Proper Tamping... tell me whats good.

[jpants]

So as far as tamping goes...
First off it serves _________ purpose...
The best way to tamp is ________....
I use _______ to tamp with...
And one other thing that I believe lead me to posting this is I never seem to burn the entire bowl, does this have to do with not tamping or what?

 

[philobeddoe]

1) It keeps the hot embers on the tobacco to help keep the pipe lit.

2) Gently, you'll eventually know how much is too much.

3) I use a wooden tamper, but there are MANY answers to this.

4) Yes.

 

[jsiddle]

It helps the ember thats burning stay in contact with unburnt/unused tobacco, keeping you from having to relight as much...
When tamping make sure you are puffing/dragging on the pipe at the same time, or it might go out
Best way is with a proper tamping tool, not your finger(unless you're a badass) and just allow the weight of the

tamper itself do the tamping...
If your using the czech styel tool (pretty light metal one with three tools on it) just add a hair of pressure down)
What its doing is when the tobacco burns it "fluffs" a little bit, and this pushes it gently back into the proper

packed state to allow the ember to burn to the bottom.
As far as not burning the entire bowl... I sometimes get a little dottle of baccy from the bottom and ash when i use my czech tool to clean out the bowl... I wouldnt think that not burning all the baccy has something to do with tamping, probably more to do with an even lighting process and how the bowl was packed.

 

[rcstan]

+1 on everything jsiddle said.
As for burning the baccy all the way down to the bottom of the bowl, a lot of factors are at play: packing method, smoking method, the pipe itself, the tobacco itself. Usually a quality baccy at the right moisture level, packed properly and cared for whilst NOT puffing on it like you're trying to melt the bowl down will give the "fine grey ash all the way down" .... unless it's coarse-cut of course.

 

[pstlpkr]

Tamping "technique" is probably the hardest of the "pipe smoking skills" to master.

Your questions were addressed above, and correctly so.

However; I would suggest the following:

The first tamp upon your "False Light" is crucial. It must be light, and not really a "tamp" at all, but more of a sanding of the ash. This is accomplished by a very light twist or spinning motion of your tamper. This will give you a smooth surface that will facilitate the "True Light".
After the "True Light" there are differing opinions: I prefer to tamp lightly using only the weight of the tamper to keep the tobacco in contact with the ember often using a twisting motion. This will by necessity seem to be almost continuous tamping. In My Humble Opinion (IMHO) nearly continuous light tamping will greatly extend the duration of your smoke and reduce the number of relights. It will also facilitate keeping the ember to an absolute minimum. The smaller the ember, the cooler the smoke. (IMHO)

It takes practice and concentration, but after a short while you will find your happy medium.
It seems that; of all the aspects of "pipe smoking technique," tamping is one aspect that while limited in scope, is non-the-less very important and often overlooked.
:worship: Great post!

::

 

[ssjones]

I use a Brebbia pipe nail and a very light touch. Sometimes, I don't even tamp, but use the spoon end to work unburned tobacco into the center of the bowl. Using this technique, I often only need two matches for a bowl. Of course packing and tobacco moisture also weight into your results. Get to know your pipes and blends and it will serve you well. Minimal relights also keeps tongue burn at bay.

 

[seanavan]

I use one of those aluminum tools with the tamper on one end and the spoon on the other, and I do a combination of what Lawrence and Al described. In the beginning it's light tamping with a slight twisting motion. As the level of the tobacco gets lower, I use the spoon to move the ash to the center and then tamp/twist lightly. This allows air to get down around the ash, which I've found (1) keeps the pipe going longer, and (2) results in less unburned tobacco in the bottom when I'm done. YMMV but that's what works for me.

 

[fnord]

I've been smoking for years and I learn something new every day around here.
Thanks for sharing your collective techniques, guys.
Fnord

 

[baronsamedi]

The best way to tamp is....
Like A Boss.

 

[philip]

Always tamp from above. I don't know why.

 

[spartan]

I dunno how to tamp... my wife does it for me.

Like A Boss.

 

[jpants]

Of course last night I'm sitting out side of a restaurant that i sometimes cater with. the last wednesday of every month they have a little open jam kinda of thing. So like I was saying I was sitting out side after my wifey went home smoking a pipe and focusing on my tamping. The tamper was sitting in my lap when and older gentlemen I know walks up, as I get up to shake his hand and say hello the tamper falls from my lap and straight through the cracks in the deck!!! Do'h!

 

[cigrmaster]

I tamp pretty infrequently, maybe a few times per smoke and usually after I get rid of ash and am relighting. When I feel like my pipe may be going out, I will take two fingers, cover my bowl to block the air, puff a couple of times and it relights my pipe. I started using this technique a long time ago when I used to smoke other things in a pipe and just naturally started doing it when I began pipe smoking. I am a clencher so it is just quicker and easier to use the two finger method instead of reaching for a tamper.

 

[philip]

... the tamper falls from my lap and straight through the cracks in the deck!!!

Tether your tamper!

 

[pipedreamer]

I like to burn all the tobacco if possible and light tamping makes this possible. Those new to the pipe hear this and think they fail if all is not burned.Dottle, however is left for the reasons above, but due also, to a high draft hole in the pipe. Some pipe makers do this to make sure you don't burn through at the bottom of the bowl. The only fix I know and use is pipe mud. Then, you have the physical chance to burn it all. The bottom is the best part. RIGHT?

 

[lordofthepiperings]

All the advice given above is spot on. As for the dottle, you can always store it in a Persian slipper on the mantle like a famous detective once did. I usually just pitch it, but some guys will collect it and eventually fill a bowl with it. To each their own.
Edit: "Guilty", L.

 

[cigrmaster]

pipedreamer, who do you know that purposely does not put the draft hole right to the bottom of the pipe? I have never heard of that before. The pipe makers I have ever spoken to or read about always make sure the hole is at the bottom and dead straight. To my mind a draft hole that does not go to the bottom is a flawed pipe. Like you said, you will not get a good burn to the bottom without that feature.

 

[jpants]

@cigrmaster I tend to do the finger over puff thing a lot when I'm walking the dog. But I am trying not to cause I feel that it maybe one of the ways I have ended up burning my tongue.

 

[thesmokindragon]

They have said it all;
1) It keeps the hot embers on the tobacco to help keep the pipe lit.

2) gently, weight of the tamper tapped down is all you need

3) I use a wooden tamper, but there are MANY answers to this

Also keeping a nice even layered/entire bowl burn will build your cake from bottom up
As Cigrmaster also stated a dead center/very bottom of bowl/draft-

hole is a properly engineered pipe...don't bother with anything less

 

[unclebuck]

I've just gotta say that last night I tried these tamping techniques with some Dans Blue Note in a corncob and they worked great. Keeping the ember in the center (more or less) along with light "sanding" and weight-of-tamper tamping kept the tobacco smoldering for the whole smoke.