Smoking Half a Bowl and Finishing it Later

[Anchovies]

Title edited for caps. Rule 9. -jpm

... do any of you guys do this?

I seem to remember many years ago, someone online suggesting that the second half of the bowl is far superior to the first, especially if left for a few hours.

To me it just seems a bit more sour and not as nice. But maybe that's just in my head.

What do you think?

 

[--dante--]

I smoke most of my bowls in halves, and usually have two half-way smoked ones sitting ready. I wouldn't say the second half is far superior, but it does seem to benefit from the "rest". The very quick and easy relight is kinda nice too. I really don't do it specifically to have second half DGT bowls -- it's just my smoking habit.

 

[judcole]

This is known as Delayed Gratification Technique - DGT - one variation of that term, anyway.
I don't do this regularly, but it does happen now and then - just did it,inadvertently, the other day, with a bowl of Ye Olde Signe. The nic level was definitely higher than I notice with this blend.
I have heard that aros tend not to respond well to this technique, although I have not tried that myself. YMMV.

 

[Franco Pipenbeans]

I can rarely smoke a bowl to the heel, I much prefer lighting, puffing on it as much as I want and then relighting it later.
I’m not sure there is any taste benefits to smoking like this to be honest but my mouth gets “bored” quite quickly…or overpowered, depending on the blend.
The only time I do is when I’m breaking in a new pipe but then I only load half a bowl up anyway, so I can smoke to the bottom.
I always find the end of a pipe, cigar or whatever can taste grim - when that happens, I tend to stop smoking it.

 

[Brendan]

Depending on the type of blend I'm smoking in regards to improvement, mostly happens for me with Virginia or Virginia dominant blends.
That's improvements in regards to my personal preference / tastes mind you. I've found burley blends for me don't improve but are still smokeable none the less, only reason I would leave half a bowl would be because I had too, got bored or didn't dry the tobacco enough.

End of the day, if it doesn't bring you enjoyment than it's not worth doing, even if you have to dump half a bowl and start again - life's too short to smoke something that turns you off.

 

[Fralphog]

I don’t ever smoke my pipe with the intent of smoking half a bowl. There are times when things arise that cause me to set the pipe down and return to it later. When this happens , the second half of the bowl has been hit and miss. Some tobaccos smoke well to the end and are enjoyable. Others seem to be off taste and I’m disappointed. In a few cases the taste is so undesirable I’ll just simply quit smoking it knock out the tobacco and clean the pipe.
I pick the size of pipe I’m going to smoke based off of how much time I have dedicated to smoking.

 

[leonardbill1]

All the time unless it is a small bowl pipe. The first part of the bowl is better, but I wouldn't characterize the smoke as sour when picking up and putting down. Sometimes it's a little hotter.

 

[ray47]

I "DGT" from time to time, but only when I'm smoking a Virginia blend. High nicotine burley blends don't work for me at all when I "DGT". They get bitter and taste ashy. Virginia blends get sweeter. Don't even think you'll get a good smoke from a Latakia blend if you "DGT" (in my opinion).

 

[ahouston]

I can only smoke this way as I am quite sensitive to nicotine (and don't want to build a tolerance anyway). And for me it's more like a third of a bowl at a time. Yes, leaving it for a few hours can improve the taste for sure. Especially since most blends can come a bit too moist, and a bit of breathing will unlock some flavor (in my experience).

 

[Peter Turbo]

I do this quite a lot.

 

[kola]

Never, too ashy and odd tar tasting. I never got into the DGT thing. I dump it.

 

[jpmcwjr]

All the time, whether 1/4, 1/2, or 3/4 smoked. Taste is neither superior nor inferior to a fresh packed and lit bowl. Done with many dozens of pipes. Always works fine.

I believe the "secret" is to avoid damp loads; then it turns to crap in time. If the tobacco is dried down and if pipe isn't damp, you're in luck. Mostly English blends, and never Aros in my experience,

 

[sablebrush52]

Often. I like to have a wee smoke before settling in for the day, but not enough to get any sort of buzz. Being a NIC wimp, it doesn't take much. A bowl will often last me the day, and I'll have a bowl or two after work, generally when I'm sitting outside reading my newsfeed, or talking with a distinguished personage like @JimInks .

 

[alaskanpiper]

I do it very regularly and find it perfectly enjoyable. In fact, sometimes I’ll load up a larger chambered pipe and return to it several times over a day or two. It’s quite convenient.

 

[mso489]

Much of my smoking is intermittent. Occasionally, a good-tasting bowl will go harsh on me, and I just scoop out the ash. But most often, the later relights are as good or better than the first ones. I may leave a partially smoked pipe for hours, or overnight. Sometimes the drying brings up the flavors better and/or improves the evenness of the burn decisively. When I'm lucky, I get to smoke a pipe all the way continuously, and when I'm really lucky, this provides an optimal smoke. But intermittent is mostly the way I enjoy my pipes, as time permits.

 

[dunnyboy]

Some mornings I'll resume smoking a bowl from the night before and find the smoke mellower and more flavorful. I'm not sure whether this is the tobacco or me. But it does suggest that the tobacco doesn't deteriorate and might even improve when it's had time to cool and dry out.

 

[cigrmaster]

For my tastes a half smoked bowl tastes like shit. Same thing with a cigar that had been left to sit out too long. Call me crazy but shit tasting over the hill tobacco does nothing for me, I would toss it and start a fresh bowl, Even a great blend like Capstan Blue Flake looses its great flavors. Save your self the 40 cents and light up again.

edit: I should have motioned I never light up a pipe I know I won't be able to finish. hat is just not done in most circles.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I've found this works reasonably well with Virginia dominant blends but not so well with Aros or latakia dominant blends. Regardless, it helps to fully insert a pipe cleaner to suck up the moisture when you stop smoking the first portion. You may want to even leave it in until you start smoking again. This will help minimize any bitterness.

 

[bullet08]

Try running the pipe cleaner, and dumping the ashes before resting. That helps a little. I do enjoy the bottom 1/3 of the bowl, but not after lengthy rest. I don't really mind DGT, and do it occasionally. And didn't used to notice too much difference in taste, but just not as good as it used to be.

 

[dunnyboy]

A little experiment: At 2PM I rested a bowl of Solani Silver Flake that I was smoking during my earlier post. I just relit the remaining half bowl of tobacco at 810PM. It tastes just as good as it did earlier, but not better.