit hole. As I was worried about getting the whole bowl blazing.
Very nice post
Yes. I smoke, at most, one pipe a day. It's my down time.
Totally different situation from folks who smoke throughout the day.