Pipe Smoking Annoyance

[kola]

An overtightly packed bowl sucks.
I always pack loose and tamp as I go. But every once once in a while, I overdo it. And regret it.
I also dislike my last puff going foul as I smoked it down too far. I try to end it while its' still smoking sweet.
Another annoyance ? People far away from me while smoking outside and coughing as if it's gagging them or something.

 

[jaytex1969]

Jesse and Anthony illustrating the gauntlet of first world problems we face...
And, which ascot to wear with which pipe..... :nana:

 

[jaytex1969]

You could package and market that shoe patching goop.
You could call it......Salted Plug! :rofl:

 

[jaytex1969]

Kola, you can use the old Bill Hicks line on them.
"Man, that's a nasty cough. Good thing you don't SMOKE!"

 

[curl]

I’m frustrated that I can’t fold and stuff and enjoy the smoke.

I think it’s worked for me once out of a dozen tries.

That’s way below the Mendoza line.

 

[jaytex1969]

I'm frustrated that I can't get a good smoke out of my Falcon. Not really frustrated, as I have other options, but I'd like to enjoy the darned thing.

 

[anthonyrosenthal74]

I’m frustrated that I can’t fold and stuff and enjoy the smoke.

I think it’s worked for me once out of a dozen tries.

They need to be pretty dry. And the flake and bowl size also are factors. Being pressed so thin, once contacted by heat, the moisture in the tobacco will cause them to expand and impede how well they burn. What seemed like a loose pack before lighting might suddenly be overstuffed. If you're using two flakes, consider using one and a half flakes or simply one. If it's a wider flake, you might need to trim a bit off the edge. It seems the char light needs to be very thorough as well. I've struggled with flakes in the past myself, but I've recently acquired a few pipes that smoke flakes very well, but between different flakes there's still a bit of a learning curve. For instance, one of my Stanwells takes two flakes of one blend, but only one flake of another to have a good smoke. Take into account, the bowl size, width of the flake, thickness of the flake, and length of the flake, and make an educated guess as how best to prepare them prior to fold and stuff.

 

[bnichols23]

"as if it's gagging them" -- Funny the details a comment will remind you of. Back 1000 years ago when I was in college (OK, 45, not 1000, so sue me.), I was smoking Borkum Riff & a couple of the coeds sniffed haughtily & asked if I could move to the other side of the door (which would put me INside, go figure). Being the typical cocky 20-yr-old college kid I offered to move it to the other side of my mouth. Not a nice thing to say, but then again neither had their remarks been, since I'd been sitting there long before they walked up.
The weird thing is I even remember the specific pipe I was using, a nice Comoy's Lumberman. Odd that I'd remember that one so clearly.

 

[sablebrush52]

I was smoking Borkum Riff & a couple of the coeds sniffed haughtily & asked if I could move to the other side of the door

Well, c'mon man! It was Borkum Riff. What else would you expect? Flies drop dead on contact. I smoked an aromatic that smelled a bit chocolatey and the coeds LOVED that! The rest I'll leave up to your lurid imaginations.

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

1+ for Cosmic, You real nailed it,and Condorlover1-Simon,I fully understand your reference here, sad thing they went messing with Condor blends.

 

[bnichols23]

Aw, c'mon, sable, BITD that was actually a pretty fair room note. We've gotten spoiled these days. :puffpipe: Admittedly I could have smoked Greenbrier "for her," but even then I was of the opinion that Kentucky Club brands should have been required to include an asbestos tongue cover with every pouch of that that they sold. GAWD, it wa' awful (or offal, maybe a better term). :crazy:
As far as you, girls, & "lurid," well....... }

 

[cigrmaster]

curl, which flakes are you trying to fold and stuff? Some flakes just don't work that well unless you get the perfect humidity, such as Samuel Gawith flakes. Also flakes like Mac Baren Old Dark Fired are thick and leathery and can be difficult to fold and stuff.

 

[curl]

mostly I’ve tried the fold and stuff method with the PS Luxury flakes and with Orlik and Dunhill flakes.

I’ve lost count of the videos and other advice I’ve tried to make it work.

Oh well, my pot grinder hasn’t failed me yet to turn flakes into smokable units.

 

[mikethompson]

Curl, never thought of using a pot grinder to break up flakes - interesting tip.
Another annoyance, probably not applicable to you folks in the US, is the incredible cost of the hobby in Canada. There are a lot of roadblocks to getting on board.

 

[jaytex1969]

I hope you solve your fold and stuff issue because I get a remarkable deep flavor from the ODF when it's F&S that seems just a bit less fulfilling with rubbed out or cubed preparation.
One thing I do that may help. As I fold and prepare to stuff, I kind of "twist" back and forth on it a bit from about mid way towards the top part, loosening it up within the folded bundle some. I think it helps with the ignition process a bit.
As everyone else has been saying, this all became feasible AFTER I resolved my inadequate dry time matter.

 

[anthonyrosenthal74]

mostly I’ve tried the fold and stuff method with the PS Luxury flakes

A video was posted a while back in which Per Jensen took two PS Luxury Bullseye Flakes, put them together, merely folded them in two (into a half moon shape) and put them in the pipe. I tried it, and it worked wonderfully. Dry a couple flakes for a while and give it a try. ::

 

[newbroom]

Lord knows, I am not a 'neat freak' nor do I concern myself with regular housekeeping other than what is essential and prudent, but, as I read the responses to the OP's question, and concur with most, I reflect in an attempt to isolate what might be considered an annoyance for a pipe smoker, besides a burned tongue from smoking a too tightly packed pipe too fast that hadn't been dried enough.
The very word annoyance in conjunction with our 'hobby' is counterintuitive, yet essential to our experience, in some way.
But, back to not being a neat freak, I thought, maybe it's the ash, the detritus from lighting a pipe, or the constant need to sweep around my 'cockpit' the little flecks of tobacco that magically find their way from my computer chair to all parts of the surrounding area, that 'annoys' me? Dirty pipe cleaners, dirty pipes, crudded stems, smoke coated ceilings?
I'm willing to endure these relatively minor inconveniences. The pipe is my way of making peace with my nicotine addiction and worth a little annoyance to me.

 

[bnichols23]

>>"incredible cost of the hobby in Canada." -- Mike, I apologize; I meant to ask you about this yesterday & I forgot (my addled memory being a major annoyance in & of itself!). I'm inferring high taxes on the leaf. What other roadblocks do y'all suffer there that add to the problem?
'Broom, I know the feeling, definitely. Not the ash so much as the dang flakes that inVARiably find their way onto the sofa, car seat, desk, floor, windows (OK, fibbing on that one).... I "solved" the problem by buying several whiskbroom/dustpan sets to stash at each place. Guessing, but if I saved them I'd probably have enough for close to a full bowl each week. :

 

[mikethompson]

>>"incredible cost of the hobby in Canada." -- Mike, I apologize; I meant to ask you about this yesterday & I forgot (my addled memory being a major annoyance in & of itself!). I'm inferring high taxes on the leaf. What other roadblocks do y'all suffer there that add to the problem?

how much time do you have?
The taxes are quite restrictive. A 50g tin of anything is roughly $39us. Also, if you are to find a brick and mortar shop, chances are their selection is very sparse.

 

[bnichols23]

Gawd a'mighty, that's bloody heinous!! I figured in some provinces where "big" towns aren't that numerous *or* populous, it'd be difficult to find a good B&M. Even in cities like Calgary, Edmonton, or Red Deer as opposed to, oh, heck, Yellowknife, my guess'd be the options aren't exactly like London [the other one ] or New York.
You truly do have my sympathy; it'd take a really dedicated smoker to put up with all that & still stay with it. :worship: