Pipe Packing Techniques for Different Cuts / Blends????

[bowler1]

Hi,

Can anyone provide some general comments on how to pack different cut and blends of tobacco? I am reasonably skillful at packing a pipe using the child/woman/man method; however, I know that how to pack a pipe varies from cut to cut and perhaps blend to blend.
Of course the best teacher is experience, but can someone please generalize a bit?
I smoke various blends. Mostly Lat blends but also some aros, VAPERS, and burley blends. Some cuts are ribbon, others ready rubbed. Some are flakes that I rub out and I also have recently acquired a broken flake (GLP Quiet Nights) which I have not yet figured out what do with.
I smoke all Peterson pipes--large and XL bowls (312, 302, 307, 309, 301).
thanks
Matt

 

[clickklick]

Personal Preference is key here.
But in general:
Ribbon - pack 3 step method but looser

Flake - Rub out and pack normally, cub cut and sprinkle in, or fold and stuff

Broken flake - fold and stuff or rub out.

Many thinks can be done with a plug, you can cut it into any consistency you enjoy.

If the pipe is broken in, I prefer normal cross cut or rubbed out flake to be packed via air pocket method when possible.

 

[dottiewarden]

Not too tight, not too loose, not too wet, not too dry. It's all about feel!

 

[phred]

With cube cut, you're pretty much stuck with gravity packing and a bit of tamping.
For most other cuts, I use either the three-step method or the 'swirl' method (which has been working remarkably well for me lately). The particular blend doesn't seem to matter much, and I've had as much luck swirling up drier tobaccos as I've had with goopier aromatics. Definitely worth trying if you're having some packing issues.

 

[bowler1]

thanks for the replies. I know this is a tough one to nail down. I guess what I am asking is about packing firmness vs. cut--perhaps with additional considerations for bowl size/diameter and moisture content of the tobacco.
For instance does a courser cut require a looser pack or vice versa? How about with a particularly dry tobacco like the HH blends?
Or how about with a large pot pipe vs. a smaller diameter pipe?
Of particular interest to me lately was the broken flake of the GLP Quiet nights. I had not seen a tobacco like this before. Another of particular interest is the HH Old Fired pre-rubbed which is sort of stringy and springy. Hard to get into the bowl and then the springiness and compressibility makes me wonder about how hard to pack it.
Another is the Villiger Mid-Day which is a pretty course blend--I think it is categorized as ready-rubbed, but is much different than the Old Dark Fired. I am never sure if I should pack it as-is or rub out a little.
I read a post once where someone described an old pro piper saying that he knew exactly how to pack the pipe for every different cut and consistency of tobacco. I am trying to figure that one out in terms of generalities for starters in order to speed the learning process.
matt

 

[cigrmaster]

Hi Matt, I smoke flake tobacco exclusively and use the cube cut method 80 percent of the time with the other 20 being a fold and stuff. I believe that rubbing out flakes defeats the purpose in smoking them. Flakes smoke cooler and have more flavor( for my tastes) because they are a dense tobacco.
I use the three step packing method where I load the bowl with the cubes, press down lightly, fill it again, add a little more pressure, fill it again and then really add pressure. I then check the draw, what I want to feel is the experience of sipping a milk shake through a straw. I want a good amount of resistance because for me, I get a really cool and flavorful smoke. If I pack too loosely I get a really hot burn and lose a ton of flavor. I think a lot of smokers pack far too loosely and then they have to re light a bunch of times, they get a hot burn and again a real loss of flavor. If I pack too tightly I can always run a pipe cleaner into the bowl and loosen it up.
When I do a fold and stuff, I just fold the flake a couple of times, jam it into the bowl and make sure there is not too much resistance. I make sure it feels like I am just sipping a straw and not through a milk shake as when you fold and stuff the tobacco will expand a great deal as compared to a cube cut and it will get way too tight and then you are toast as it will be really hard to loosen that up.
Packing takes a lot of practice. When I used to smoke ribbon cuts, I again would make sure I packed tight enough as a loose pack with ribbon cut will burn up the bowl incredibly fast. Broken flakes I treat just like a cube cut and pack them the same way.