Questions - Staying Lit; Packing: Relighting; Ashy Taste
- Thread starter Maedhros
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Very interesting thread to which I can add a point or two.
Pipe smoking is intended to be relaxing. It is not a competitive sport, or a stunt, except at slow smoking competitions. So you had some relights, BFD.
Different blends smoke differently. Some take to the flame with alacrity while others smoke like they’re covered with fire retardant.
Drying time is not measured in minutes. It’s measured in the state of moisture in the tobacco, which can differ from one manufacturer to the next.
The single best suggestion you got in this thread so far is to experiment.
Experiment with different drying times, starting with 20 minutes and extending it by 20 minute intervals. Discover how different moisture levels affect burning and flavors.
Puff to light, slow sip to smoke. That’s basic.
I don’t use “methods”. They didn’t exist when I started pipe smoking over 50 years ago. But, they can be helpful. Eventually you will fall into a routine that works for you.
Again, experiment. There are no shortcuts to gaining technique, just bullshitters pretending to have a one size fits all solution.
With regards to lighting, sometimes I do that char light, true light stuff and sometimes I don’t. Depends on the blend. If you’re going to do a charring light, keep moving the flame around to get an even char.
Same goes for the “true” light.
English blends are the easiest to smoke and the most forgiving of a lack of technique.
Generally, burley blends are easy to smoke and enjoy.
Aromatics take a bit more knowledge to get the best from them. Finding a good moisture level to bring out an optimal balance between flavorings and the tobacco takes a little experimentation.
Virginias will school you. These I prefer on the dry side, still pliant, but dry to the touch when squeezed, no feeling of moisture rising against my skin when I squeeze. That, for me, is when the flavors come out to play. Slooow smoke Virginias to keep them from burning hot and tasting like ashes.
Again, experiment with what works for you.
Keep your pipes clean. Use pipe cleaners to clean to clean out the airway after a smoke and wipe down the chamber walls with a piece of wadded paper toweling to clean out the crap.
Experiment, experiment, experiment.
Pipe smoking is intended to be relaxing. It is not a competitive sport, or a stunt, except at slow smoking competitions. So you had some relights, BFD.
Different blends smoke differently. Some take to the flame with alacrity while others smoke like they’re covered with fire retardant.
Drying time is not measured in minutes. It’s measured in the state of moisture in the tobacco, which can differ from one manufacturer to the next.
The single best suggestion you got in this thread so far is to experiment.
Experiment with different drying times, starting with 20 minutes and extending it by 20 minute intervals. Discover how different moisture levels affect burning and flavors.
Puff to light, slow sip to smoke. That’s basic.
I don’t use “methods”. They didn’t exist when I started pipe smoking over 50 years ago. But, they can be helpful. Eventually you will fall into a routine that works for you.
Again, experiment. There are no shortcuts to gaining technique, just bullshitters pretending to have a one size fits all solution.
With regards to lighting, sometimes I do that char light, true light stuff and sometimes I don’t. Depends on the blend. If you’re going to do a charring light, keep moving the flame around to get an even char.
Same goes for the “true” light.
English blends are the easiest to smoke and the most forgiving of a lack of technique.
Generally, burley blends are easy to smoke and enjoy.
Aromatics take a bit more knowledge to get the best from them. Finding a good moisture level to bring out an optimal balance between flavorings and the tobacco takes a little experimentation.
Virginias will school you. These I prefer on the dry side, still pliant, but dry to the touch when squeezed, no feeling of moisture rising against my skin when I squeeze. That, for me, is when the flavors come out to play. Slooow smoke Virginias to keep them from burning hot and tasting like ashes.
Again, experiment with what works for you.
Keep your pipes clean. Use pipe cleaners to clean to clean out the airway after a smoke and wipe down the chamber walls with a piece of wadded paper toweling to clean out the crap.
Experiment, experiment, experiment.
As a relatively new guy now getting the hang of all this-your entire post was spot on.
In the day of the internet “look at me and how much I know” prevalence, quiet sage advice is often overlooked.
Now, when I sit down to have a smoke and all the “method” BS is running around my head, I often quiet it by internally reflecting upon this: “do you really believe that generations of our fore-smokers bothered with such mental gymnastics?”
I doubt it.
