Quick Update

[BarrelProof]

So I’m two bowls back into this hobby and I’m already feeling quite a bit more accomplished than when I used to smoke a pipe and never really did anything to learn about the process.

As I said in my intro thread, I used to just cram as much tobacco into a bowl as I could fit, light it 38 times during the smoke, fight it, burn my hand on the bowl, and ultimately not enjoy the balance between tongue bite and frustration.

I recently decided to jump back in after talking to a buddy who smokes a pipe quite a bit and decided I wanted to commit to learning this time as opposed to just flying blind.

I’ve already seen a great improvement from my first bowl to the second, simply by reading and paying attention. I smoked a bowl of a local B&M’s aromatic today and decided to both let it dry out some because it was pretty sticky and also to use the Frank Method of packing the bowl.

Compared to yesterday, the smoke was much cooler, only needed to be relit once, and the flavor was noticeably better. I think yesterday I’d actually packed it too loose so it was tough to keep it going and I had to really get after it, resulting in some heat and several relights.

Regardless, after researching and trying to educate myself vs. just diving in ignorantly, I’ve already seen a drastic improvement from one bowl to the next which really gives me confidence about where it goes from here.

Thanks!

 

[Scarlet claw]

Glad you're back in the fold. All you can do is find your own way to pack a pipe. every pipe will have it's own nuance.
stick to what you've learnt & go from there. Makes and the way they are blended some burn alot different from plug 2 flake, Loose tobacco. but it's a journey you will get there

 

[docpierce]

A short video on packing and lighting a pipe. An interesting method.

 

[gervais]

A short video on packing and lighting a pipe. An interesting method.

I like this method the best for fine cut leaf

 

[Bowie]

I like this method the best for fine cut leaf

I second this method. I watched this same video a few times when I started out.

Eventually you will work a good method that works for you that is a hybrid of things you watch and read about. My usual method now (I've been at this only 6-7 months) is sort of a gravity fill with one or two (or zero) very light tamps as I fill it (depending on the bowl size), but sometimes I do the swirl method in this video. It's easier to tighten the pack as you go then struggle through one that is too tight. Eventually I found that packing is like a fly fishing cast - if you overthink it, you'll certainly screw it up and snag a tree (#@$#!) and lose your fly.