Wondering What I'm Doing Wrong

[louiszmich]

I think I'm going to walk through my process in smoking today and point out what might have went wrong and then open it up to everyone. I want to thank everyone in advance on here, as I try just about every piece of advice I get on here to try and have a pleasant smoke all the way through. I know it's still early and I have been smoking for only a year now (Im 19), so I have a lot to learn. Unfortunately I'm convincing my friends slowly to enjoy the art of pipe smoking, so for now I'm by myself so this forum makes a world of difference for me.
I started off by letting my Early Morning tobacco sit over night before I smoked it. I store all my tobacco in zip lock bags that go into a Tupperware container. I live in Chicago and the night before was a bit humid so I thought overnight would do. I then used the Frank method to pack my pipe. I let the tobacco drizzle in then bunched the rest on top and pinched the tobacco down into the bowl until it reached the top. I completely lit every bit of tobacco on the the false light. Tamped down every piece of tobacco until I had a flat surface, then re lit the pipe. I was using a Savinelli Canadian pipe for the first time that was reamed and cleaned from this forum.
I tried to just "sip" and slowly smoke my bowl, but the slower I smoked the more it went out. This being said I tried to puff more often but that made the pipe burn hot and then the tobacco still went out. I was smoking so fast that I started to get gurgling, and when the condensation shot up the stem into my mouth, it ruined the smoking experience for me so I dumped the bowl out.
I am by no means stressed or discouraged by this experience, I just simply want feedback as to what I can do to enjoy a smoke that make only take a handful of relights, and is pleasureful all the way through. Because it seems like I'm tasting more of a burnt tobacco taste instead of the flavors I know I should be tasting.
Thank you in advance for your comments, as always I look forward to reading them all.

 

[rcstan]

If the baccy was moist to the touch or sticking together, it was probably too moist = problems lighting, keeping lit etc. If the baccy was at the right moisture or slightly dry, then you probably packed it too tight = all those problems. It could also be a combination of both.
I now live in a much more humid climate than in South Central Alaska , where an open tin would go bone-dry in a matter of 24 hours. Here on the coast of SC it takes about a week for that to happen. So I make sure my smoking supply is fairly "normal" moisture before I start partaking thereof. Much easier to rehydrate than to try and dry out.
As for packing, I don't have a preferred method, but I usually fill the bowl with pinches or make a ball of baccy fairly loosely to where there is just a bit of resistance when drawing on the unlit baccy vs an empty bowl, then light and tamp as needed.

 

[bryanf]

Learn "breath smoking". Will solve all your problems. I never dry my tobacco. Forget the Frank method. Just pack your pipe and with practice you'll find the right technique for different tobaccos. I like a nice easy draw with just a little resistance. If you pack too loose, you can always tamp it tighter, but if you pack too tight it's almost impossible to get a good smoke. I pack pretty tight, but I know my pipes and tobacco and what they can handle. A couple relights per bowl is normal. Bowl should never get too hot to hold, or put it down and let it cool off before relighting.
All my opinion, of course. Good for you, for asking a great question, and don't give up! It took me years to figure out how to get a good smoke!

 

[nsfisher]

Takes awhile mate. After 18 yrs of the pipe, I still relight once or twice per bowl. Not a big deal, and don't dwell on it, just enjoy

 

[craig94yj]

Louis, I too am a noob at this. I love the science and techniques you can apply to this hobby to get the most enjoyment out of each and every bowl. I watched a few videos on youtube about the "3 pinch method". this is good for beginners and I have had great success with it. At a month in I can get good burns with minimal relights. I look forward to the challenge of only lighting a bowl twice. It does not happen every time, but it does happen enough. Once you get the feel of that method and periodic tamping during your burn, you can start experimenting with other methods of packing. I am even getting ok at the "stick the bowl in the pouch and just use your finger" method thanks to the "feel" of the tobacco after using the "3PM". Good luck and happy smoking.

 

[tarak]

I'm going to guess its in your packing technique. Takes awhile to get it right. Probably too tight.

 

[waywardverve]

Read A LOT... i've only been smoking pipe for a month... but i've read and watched decades of experience. Just last night I managed to casually pack one of my oak pipes (with a pretty small bowl 20mm x 32mm) and smoke for about 40 minutes +-10, no tongue bite and only one relight...

seriously read up like a crazy person and you'll pick up a lot of tricks.

Look out for tips on how a packed pipe should feel and draw before being lit.

 

[dervis]

It is a piece of wood. Two holes in it. Put tobacco in the big hole. Set it on fire. If it goes out set it on fire again .That's it.Don't over think it. It will all work out and just click eventually.

 

[tbradsim1]

Forget about the Frank method, do it in threes, first pack very light tamp, 2nd pack firmer, 3rd pack a little firmer, draw should be like sucking thru a straw. Now if you"ve packed to tight and it feels like you are trying to sip a heavy malt, don"t despair, before you light, take stem off and run cleaner down and poke you a draw hole in tight pack, put stem in and light. You"ll find your way.

 

[piperl12]

Good advice from everyone, key things are don't over think it and take it slow. So what if you have to relight a few times. No big deal its a marathon not a sprint. Try leaving a bit of space at the bottom of your bowl if you are having trouble with the draw. Better to re-light twenty times than get your pipe gurgling and have to waste tobacco by dumping it out. Best smokes are sometimes the ones you don't think about.

 

[numbersix]

I think Bradley's advice is spot on. I will however go against the grain and argue that "over-thinking" in the beginning is fine. By that I mean, take your time, pay attention to everything. I think long time smokers are often operating on habit, so for them it takes no thinking or effort.
But for beginners, I think it pays to concentrate and pay attention to the details until good habits set in. Also, getting the "puffing vs sipping" thing sorted out takes time. IMHO, sipping only works with a well-lit bowl. If a bowl is too loosely packed, it will not get a good, solid burn going, and so it takes stronger puffing to keep it lit. Just make sure that even though your bowl is well-packed, you can get an easy draw.
Finally, re-lights are not uncommon, but have a pipe cleaner handy to remove excess moisture from the stem. Good luck, hang in there.

 

[plateauguy]

"Before you light, take stem off and run cleaner down and poke you a draw hole in tight pack, put stem in and light. "
Thanks Bradley! I've learned something new today.

 

[swampmouth]

It's a fire. You control it. As a beginner you're only "goal" should be to enjoy it. Let your tongue be the guide. If it means constant relights, so be it. I've pulled the whole plug and repacked. Open air channels while burning. Sometimes just trashed the whole thing. Eventually it falls into place, it took me 10 years. I'm still getting better after 30. I enjoyed 99% of it. Flakes work better for me. If you're looking for taste get something heavier than early morning. I never intentionaly dry out tabac. Not even in humidity.In fact I have better results first out. Do you own thing. Find what that is. I hope you find it sooner, There's just too much? good stuff out there now.

 

[wilson]

Relax. You'll figure it out. The Old Cajun's recommendation of the 3 step method is a good one. Packing a pipe is a touchy-feely thing and it takes a bit of time to develop the feel. Experiment a bit. Try packing a bit looser. If that doesn't help, pack a bit firmer and see how it goes. Most of us struggled a bit at the beginning.

 

[namuna]

Let the fire do the work.
I'm also VERY new to pipe smoking and have also been watching all the videos and reading all the articles. But right now, for me, my mindset is light and re-light as many times as it takes until the baccy can hold its own...Heck, even if it doesn't, just keep on using the lighter.
I HATE tongue bite, it just makes EVERYTHING taste like burnt nuts, but when I stopped caring about keeping the baccy lit and just letting the lighter/fire do the work, the bite subsided and I can actually start working on being able to discern the flavors and nuances of the baccy everyone talks about now.

 

[txbeerboy]

The first two matches I use always makes the tobacco raise up out of the bowl. I tamp it down and use a third match. I will use ten or twelve matches in the first twenty minutes. I let it go out, cool down and relight. I love doing that with these heavy latakia blends because it taste so good every time the match hits the tobacco.

 

[rebornbriar]

Before you light, take stem off and run cleaner down and poke you a draw hole in tight pack, put stem in and light.

Another tip I seen once to help the packing at the start - before you pack your bowl, put a pipe cleaner down the airway and into the bowl. Then pack using the 3 pinch method. Remove the pipe cleaner. This will now have kept the airway clear and will leave a small air pocket at the bottom of the bowl which helps the tobacco burn.

 

[sablebrush52]

Now that's a great tip from reborn!
Patience and practice will get you there. I look for a firm yet "springy" pack that lets the air move through. A false light or two to get an ash cover. Then I light, puffing to get the burn going across the top and after that it's just sipping like breathing, easy, slow, and not overly deep. After a while you'll find the right combination.
One other thing. Before I light up, I moisten the rim with a bit of saliva. That helps keep the rim from getting singed.

 

[louiszmich]

Thank you everyone for the great advice, it's nice to see such a wide variety of smoking styles. Just goes to show that it really is dependent on the person once you got the basics down. Sorry for the late response, with work and school everything has been pretty crazy! Look forward to posting again! Thank you again everyone for your great advice.

 

[carcosa]

I am new to pipe smoking too but this is a great way that I figured to pack a bowl and it seems to work out well. I take a pinch of tobacco and push it lightly to the bottom of the bowl, then I repeat with another pinch and another lightly pushing it down until the pipe is filled to the top. Then I take the tamper and draw air through the pipe like I'm puffing and tamp the tobacco down until I just barely start to get some resistance on the draw. Then I put some tobacco on top of that and do the tamp and draw procedure again until the bowl is full. That way you can regulate the airflow and make sure you are going to have a good draw.
I take my time and sip and make the bowl last as long as I can, but I usually only have to relight a couple times if at all (although I tried some flake for the first time and it was a little moist and I had to relight around 5 times). Also if you are getting bitter liquid from your pipe stem, take a pipe cleaner and run it down the stem as far as you can to soak it up. I get this problem more with my straight pipes than with my bent ones. But the bent ones are more likely to gurgle if it gets a little hot.