Smoking Slowly, What Does That Mean Really?
- Thread starter jason64
- Start date
SmokingPipes.com Updates
Watch for Updates Twice a Week
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
Site Sponsors
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
- Status
I am still too green to get the breath method working, and I take very, very consecutive sippuffs. Way I see it, to 'slow down' is to suck very, very gently on the pipe, as if you were sipping 70% vodka through a straw. If I draw on a pipe as I do on a cigar I'm gonna scorch my tongue immediately.
long slow puffs, quick consecutive puffs when needed to keep the ember going. You don’t need to puff 100 times a minute, instead draw just enough to keep it burning.
Practise makes perfect
Practise makes perfect
I think maybe you're confusing slow with gentle. Gentle is the key for me. I can take long draws if I'm gentle. I can take short draws with a little more "oomph" to them, especially if I feel I need to get more air through the ember to keep it lit, but don't overdo it. Taking short AND gentle draws or long and forceful draws does not work for me.
It's hard to set a rule or really describe it. Experiment and find your own draw force and cadence. The only thing I would suggest you not try is really forceful draws for any extended time. That's almost sure to bite or burn you.
If you're like most of us, you're going to experience some tongue bite and burn in the early stages. Take a break till your mouth recovers but make a mental note of how hard and fast you were puffing at the time and make sure you avoid that rhythm.
It's hard to set a rule or really describe it. Experiment and find your own draw force and cadence. The only thing I would suggest you not try is really forceful draws for any extended time. That's almost sure to bite or burn you.
If you're like most of us, you're going to experience some tongue bite and burn in the early stages. Take a break till your mouth recovers but make a mental note of how hard and fast you were puffing at the time and make sure you avoid that rhythm.
Oh, and another thing. Take those you tube videos with a very large grain of salt. If I've learned anything about pipe smoking its there are no "best" ways for everyone. All you're seeing and hearing is what works for that individual.
I generally try not to draw on the pipe much at all. I just breath through my nose and there is a certain amount of draw into the mouth that occurs when I do this. The tobacco needs to be quite dry for me to do this without a lot of relights.
I do intentionally draw in when first lighting up or occasionally a little if it seems to be going out or when tamping.
I do intentionally draw in when first lighting up or occasionally a little if it seems to be going out or when tamping.
I'm glad someone asked this question - always been a wonder of mine also.
I think with YT videos you've got to take into account the fact they're doing their piece to camera at the same time. If it's a video specifically about 'slow' smoking fair enough, but otherwise they're going longer between draws because of all the talking. Bear in mind we're usually just sat silently contemplating life when we smoke our pipes.
I'm still struggling to keep my pipe lit, so I can't risk going longer than 6-7 seconds without drawing. I've tried breathe smoking, but like Olkofri above me I haven't got the hang of it yet.
I'm still smoking too fast for my liking, and I'm also still all too aware of the process. I long for the day it becomes second nature, and if I can ever get to the stage where I forget I have a pipe on the go, I think I'll consider myself as having 'got there'.
I think with YT videos you've got to take into account the fact they're doing their piece to camera at the same time. If it's a video specifically about 'slow' smoking fair enough, but otherwise they're going longer between draws because of all the talking. Bear in mind we're usually just sat silently contemplating life when we smoke our pipes.
I'm still struggling to keep my pipe lit, so I can't risk going longer than 6-7 seconds without drawing. I've tried breathe smoking, but like Olkofri above me I haven't got the hang of it yet.
I'm still smoking too fast for my liking, and I'm also still all too aware of the process. I long for the day it becomes second nature, and if I can ever get to the stage where I forget I have a pipe on the go, I think I'll consider myself as having 'got there'.
I was wondering if one of our elders cans make a video, without talking or anything, just naturally smoking a bowl start to finish as they do when they are on their own so we can see and at least get a better, unbiased idea
^ There is a certain protocol that must be followed to submit such a request to them. I am not authorized to openly reveal the details, but I can tell you they must be addressed as The Most Honorable Patriarch, such & such...(Elder is not generally the most appropriate term...although at certain times you might find them in a particularly agreeable mood to respond to that...but I would not advise anything other than Patriarch).
I will say no more at this time.
EDIT: I will only add that the idea that one of them would appear on camera for an instructional video is not something that should be expected. If it were to occur at all the task would be delegated to an underling I'm fairly certain.
I will say no more at this time.
EDIT: I will only add that the idea that one of them would appear on camera for an instructional video is not something that should be expected. If it were to occur at all the task would be delegated to an underling I'm fairly certain.
breath through nose, and let the smoke trickle into the mouth. occasional gentle pull to keep smoke and amber going. gentle blow back through the draw hole to "cool" the pipe every 3-5 sec or when you remember. you can let the collected smoke out of mouth whenever you want. at least this is how i do it. occasionally puff also. right after the tamp and relight. and right after putting button in the mouth.
There simply is no one way to get a satisfactory bowl. (I'm using capital letters at the start of each sentence here so as to make this easier to read. And, the rules require such.) I smoke for the nicotine. That's what the pipe is for and it does it well. Draw often enough and slow enough to just keep the incineration going. That's all there really is to it. My cadence and draw vary if I'm working. All the other stuff is a personal choice. Some look for very few relights, others do not char, some hardly ever clean the pipe, others are nearly anal about. There is a learning curve, it's not steep unless you want it so.
Agree with everything warren writes above, except I am not sure I am smoking for the nicotine. I might be but how could I tell? I sometimes crave having a bowl, other times not. I enjoy the taste and what little rituals I have in smoking.
And thanks to those who take the time to write well in our language.
And thanks to those who take the time to write well in our language.
I don't even know who the underlings are.
To even be considered for that position you must submit a DNA sample for genealogy testing. Mine came back the most common peasantry all the way back into the mists of time so I was of course immediately disqualified.
It amazes me how folks complain about the execution of grammar when long time members keep it smokey without the use of a shift key and no one bats an eye.
Capt'n: I give a break now and then, thinking they simply haven't read the Kevin's rules. But, I generally do not read those posts in which the author obviously doesn't care and appears lazy or, at worst simply contrary. I no longer have the young eyes nor, the concentration to try and figure out what the poster may or may not mean. I simply do not have the inclination nor the time to try and fathom what such a poster is writing about.
We're here at Kevin's sufferance. I appreciate his efforts and try to adhere to his rules as much as possible. It costs me nothing to give the guy a bit of well deserved respect.
We're here at Kevin's sufferance. I appreciate his efforts and try to adhere to his rules as much as possible. It costs me nothing to give the guy a bit of well deserved respect.
I find that if I rush it I tend to lose that sweet taste from the tobacco. And the pipe goes hot which in the long run will ruin it. So always try to put that pipe down every time it gets too hot to hold.
I smoke for flavor. What works best for me is to keep the tobacco just barely simmering, just on the edge of going out without it actually going out. It's a combination of getting the moisture content at the point where the blend releases its most intense flavors, With the blends that I usually smoke, Virginias and Va/Pers, that moisture level is pretty close to, but not quite, bone crumbly dry. The tobacco may be a bit crispy at the edges, but it's still pliant. Then I pack it so that it's firm, not tight but lightly compressed and still a bit springy. Once I've got the tobacco going with a few puffs, it's all gentle sips, sometimes a long sip, sometimes a short light sip, but always slow and gentle, just enough to keep the tobacco barely simmering. I might give a puff or two to keep it lit, but other than that it's sipping the blend and then easing it ever so slow and lazy, out my nose so that I pick up the other flavors in that blend.
- Status