Unable to Gain Pleasure from Smoking Pipe

[benvierre7]

Hello,

I have just started taking up pipe smoking as a hobby. Somehow its different in terms of what I expected. I am smoking Stanwell Melange on a corncob, but I am not able to pick up any sort of flavors or aromas from it. Plus I also have to relight the flame many times and do some tamping job as well.

All this while I had the picture that pipe smoking is something very relaxing and pleasurable. Images of men hiking a long trail or a sailor working hard all while clenching their pipe lit a single time.

Am I doing something wrong?
Ps: I three bowls old.

 

[workman]

Yes! You are probably doing everything wrong haha. You'll work it out eventually, don't worry.

Things to remember: Dry your tobacco untill near crispy.

Pack lightly. Probably way lighter than you think.

And smoke slooowly. Once you've found out how to slow down, slow down more.

Google is your friend. And youtube.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Stanwell Melange

Many beginners start with aromatics and are immediately turned off. The beginning smoker will get no flavors from them and will often be left with a burned tongue. Pipe smoking has a bit of a learning curve and aromatics can take months or even years to appreciate. Get a burley or English blend and practice your packing and smoking cadence and you'll soon start to see what it's all about. Many video tutorials available on YouTube. Don't give up!

 

[haparnold]

Pipe smoking is very relaxing and pleasurable, but you have to get over a learning curve first.
Honestly, I think I was smoking for over a year before I started having really good smokes. Now a dozen or so years later, it's the most relaxing thing in the world.

 

[cachimbero]

Be patient, this is as pleasurable as you expect, but needs to be learned. I would recommend you try Mac Baren original Choice, it is a very well behaved aromatic tobacco. Go slow and don´t give too much importance to relights. Make a search for "breath smoking", that may be of great help.

 

[bnichols23]

Aw, damn, work', you are just Evyl. } bv, that said & workman's sense of humor satisfied, his advice is good & basic. Essentially it all boils down to three things -- the choice of tobacco, the pack, & the cadence. Embers' is dead-on. Most new smokers will go for flavor, which usually means what's called a "casing" or "topping." Your best bet as far as tobacco is what Duane (embers) said -- go for a good basic burley or mild/medium English blend.
You'll laugh, but as far as a good tobacco to begin (OR continue) with, Sir Walter Raleigh is a good choice. Pack tighter than you feel you need too. There are a few different ways to do it -- "drizzle," "pinch," etc. Like Duane said, check youtube. Me, I've always had good success with starting fairly loose at the bottom, & firmer with each additional bit of tobacco that I push in. If it's really springy on top when you're done, it's too loose & you need to either push it down harder, or at worst empty & repack.
As far as cadence, puff slowly, not like a steam engine or a smoke screen. If the tobacco is too moist you'll overheat it & the steam will cause tongue burn. You'll get the feel of it, don't worry.
Bill

 

[elessar]

I too had a similar experience when I picked up the pipe. Most of the aromatics I tried, in my opinion, made the room smell great but tasted somewhat like hot air. It took some time before I really started picking up the flavors. One such aromatic blend that I thought had a more robust flavor was Peterson's Founders Choice. For an aromatic, it hit the spot for me. War horse green would also be a flavor packed aromatic I guess. While I enjoy it also, I would not start out with it. Myself, I have learned I very much like latakia and English and Balkan blends.
Don't give up. There is so much help available on this forum (I browsed for many hours when I started smoking a pipe). The journey is worth it.

 

[troyniss]

Welcome to the hobby.
I was in your position last year.
It takes time my friend. Just continue what you're doing and eventually you will find out what type of smoker you are.
Some of us take a puff every 40 seconds, others constantly puff every 2-3 seconds.
I still occasionally do things wrong, but it's a learning curve.

Got it down to where I usually only have to light my bowl once.

I'm a choo-choo train though and I sometimes get a little hot. I'm learning to slow down my pace.
Taste is a subjective thing and in my experience it takes a while to develop a palette for blends.

One day you will be smoking and then it will happen. The "Ohhhhhhhh, so this is great!"
I've only been smoking for a year, but I've learned alot.

After some time you'll find out what tobaccos you truly like and you can then develop even further into that realm, but for now just focus on being patient.
Good luck.

 

[nunnster]

I will echo what has already been said. To me, some of the pleasure comes from the learning process itself. One day, you are going to pack a bowl perfectly, your cadence will be perfect, the tobacco will suit your mood, and with a little experience under your belt you will have a general idea of the flavor you're looking for. Then BOOM, all of a sudden, it will be pure bliss. Everything will click. An hour or two will go by in what feels like a fleeating moment. You will look down and suddenly your bowl will be nothing but ashes. It may happen next week, it may take a few months. But you will get there. Once you have that zen moment, you will forever be looking for it again.

 

[mso489]

Pipe smoking is enjoyable or it isn't worth the bother. I'd say, take your time. Let it go for a few months, if you want, and try again later. Sample a few blends, and buy in small quantities for a year or two, a pouch or an ounce of bulk. Don't feel bound to finish a bowl. You can put it aside and relight later if it isn't pleasant. Experiment, play around with it to find out what works. The experience should get better, but learning shouldn't be a task.

 

[briarbuck]

It's like swinging a golf club. Feels odd at first and then it becomes second nature.
As they say, patience grasshopper.

 

[sablebrush52]

Don't over think this. It's not rocket science, but it is a learned skill. Tobacco moisture, packing, and cadence. For most tobaccos, a little less so for aromatics, dry is where it's at. Not crumbly, turns to dust dry, but just slightly moister than that, crispy but still pliant. Aromatics need a tiny bit more moisture or the flavoring dries out and the blend loses its flavor. Too much moisture masks flavors.
Pack lighter than you think you should, at least for starters. There are a lot of methods out there, some of them helpful, most of them beside the point. You just want the pack loose enough that you can draw on the pipe and not feel like the airway is congested. You should not have to work to pull air through the airway. You can fine tune it and figure out what ways work best for you down the road.
Cadence takes time to learn. Rapid puffing will deliver a harsh smoke that tastes of nothing. Puff a few times when lighting then switch to sips, like sipping a malt. Take it slow and easy. If the pipe goes out, so what? Having to relight is common. It's not a badge of shame.
If you can, slowly exhale the smoke thru your nose. You have far more flavor receptors in your nose than in your mouth. Pay attention to what you're smoking if you want to notice flavors. Take it slow and steady.
There are a few really good videos on YouTube. I wish I could remember which few they are because the vast majority of the videos I've viewed are ignorant crap.
Burleys and English blends are good suggestions, although many pipe smokers start with aromatics. Virginias, Va/Pers, etc are wonderful types of blends, but require some developed skills to get the best out of them. An OTC like Sir Walter Raleigh or Carter Hall are favorites for a great many, perhaps most, pipe smokers from the day they first start right up to the end. Captain Black is the number one best selling pipe tobacco.
Don't give up. It takes a bit of practice and a bit of patience. Developing patience is a lesson that pipe smoking offers, one that can benefit ones life in general.

 

[jeff540]

Sir Walter Raleigh regular (red pouch)
When you get that down, mix a little of your aromatic with it perhaps

 

[dcon]

benvierre7, you have already gotten some sage advice from some of out most outstanding members. Members may disagree on a number of topics. On this one, you will find unanimity.

 

[anthonyrosenthal74]

all while clenching their pipe lit a single time.

This happens, but it's rare. If you're always expecting or trying to smoke a pipe on one light, you're going to be disappointed. Don't worry about relights. We all have to relight our pipes. Some of us get buy on two to five relights. Some of us get by on four to eight relights. Some of get by on six to.... a box of three hundred matches. In all seriousness, you'll get to a point where you're not relighting as much, and you may have that perfect one light smoke eventually. But never expect it to happen, and never think that it's the norm. There are too many factors at play. The tobacco cut, dryness, humidity, chamber size, draft hole diameter in both the shank and stem, your smoking cadence (time and rythm, and length of puff or draw).
My advice is this. With a ribbon cut blend, pack your pipe loosely by just dropping the tobacco in until it's just over the rim. Lightly push it down a tad below the rim, and light. If the draw is too loose tamp it down lightly and relight it. It's easier to fix a pack that's too loose than to fix a pack that's too tight. This will help you find the sweet spot that will help you have a longer smoke between lights.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

If you're always expecting or trying to smoke a pipe on one light, you're going to be disappointed.

This is like a new thing people on here say. I am guessing that these very nice people are just wanting you not to fret about having to relight, but some are going overboard. Smoking a pipe from start to finish on one light is not absurd. But, there is no shame in relighting either. But, if you just keep you pipe in a clench, and not run your mouth, you'll find smoking to be a lot easier. I also find that I can put my pipe in my piperest in my truck, run to the bathroom and buy a coffee, and come back and just stick the pipe in my mouth and keep going.
While it is ok to relight, if it was as common as some of these good Samaritans make it sound, I would have already gotten fed up. I don't think that you'll ever hear someone say that they just had their Nirvana smoke, which included 20 relights.
And, this hemp wick thing... WTF? This is like the practical joke of the pipe world. I've tried it, and if you don't like the taste of matches or Zippos, hemp will give you a mouthful of burnt rope, and you'll look ridiculous doing it.
But, I guess... it's ok... looking silly is what we do... ammmirite? Use a long piece of string, over and over to relight... I mean, in the beginning, expect relights... of course. No worries. But, if you are doing it all the time, either you are a chatty Kathy or you are putting your pipe down for too long. I'm not trying to be mean, just truthful. If you've been smoking for years and you're still having to relight over and over, and you aren't talking or laying your pipe down... you might want to go over your pipes or techniques.

 

[trouttimes]

Great advice here! Especially the packing from Anthony. I found SWRA is good if you let it dry out for a while. Multiple relights, beginner. Just kidding. People make too much out of relights. If it needs lighting, light it. If not, smoke it I say.

 

[maxx]

I burnt my tongue like I’d been eating lit matches when I started. The tobacco ingredients can make a difference. Also, a Cob flavors the smoke differently than a Briar, in my experience.

 

[mikethompson]

Well here I am late to the party and all the good advice has been given. Yikes even Bill had some words of wisdom.

 

[mso489]

I never know how to approach new pipe smokers without their having any experience or exposure. I grew up with my day smoking Granger breakfast to bedtime -- time out for meals. I didn't try a pipe until I was in my thirties, but I was totally imprinted by watching him, every move, probably any mistakes. I still shovel tobacco into the pipe bowl with my thumb in a pouch. He always smoked pouches, never a tub. Kids notice everything, every move. It even surprised me a little.