Pack and Tap: Is my Strange Way Wrong?

[AJL67]

Whatever floats your boat. Hence why "YMMV" is such a fitting saying in the pipe community.

 

[InWithBothFeet]

I just ordered some of those pipe screens that create that air space at the bottom. We shall see how that changes the equation.

 

[proteus]

I've tried this, but notice that after a light It tamps down half way or is extremely loose.
Do you tap the side of the pipe at all to have the pieces fall into place?

No I just go by feel from my pointer finger. I wish I could explain better. I guess it just takes practice. Flakes don't fall like ribbon.

 

[chilllucky]

I do this with "broken flake" style blends to try and orient the chunks a little better in the bowl. There's just too much air space/relights and risk of over-tamping otherwise. I don't do it with finer cuts (ribbon or shag) or with rolled and stuffed true flakes.

If you need more confirmation than just my agreement that the technique is "a thing" I can tell you that it's on the list of prohibited actions for international slow smoking competition. Both during packing and smoking.

 

[Sacred_summit]

No way, so tapping isn't allowed in slow smoking competitions. Interesting!
I've been very aware of the pressure when filling my bowls recently. I keep the lower part of the bowl loose and only tamp firmer after my final load if I'm doing the 3-stack method. Come to think of it, even when I do the gravity feed I still tamp down and re-fill a little after tapping. As long as my draw is loose and the tobacco has a good feel I've been getting some fantastic smokes. I want to thank everybody who chimed in, you've given me excellent information to go by and it's been a big help. I appreciate it