Smoking bowls in quick succession

[beardedcavalier]

It's probably just beginner's enthusiasm on my part, but once I finish a bowl I have an immediate urge to refill and light up another one.
Is this necessarily a bad idea and, if I do, should I use a different pipe? I have heard it said that a pipe should be left to cool after smoking - why is this the case?
Cheers.

 

[newbroom]

You can overdo anything with anything. Tongue exhaustion can occur to anyone, especially a newbie. Once that happens you won't enjoy it much till you've allowed yourself to rest. So...keep drinking water, tea, fruit juice or coffee and take a break between bowls.

Allowing your pipe to cool at least, is advisable for a variety of reasons.

You should be taking at LEAST 30 minutes to smoke an average sized bowl.

If your blends are very mild, you might could (ha ha) keep on smokin.

 

[danielplainview]

Welcome to the forum. I smoke back to back in the same pipe frequently and haven't had any problems other than the occasional gurgle. I think you can use them a couple times in one day, and then leave to dry and rest for a couple days. Some pipes can handle multiple bowls in one day, and some pipes get soggy after one use.

 

[bigpond]

I frequently smoke back to back bowls in the same pipe without issue. Occasionally one blend will flavor the next, but the degree to which this occurs really depends on what is being smoked. With a little forethought you can use this to your advantage. Between bowls I run a pipe cleaner through the stems and wipe down the bowl with a paper towel. Afterward, I blow through the bit to remove any ash in the stem or bowl and refill.

 

[pipestud]

Howdy beardedcavalier and welcome!
I see absolutely no problem in smoking back to back bowls in a pipe or multiple pipes (I do it that a lot myself and I've been a pipe smoker for over 40 years). However, I don't smoke back to back bowls of two different blends. The palate tends to need time to recuperate from one style of tobacco before it can give you all the nuances of another, if you smoke them back to back. So, I stick with the same blend when smoking two bowls in rapid succession.
Again, welcome!

 

[warren]

I have a pipe going most of the day. When working, I usually have a couple of cobs in the truck, a couple more in my pack or gear bag and one in my mouth. I usually do not smoke the same pipe over and over, sometimes I do if a second pipe is not close at hand.
I have been known to dump, refill and smoke the same cob for a couple of hours and have not found any degradation in the pipe or the taste. I treat my cobs poorly. Briars a bit better. And, my meerschaums are certainly babied, only because they are an entirely different animal from the others.
In the evening I may alternate two meers or smoke four or five bowls using the same pipe. Meers can handle such treatment. I prefer my briars, no matter how many times I've smoked them during the day, to rest until Sunday. Sunday is pipe cleaning day. I've never found consecutive bowls, say four in the morning with the same pipe to have any adverse effect on the pipe.
After each use of any pipe, I dumb the ashes, give it a blow and either reload or put it in my pocket. Pipe cleaners are used only when the pipe starts to smoke annoyingly wet or becomes a bit hard to draw.
If I only smoked a couple of bowls a day I would most likely take only one pipe into the field.

 

[mso489]

Entirely individual, I think. I feel like I get a lot more bang for the buck if I have a distinct intermission between

bowls, especially since I nearly always change tobacco blends. But if you are really enjoying bowl-on-bowl, pack

a different pipe while you are smoking another and light right up. Welcome aboard, bearded.

 

[smeigs]

I smoke back to back bowls every now and then. Usually at pipe club meetings or other pipe events. I usually switch pipes just because I like to. You could smoke two bowls out of the same pipe. Its all personal preference really. And if you are enjoying the second bowl as much as the first.. I say just keep smoking!

 

[lordofthepiperings]

I typically only have multiple bowls in the same pipe if I'm at a pipe show or at the B&M when some pipe friends. It's very rare that I'll have a bowl, use a pipe cleaner to clean the bowl, and then reload it and smoke another bowl right away.

 

[buroak]

You have received good advice from seasoned smokers, so I will only add what has not already been said. Specifically, if you live in an area where the weather is currently cold and are smoking outside or in an unheated garage, you may find that you need to allow your pipe to dry out between smokes. I find that smoking in the cold greatly increases the moisture left in my shank and bowl (probably due to greater cold-induced condensation). If I do not let my pipe dry out, then I end up with more gurgle and unburned tobacco in my second bowlful.

 

[mso489]

When I go to pipe shows, I usually take at least three smaller pipes so I can sample offered tobaccos without getting any residue.

It's the only time I worry about ghosting.

 

[prndl]

i do this quite often with no problems.
after running the pipe cleaner thru the stem/shank and toweling out the bowl, i usually place the pipe in a heavy glass ashtray for a few minutes...heavy glass seems to dissipate heat from the bowl quicker than a simple pipe stand.
the cooler pipe seems to keep the next round drier.

 

[oklansas]

As others have already said, back to back bowls are no problem as long as you are cognizant of the possibility of ghosting with certain tobaccos.
However, I would also add two items. Be careful with tobaccos featuring a strong bit of Vitamin N, as the nicotine can sneak up on you and make you sick. And, If your pipe starts to gurgle or crackle, run a pipe cleaner through the stem before the following bowl or just switch pipes. The gurgles get worse...

 

[beardedcavalier]

Thanks to everyone for their advice. On reflection, I think I am smoking way too fast. I go through a bowl in 10-15 mins, then immediately refill and light another. All too often I end up with nicotine sickness and running outside for fresh air! That kinda takes away from the enjoyment and relaxation of pipe smoking. I wonder if any of you have practical tips on how to slow down? I tend to sit and smoke whilst working at home on my computer, and keep reaching out for the pipe without even realising it or appreciating the flavour of the tobacco.