Sipper or Puffer?

[hawky454]

I'll go ahead and admit it here, I am not a "smoke it gently" kind of guy. I've tried it again and again because here on the forums they'll make you believe you are doing something wrong if you produce any kind of significant smoke, so for years I tried maintaining a smolder and ya know what? It just doesn't work for me! I get loads of flavor when I produce thick clouds of velvety smoke and I don't have problems with tongue bite at all. I think it was Kashmir that has a long thread where he basically says that "real" pipe smokers hardly produce any smoke at all and they basically laugh when they see a pipe smoker with thick clouds of smoke coming out of his mouth because (in his mind) they're doing it all wrong. I'm wondering how many pipe smokers just barely sip to get just a tiny whisper of smoke versus those who actually puff. I'm not talking about puff puff the magic dragon and the pipe is done in 5 minutes type of puffing here but I'm talking loooong puffs and looooong exhales (retrohales at that) and I'm not really enjoying the pipe until I'm snorking a good amount of thick, flavorful smoke. Another thing is, once the charring light is taken care of, that's it! I'm not relighting my pipe several times per smoke and I most always smoke in tandem keeping both pipes lit the entire session. Don't get me wrong, certain blends are good when sipped because they can get bitter if puffed too hard but for the most part, when I smoke, I SMOKE! I'm not saying one way is right and the other is wrong just do what works for you.
I thought this would make for an interesting discussion.
So what are you, a puffer or a sipper?

 

[Chasing Embers]

Sipper. It takes years to get to the point that no one realizes your pipe is lit, so I wouldn't sweat it at all. Continue making clouds! I just like doing it the other way because it messes with people. :mrgreen:

 

[jazz]

Sipper, it just tastes so much better that way to me.

 

[mackeson]

Both

I prefer the flavor of sipping, but when I find that sweet spot and the flavor becomes unbelievably good, I unconsciously start puffing to get more. Defeats the purpose, and makes the good go away, so I have to actively try to slow myself down.
I'm the same with eating... something tastes so good, I start eating it so fast that I'm no longer tasting it...

sigh... I have very little self control

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

perhaps I'm not that good at sipping,trying to keep learing further on,though I mainly smoke burley forwards which are a bit more forgiving and less prone to bite, or Viginias with some added leaf such as kentucky or perique,like Rattrays Gowrie or ST Bruno

 

[mso489]

Definitely a sipper. I do puff now and then, for the joy of smoking up the room and getting the full effect of the room note, but if I want to savor the blend or single leaf and really experience the flavor and fragrance, sipping does it.

 

[mikethompson]

I suppose I'm a sipper then. I try to prolong the bowl for as long as possible. I also found it cut down on bite.

 

[jaytex1969]

I'm all over the chart.
Often, the tobacco determines the cadence. The ODF (folded & stuffed) is a great sipper once it gets going.
Some blends must be sipped along until some unknown voodoo occurs within the bowl, then they want to be bellowed rather hard. Irish X, for example.
The drier D&R stuff can be harder to get going than one might imagine (Cockstrong, Ramback Balkan) but after a good coal is going, back off to prevent bitterness.
I'm still no expert, but I've learned to "listen" to my tobacco for best results.

 

[hawky454]

Often, the tobacco determines the cadence.

Very good point! 1792 Flake requires more of a steady, sipping cadence for me but St. Bruno and Condor... hell, even Full Virginia Flake I get much more full flavors with puffing than sipping. If ya get a little flavor from sipping, ya get a lot of flavor from puffing. It's just the barely let it smolder thing has never worked for me and it's all about doing what works for you.

 

[tschiraldi]

I think I'm somewhere in between. A gentle puffer, I am. I, too, snork a lot. Best flavor that way. A group 4 or 5 will go for 45 minutes to an hour, and I almost never have to relight. Sometimes there is a small bit of tobacco at the bottom, but I find the very bottom of a bowl to be very similar to the bottom of a pot of coffee. I simply dump it out. Usually it's a very minimal amount.

 

[mayfair70]

I do both, but tend toward puffing. It depends on the blend and how far along I am in the bowl. Something like FVF or an OTC, I'll start out hotter and get to sipping by the end. More complex, as well as stronger blends, will start out gently and once I have a good ember and cadence, the smoke is right there for the bigger snorks should I desire them. I usually desire them. Which pipe I smoke plays a role as well. With a nice bent Kaywoodie, where the stinger is intact and produces a naturally cooler smoke, I enjoy and produce more smoke. A smaller bowl with a straight stem needs a finer touch to avoid too much heat. Finally, how the tobacco is prepped determines the most. A nice fine cut and dried to perfection needs less puffing from me to get to my sweet spot volume and taste wise. These I can truly sip. Other times, no matter how long I dry or fine I rub, it just requires a bigger puff to get the flavor profile I want. Nowadays these are more subconscious tendencies rather than conscious choices.
I will concede that the mantra of slow down and don't draw as hard is where my mind goes, if I think about it at all. I had nearly the perfect smoke last week and drew both large and small amounts with equal ease and wonderful taste as I sat on the porch. I didn't realize until almost the end how great that smoke was. ::

 

[olkofri]

Define puffing.
Define sipping.
If you suck on the pipe as you do a cigarette, is that puffing?

 

[Chasing Embers]

Sipping - lightly coaxing smoke out of the stem
Puffing - forcefully drawing smoke out of the stem

 

[Chasing Embers]

If you suck on the pipe as you do a cigarette, is that puffing?

Yup

 

[perdurabo]

Both. Depends on what I'm smoking.

 

[deathmetal]

I get loads of flavor when I produce thick clouds of velvety smoke and I don't have problems with tongue bite at all.

Probably depends on your pacing. I imagine this works well at a leisurely pace; for me, the breath smoke works the best. YMMV

 

[hawky454]

Good conversation here fellas. It really isn't as simple as I made it out to be... there are just so many variables.

 

[anthonyrosenthal74]

I'm a sippuffer :mrgreen: I like to know I'm getting some smoke, so I take longer slower draws of the pipe while breathing through my nose. So... actually a sippuffereath smoker ::

 

[jpmcwjr]

Sipping sounds prissy, and puffing sounds strenuous. There's a middle ground, I hope. I guess I huff and puff on the first light (which is usually my only light for a while), and sip on the rest. Until she starts to go out, then more puffing. Then dainty little draws. So, it varies.

 

[nevadablue]

Both, Anthony described it though.