Smoking 1/2 Bowl at a Time. Get a Smaller Pipe?

Log in

SmokingPipes.com Updates

New Cigars




PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

jpmcwjr

Moderator
Staff member
May 12, 2015
24,569
27,077
Carmel Valley, CA
Title edited for caps. Rule 9 -jpm

I find myself filling my pipes to the top hoping to make it through a full bowl, but the majority of the time, I’m lucky to make it through half.

Curious, would you just pack a half bowl? Buy pipes with small bowls?
<< Snipped bits out >>
I wouldn't go out and buy a pipe just to have a small chamber. And I don't pack it half way as I don't know how much time I'll have, so I load it fully. If interrupted, I'll set the pipe down, and be happy to come back to it in a short while, next day or the day after that. Almost always as tasty as the top part, sometimes better!

Folks who frequently experience damp tobacco or goop in the chamber most likely are packing tobacco that's on the moist side.
 

turtlehead

Might Stick Around
Jan 1, 2022
78
155
43
Citrus Heights, CA
timhalberg.com
I wouldn't go out and buy a pipe just to have a small chamber. And I don't pack it half way as I don't know how much time I'll have, so I load it fully. If interrupted, I'll set the pipe down, and be happy to come back to it in a short while, next day or the day after that. Almost always as tasty as the top part, sometimes better!

Folks who frequently experience damp tobacco or goop in the chamber most likely are packing tobacco that's on the moist side.
I've kinda been treating it like my wine, after opening a bottle, I only let it go one night... after that, I toss it.

Will try the going beyond and seeing how it tastes.

I think I do prefer the hopefulness of packing a full bowl.
 

jpmcwjr

Moderator
Staff member
May 12, 2015
24,569
27,077
Carmel Valley, CA
I've kinda been treating it like my wine, after opening a bottle, I only let it go one night... after that, I toss it.

Will try the going beyond and seeing how it tastes.

I think I do prefer the hopefulness of packing a full bowl.

Good luck; I think you'll like it.

As to wine, after opening if you immediate decant half of it into a clean empty split bottle, you'll have a choice of saving it till the next time, or, well, gobbling it all up!
 

OldWill

Part of the Furniture Now
Feb 9, 2022
690
3,877
74
Blanco, Texas
There are any number of smallish cobs that you might enjoy smoking. I have never had a "goop" residue in a cob, and the tobacco always smokes well to the bottom of the bowl. But, as others have said, whatever suits you best is not just acceptable, but correct!
 

turtlehead

Might Stick Around
Jan 1, 2022
78
155
43
Citrus Heights, CA
timhalberg.com
Good luck; I think you'll like it.

As to wine, after opening if you immediate decant half of it into a clean empty split bottle, you'll have a choice of saving it till the next time, or, well, gobbling it all up!
Always decant, and always pump the air out - and I guess in reality, I'll go into day 3 and still drink most of the wines, but end of day 3 and beyond, nope
 

turtlehead

Might Stick Around
Jan 1, 2022
78
155
43
Citrus Heights, CA
timhalberg.com
There are any number of smallish cobs that you might enjoy smoking. I have never had a "goop" residue in a cob, and the tobacco always smokes well to the bottom of the bowl. But, as others have said, whatever suits you best is not just acceptable, but correct!
I just picked up a TINY cob - it was actually too short of a smoke, it was almost a tease:
 

Attachments

  • IMG_4728.JPG
    IMG_4728.JPG
    95 KB · Views: 2
  • Like
Reactions: jpmcwjr

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
Keep your current pipe with the bigger chamber to smoke intermittently, and if you choose, get a smaller briar and/or cob for shorter smokes, or intermittent smokes with flake, coin, plug, or rope. Summing up what I said before, I guess.
 

kcghost

Lifer
May 6, 2011
13,158
21,427
77
Olathe, Kansas
I guess I am one of the few outliers here. If I only smoke half the pipe I put it down, let it go out and go about my business. Later I will come back to the pipe and finish it.
 

MacMarty89

Can't Leave
Dec 8, 2021
309
2,311
34
Greater Eindhoven Area, Netherlands
During my pipe smoking tenure I have gravitated towards smaller bowls. I look for chambers that have am inside diameter of max. 20 mm (0,79 inch) and a chamber depth of max. 40 mm (1,57 inch). I don’t go beyond those measurements. All the rest (bowl height, length, and so on) I’m not too worried about, although I don’t like heavy pipes (beyond 60 gram). I’m a slow smoker, so pipes usually last me for hours. That‘s why I smoke one pipe a day (perhaps two when I am totally consumed by madness).

My advice is: figure out what preferences you have first. It takes some trial and error, but pipes can easily be sold.
 

luigi

Can't Leave
May 16, 2017
456
1,265
Europe
It's totally ok to smoke one pipeful for several days. No need to dump half a bowl.
I often pack a pipe with strong tobacco and smoke it for days, sometimes just a few puffs, for a minute.
Of course tobacco will dry out completely and often taste better.