The "Charring Light"

[lostandfound]

Well, to make a long story short... I don't do it. Through experience, I've found there to be no need to light, immediately tamp, then light again. I have sublime smokes, when I light, and smoke. I normally don't tamp until I've smoked nearly 1/4 of a full bowl- when the smoke becomes whispy and less flavorful. From then on, I rarely re-light, and tamp again between three and five times, almost always finishing a bowl with NO dottle. Any of you distinguished gentlemen follow suit?

 

[lordofthepiperings]

I always char light tamp and true light.

 

[gwtwdbss]

I char light, tamp, and true light also. I find it more necessary for flakes to even them out as they certainly like to expand.

 

[foggymountain]

It depends on the tobacco and probably on how much moisture is in it. Sometimes only one lighting is needed, sometimes two. You can smoke it without tamping, but it does tend to burn more evenly if tamped.

 

[checotah]

I never use a "charring" light. About the only time I need a second light at the beginning of a bowl is if the tobacco is moist. Well, there are the occasional poor packing jobs....

 

[juni]

I use three or four charring and true lights. :lol:

 

[latbomber]

I always do a charring light to get the surface of the tobacco nice and even for the true light. A single light to start only works with very dry tobacco for me.

 

[philip]

It depends on the tobacco. Most don't require a charring light. Some, often aromatics, do.

 

[nsfisher]

I just light it an smoke it.

 

[jndyer]

I have been here long enough and am getting to know some of you enough that I thought, if nsfisher responds it is going to be along the lines of light it and smoke it. Well I was off a little, light it and go.

 

[werdna]

I light, tamp with a finger, and while the match is still lit, relight the pipe. I always considered that one light.

 

[cortezattic]

8O OK buddy, turn in your pipe smoker's ID card immediately! Follow the rules, or don't participate!
.

.

Reminds me of the days, back in the late 60's, when I was too dumb to at least improvise a tamper.

I didn't know any better, and I just used my index finger! Built up a nice callus; but still, I didn't tamp much at all. :lol:

 

[pipestud]

I think it depends on the tobacco. Drier tobacco (my personal preference) will "puff up" quickly and require a tamp or two to depress and even the tobacco around the bowl for a more balanced burn. Wetter leaf usually doesn't spring up as fast and I can smoke a lot longer before needing to tamp.
Best,

Pipestud

 

[lostandfound]

What Checotah said rings very true. A properly packed bowl is paramount. I should have also mentioned that 80% of my smokes since I started smoking a pipe a couple years ago have been MacBarens version the the Navy flake, so I'm fairly familiar with it's burning characteristics. Thanks for chiming in comrades.

 

[lostandfound]

Hey Cortez, I'd be happy to turn in my pipe smoker's ID card, but they wouldn't let me have one! I suppose they just knew that I am one of those uppity sort of scoundrels who never much cared for the rules. :nana: I do however clean my pipes after every smoke, allowing an appropriate amount (how's that for alliteration?) of time to pass before removing the stem.

 

[locopony]

It also matters how coarse cut the toby is. I have some English Comander (I dont know the real name its a bulk blend I get at my local B&M) its very coarse cut some of the chunks are bigger than an eighth inch. That must be charred, tamped, and then light.

I char it , let it go out, as in set the pipe down and go fix me up a drink (ice tea usually, I quit the hard stuff) then come back sit down tamp and light. Then I prop my feet up, hang the pipe out the left side of my mouth and go into a trance, where I hope to stay for an hour at least.

 

[cigrmaster]

I only smoke flakes so a char and true light are a necessity for me. The flakes expand and need to be tamped and I have found that if I try to just do one light, I have the flame over the tobacco too long and it gets too hot taking away flavor.

 

[ciderguy]

I always char light and then true light with matches. Sometimes I char tamp and keep smoking without a relight when I'm using a lighter.

 

[kashmir]

I pack, char, tamp and re-light. This will take me to the bottom of the bowl, with an occasional tamp.

 

[jbbaldwin]

The C&D crumble-cakes and their brethren tend to take a light immediately; for just about everything else, I char, tamp, and light.