Too hot to handle

[sack]

I currently have two corn cob pipes for smoking. But they sure can get hot. Any pipe that won't burn your hand? Is there a pipe that works well with aromatics? I'm not concerned about ghosting.

 

[Chasing Embers]

How damp is the tobacco you are smoking, and how tightly are you packing it? Also, try not to puff on the pipe, but gentle sip. Cobs in my experience have been excellent for aromatics.

 

[sack]

Some tobacco does gurgle. Maybe let it dry overnight. Some aros go out so easily. Light, relight.......I'm prob puffing too hard. May have to get a decent lighter. Bic work, but burn my fingers! Sorry I'm just ranting.

 

[voorhees]

Your either smoking damp tobacco or smoking to fast and drawing to hard. A briar would get hot as well.

 

[sack]

So short sips rather than long deep draws, even if they are slow.

 

[pagan]

Smoking cadence needs work, dryer baccy, looser pack, sips not puff,, cobs are great for all blends
You'll be fine, we have all been there, and we're hear for ya

 

[anthonyrosenthal74]

So short sips rather than long deep draws, even if they are slow.

Not necessarily. That's how I normally smoke. But puffing quickly or too hard will cause your tobacco to burn too hot. If you find your pipe getting too warm to the touch, slow down your cadence, and sip a little lighter. You'll find what works best for you in time with practice.

 

[jndyer]

Here is they way I figure it, I would rather smoke a corncob to learn on and possible burn out a sub $10 pipe than have a risk of ruining a much more expensive briar pipe; therefore, stick with a cob and follow the above mention bits of advice about drying your tobacco, try different styles and firmness of packing and taking sips of smoke. I will also add, when the pipe starts to get on the hot side you should set it down for a bit and let it cool off the relight and go again. Finally, relax and enjoy the journey that is pipe smoking.

 

[seagullplayer]

Its been my limited observation that overall my cobs smoke cooler than my briar.
If you are having trouble with a hot cob, your likely to have trouble with a briar.
I would work on drier, how you pack it and speed.

 

[crashthegrey]

Unless they are tiny little, thin walled cobs it sounds like you are going at your pipes like a freight train. We've all done it, sometimes still do. Relax whilst you smoke and see how it goes.

 

[bluegrassbrian]

I've found that some pipes just smoke hotter.

Even when employing superlative technique, some pipes are more susceptible to developing hot spots.

I have a quality pipe from a well respected maker and the chamber walls are uniformly a quarter inch thick, with a maintained cake... and it still gets hot spots while smoking.

 

[mso489]

I've never had a cob smoke hot. Are you smoking Missouri Meerschaum or Old Dominion? These are the standards. There are some lesser cob pipes that aren't made well. If you are heating up an MM cob, you must be puffing like crazy. This is not a good way to smoke, even if you get a briar pipe with a very thick bowl that won't be hot to the touch. This isn't how it's done. Slow way down.

 

[shutterbugg]

Ditto that ^. Takes a lot to heat up a cob. I'm betting on too-fast puffing. To check the moisture in your tobacco, grab a little and pinch it tight then let go. If it falls apart it's fine. If it remains in a clump, then it's too wet. That's in terms of how hot it'll steam up and how hard it will be to keep lit without over-puffing. Some people prefer the changed/muted taste of dryer tobacco, which is another thing altogether to making a blanket assertion that if your pipe smokes too hot it's on account of too-wet tobacco.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Some people prefer the changed/muted taste of dryer tobacco, which is another thing altogether to making a blanket assertion that if your pipe smokes too hot it's on account of too-wet tobacco.

Yet, it's the single most likely cause!
And many experienced and knowledgable folks here maintain that there's more taste in drier tobacco than moist tobacco. Your mileage obviously varies.