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First bowl

bilder

Active Member
Joined
Oct 12, 2006
Messages
1,470
Well I had a late lunch and the wife and kids are out of the house. Figured it was a good time to try out the new pipe.

Was an interesting experience. Much different than a cigar.

The tobacco the shop suggested was good. Had to do a bunch of relights (went through a dozen matches), guess I need to work on my packing or puff rythm some more.

Overall I enjoyed it and look forward to another bowl. Maybe another after dinner is on order....
 
Don't worry about relights. Many very experienced pipe smokers will have several relights through the course of smoking a bowl, especially with something with lots of Virginias in it (they smoke hotter than most other tobaccos). You didn't complain about "bite" so I'll assume you did right and didn't smoke too fast!! :thumbs:

As for packing, it's a never ending quest for a constant perfect "pack".

Here's something I got on another board I frequent:

A pipe must be packed properly to ensure a good smoke; unfortunately, learning to do this takes time and practice. In fact, the art of packing a pipe is the most difficult task associated with pipe smoking, and this can be very frustrating for the beginner. I suspect that most people who have given up on trying to learn to smoke a pipe did so primarily because they couldn't master packing a bowl quickly enough to suit them. The most common technique for packing a pipe is the "three layer" method. The objective is to end up with a bowl that is evenly packed from top to bottom; this is done by packing each layer progressively tighter. Trickle tobacco into the bowl until it is slightly overfull, then press very lightly with your finger until the bowl appears half full. Fill the pipe again and press down until the pipe is 2/3 to 3/4 full. Finally, overfill the pipe and press the top layer down fairly firmly. When finished the tobacco should feel "springy" to the touch. If it has no give at all, it's packed too tight. If a touch leaves an indentation, it is packed too loosely. Finally, test the "draw" by sucking air through the unlit pipe; the resistance should be about like that felt when sipping a soft drink through a straw. If the draw doesn't feel right, then empty the bowl and start over. A slightly different touch must be used depending on the size of the bowl and the cut and moisture level of the tobacco, but this will become second nature with experience. In fact, you will undoubtedly develop your own packing techniques with time, and you will find yourself loading your pipe without even thinking about it. If you find yourself frustrated by the fact that you simply can't get the feel for packing your pipe, you might want to try a method suggested by Mike Butera. Mike recommends chopping the tobacco, reducing the ribbons into rectangles or squares about 1/4" long. The bowl is then packed as described above. Some people have found that this method can make the task of packing a bowl much easier.

Compliments of smokersforums.org archives.

Many people compare the draw on a perfect pack to sucking water or a thin milkshake through a straw. I try to mimic the draw on a favourite cigar.
 
The draw seemed to be pretty good. Did not get bit (at least not that I know of).

Here is the blend I got. The shop calls it Stoney's Blend.

1272773oo2.jpg
 
Sat out on the deck with a space heater behind me and a pipe in my hand after dinner.

Second bowl was much better. Not as many relights as the first and I seemed to get getting more flavor this time. Seems that the pipe went out if I did not puff every 20 seconds or so. I thought that was too often from what I have been reading, but any longer than that and I had to relight.

Also, I have noticed that there is very little smoke coming from the pipe itself. Most of the smoke that is generated is from my puffs. Is this normal?
 
bilder,

All sounds normal to me. Don't get discouraged on the packing and relighting yet. It all takes time and practice.

What newfie was referring to was tongue bite, in which you smoke the bowl too fast or pull too hard, resulting in a bit of burning on the tongue. I had this happen to me, no fun.

Just keep at it and you'll be ok. That info newfie posted is good.

Also, yeah, most of the smoke will come from you after every draw, not so much just out of the bowl.
 
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