Starting Back Seeking Help...

[bryanharvey]

Pipe Smoking Professionals, I'm seeking some help. I'm just starting back smoking my pipe and this is maybe my 6 or 7th bowl. I'm still having a problem with when to tamp and how to light it without it going out all the time! Is this ok to light a lot as a newcomer? Also, I'm looking for some great aromatics. I'm not quite ready for Latakia/English yet (And yes I've tried). Plus, my girlfriend rather enjoys the sweet smell outdoors on our balcony rather than the English I smoked once.
Finally, I want to go to a pipe/cigar lounge nearby in Orlando, but I don't want to look completely "rookie" lighting and not smoking correctly. But I would LOVE to mingle and get advice from people who have smoked pipes for years. I always love asking questions, hence my question here.
Any help is much appreciated. Thanks, Gurus!!!

 

[oklansas]

"I want to go to a pipe/cigar lounge nearby in Orlando, but I don't want to look completely "rookie" lighting and not smoking correctly."

Unlike my experience with starting cigar smoking, I found pipe smokers to be a quite accommodating and affable bunch of folks. I haven't felt silly yet for getting advice on how to curb my "non-optimal" pipe smoking habits.

 

[chawz]

Separate a little tobacco from your primary stash and let it dry in the open air till it borderline starts to crunch almost in your fingers, might take a few days. Pack light. Try Butternut Burley from PC, a great aro.

 

[thesmokindragon]

Agree, let the bacci dry to borderline "crunchy" to make sure you have enough dry time on it. Smoke slow, make sure you don't overheat the bacci/esp Aro stuff or it will tear up your mouth :-( I smoke a filtered pipe for any Aro blends to make sure this doesn't happen as I tend to smoke a lil faster than I should with them
As for the relighting issue, it is ok when starting to re-light a lil more, don't worry too much about it. Also I went this route as I do smoke tons-o-flake and it is outstanding & I only have to do my 2-false and 1-true http://www.glpease.com/Articles/BreathSmoking.html

 

[jah76]

Welcome!
I wouldn't hesitate to stop into any BM or pipe club and ask questions. Every BM I've walked into the shop owners went above and beyond to help me out. The same is actually true with a lot of online vendors like 4Noggins & Marty Pulver's place.
And don't worry about the relighting. I just counted my matches and I had to relight my morning pipe 4 times.

 

[dhizzy]

Hey Brian, I have been at it for two whole years and I'm still a rookie. I have to light my pipe over and over. It's something that I've still not been able to master but I am a pretty slow smoker and it really doesn't bother me to have to relight. I say, no big deal man. Maybe it is to some but not me.

 

[andrew369]

I am the same on the relighting front only having been smoking a few weeks. The nice little pile of matches at the end doesn't bother me at all since they are so cheap. Takes a while to find that sweet spot in terms of drying time, packing pressure and smoking speed, but will be so worth it.

 

[cigrmaster]

bryan, welcome to the forum. Re lighting is no big deal, I re light a few times per bowl mostly because I space out while smoking and reading the forums. One thing that is really important is how you pack the pipe. Use the 3 step method as described in numerous threads and when you are done, check the draw and make sure there is a bit of resistance before you light up. Also drying your tobacco properly is also huge. I for one do not like my tobacco dry or crunchy because to my taste it burns too hot. I suggest you read up on the pinch test, that is what I use to determine when my tobacco is the proper humidity. Pipe smoking takes time and patience, you will need to read a lot to understand all the subtleties involved. Never be afraid to ask questions as that is what we are here for.

 

[bryanharvey]

Thanks so much for all your help, Guys! I truly appreciate it, and I'll be taking notes. Definitely looking forward to trying these ideas, as well as sampling plenty of good tobaccos.

 

[numbersix]

Welcome to the forums bryan. I think cigrmaster offers excellent advice. Relights are a problem in the beginning. It's tricky to get a pipe to stay lit. But too many relights can burn your tongue quite a lot.
I highly recommend doing the carburetor technique (which I learned from cigrmaster). If you sense you pipe is going out, hold a couple of fingers over the bowl and draw in (not too much) or you can also gently tamp down while drawing in (the tamper will act as the carburetor).
Often this will get the tobacco relit and you'll save both your lighter and your tongue.

 

[mustanggt]

Have no fear new fellers we are the biggest enablers there are!!! :mrgreen: ::

 

[skunk]

Boswell's and Milan Tobacco have a pretty wide variety of aromatics. The staff at Boswell's are amazing. Decent shipping time too.

 

[boudreaux]

Welcome from another relative newcomer!

I found all of the members here to be very helpful and with accurate advices as to blends, methods, techniques. I am still asking plenty of questions.
Suggest that you check out a link that will lead you to what the acronyms and abbreviations mean, like TAD, etc. Members like to save typing by using them.
Lastly, if you're a visual type of guy when it comes to learning the "how-to," there are lots of videos on YouTube that will describe everything about pipe smoking - maybe even how to juggle elephants while doing it.

 

[lincolnsbark]

I too am only a month into being full on pipe hobbyist so I am making plenty of mistakes; TAD and PAD are especially bad in the beginning. I hope you find these forums as entertaining and addicting as I do. I am really enjoying different types of tobacco but my goal for the next few weeks is to really slow down to taste the tobacco and accept the inevitable relights.

 

[boudreaux]

Bryan - Here's the link to the acronym and terms listing:

http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/terminology