The Charring Light

[mso489]

The first lighting of a bowl of tobacco is often called the charring light, and in many cases,

it quickly goes out, though you can often keep it going for some time. It all depends on the

packing and the cut of the blend. Sometimes when I do a good job of packing, nice and firm

but not too tightly packed, the tobacco still settles a lot with the charring light, and the leaf

seems to lose about a quarter to a third of its volume before it settles down to burn evenly

with a second lighting. How are you with charring lights? Do you seldom have to relight, or

often, or nearly always? How much of the bowl do you lose when the tobacco settles? No big

point or issue here, just a point of interest. Of course, I'm assuming we all tamp the bowl down

after the charring light goes out, if it soon does. (Oops, humidity of the leaf is also a factor.)

 

[ravkesef]

I usually have to do a second light, but MSO's observation that the humidity of the tobacco is a big factor here. If the tobacco is exceptionally dry, one light will suffice. By the way, I think I show my age when I refer to it by it's older term, the "false light," the term in common use when I started smoking in 1959. Wonder if anybody knows when the expression "charring light" first came into use? By the way, one of the questions I was asked in the early days was "why do pipe smokers have to re-light their pipes after they light them?" But I guess that question arose when pipe smokers were common enough that the procedure was noticed.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

For me, the charring light is about the disruption of the leaf as it is heated. I find that most blends expand and rise up as I initially light the bowl. Then I tamp it back to place and light it without too much more expansion. I don't seem to loose any volume. I just gently tamp the leaf back to where it was. On folded and stuffed flakes, I don't even bother with the char and tamp, I just smoke it, as the flake seems to hold it's own. However, if I cube cut it, there is a lot of disruption on the char.

 

[tslex]

I never think of the false light as NOT being intended to really light the bowl (which is to say, it is NOT meant to create a cherry (the large glowing ember at the core of the tobacco) that will combust the rest of the tobacco) at all.
The purpose is to settle and warm the packed tobacco -- and to make sure that you don't get little embers or ash falling out during the true light. Light puffs, a quick application of flame, a light tamping.
THEN the true light, with a lengthy application of flame and substantial puffs. Doen right, this produces a good cherry and a long burn.
That's what i was taught 35 years ago and how I've done it since. (Doesn't make me right; just how I know to do it.)

 

[frozenchurchwarden]

I just do the charring light so that you're not spilling tobacco once it gets going. If I didn't fill every bowl to near overflowing I have a feeling the false light wouldn't be needed as much.

 

[daimyo]

I do at least 3 charring lights and purposefully do not allow them to catch well. I do little micro puffs to just pull the flame down to the top tobacco and them immediately tamp it out. Then when I do my true light, the tobacco burns evenly and does not puff up any further.

 

[brudnic1]

I almost always need to light twice.

 

[cobguy]

I have often equated the charring light of pipes to the toasting of a cigar.
It warms and prepares the tobacco for what is to come and makes the final light even across the surface.
The flavors on those first false lights are usually quite nice as well! ::

 

[thesmokingtexan]

+1 daimyo I do the same but usually only about twice and then the true light. I believe it gets all the moisture out of the tobacco on top and searing the outside of the tobacco so that when you do the true light everything catches and burns with the same consistence making for less movement, spillage and a more even burn.

 

[lostandfound]

This is one of those things I've never quite understood. 98% of the time, I don't have to light my tobacco twice. I light it well, and can smoke 3/4 of almost every bowl I smoke before a relight. Shit, with a good pack, I don't even need to tamp until half the leaf has been consumed.

 

[bphilli75]

Char (false light) > Wait > Tamp > Light. This is the ritual I learned and have always followed. Sometimes, depending on the tobacco, how it swells, etc., I may have to lightly tamp again and light a third or fourth time to get lit well. My goal is a nice button of burning coal with an even top.

 

[ravkesef]

This is one of those things I've never quite understood. 98% of the time, I don't have to light my tobacco twice. I light it well, and can smoke 3/4 of almost every bowl I smoke before a relight. Shit, with a good pack, I don't even need to tamp until half the leaf has been consumed.

Jerod, it may be that your initial light is heating the tobacco too much and burning rather than toasting it. Try a slow charring light, then a slow true light, sip slowly, and see if you get a toaster flavor from your tobacco.

 

[phil67]

It all depends on the tobacco that I’m smoking. There are some that I pay more attention to with a ‘char’ light and others not so much so. One extreme example would be PA, which I occasionally smoke, has no need for a charring light as that tobacco would stay lit with only one light for the entire bowl if smoked while taking a shower. However, the need for an occasional tamp is always beneficial except when a flake tobacco is smoked with a fold and stuff method simply because the burnt tobacco does not easily collapse for obvious reasons. But, that's just my take on it and whatever works for you is all that really maters.

 

[tuold]

My experiance is that if you take the time to do the charring light correcting you probably won't have to do a relight until much later. As mentioned there are variables to take into account.

 

[andystewart]

+1 pretty much everyone above, particularly billp. I find a correct false light warms the tobacco and brings out any lifting. A soft tamp gives a flat, even surface for the true light to catch and produce the cherry (never heard that descriptor before, but it's exactly right!). I find that doing these steps right means I rarely need a relight.
Andy