Pipe Smoking Guide

[CigarStone]

Very nice Alan!

I just started the pipe kick this week thanks to a great BOTL!

I am enjoying the learning process although I am wasting a good bit of tobacco due to improper packing....but all in all it's a great institution!

 

[rrgarvey]

Has no one ever used honey to ready your pipe for smoking? rather than the 1/4 bowl once a week method for a few months. To the best of my knowledge all you have to do after purchasing a new pipe (pending on the type of pipe) is put some honey on your finger and wipe the inside of the bowl, then add your tobacco, this burns the sugar creating the cake that you want to achieve.

Am i the only one who has heard of this method?

 

[LilBastage]

Has no one ever used honey to ready your pipe for smoking? rather than the 1/4 bowl once a week method for a few months. To the best of my knowledge all you have to do after purchasing a new pipe (pending on the type of pipe) is put some honey on your finger and wipe the inside of the bowl, then add your tobacco, this burns the sugar creating the cake that you want to achieve.

Am i the only one who has heard of this method?

I've tried it, but the resulting cake was very flaky and didn't last. YMMV, but it's not my preferred method. Others swear by it.

Just like almost every other aspect of pipe smoking, whatever works for you and whatever makes you comfortable is what you should do.

The only thing I do now to break in a pipe is to smoke the pipe carefully and slowly for the first 5 bowls. I just make sure that the bowl doesn't get hot and the smoke doesn't get wet and goopy.

 

[rrgarvey]

Has no one ever used honey to ready your pipe for smoking? rather than the 1/4 bowl once a week method for a few months. To the best of my knowledge all you have to do after purchasing a new pipe (pending on the type of pipe) is put some honey on your finger and wipe the inside of the bowl, then add your tobacco, this burns the sugar creating the cake that you want to achieve.

Am i the only one who has heard of this method?

I've tried it, but the resulting cake was very flaky and didn't last. YMMV, but it's not my preferred method. Others swear by it.

Just like almost every other aspect of pipe smoking, whatever works for you and whatever makes you comfortable is what you should do.

The only thing I do now to break in a pipe is to smoke the pipe carefully and slowly for the first 5 bowls. I just make sure that the bowl doesn't get hot and the smoke doesn't get wet and goopy.

great advice, thanks

 

[Shamrocker]

Alan, thanks for the informative thread. I just packed my first bowl and had one helluva time keeping it lit.

Thanks to this article I was able to improve the quality about 100x. I am reading it on my phone so the troubleshooting was happenimg real-time.

 

[LilBastage]

Alan, thanks for the informative thread. I just packed my first bowl and had one helluva time keeping it lit.

Thanks to this article I was able to improve the quality about 100x. I am reading it on my phone so the troubleshooting was happenimg real-time.

I'm glad you found it helpful. :thumbs:

 

[BTcigars]

I liked how you included a passage about drying tobacco but is a few minutes really sufficient? I have heard of some guys packing a bowl and letting it sit for about two hours. I have some Pirate Kake that is wet enough were a few minutes will not do it justice.

 

[LilBastage]

I liked how you included a passage about drying tobacco but is a few minutes really sufficient? I have heard of some guys packing a bowl and letting it sit for about two hours. I have some Pirate Kake that is wet enough were a few minutes will not do it justice.

It is all dependent on the tobacco, its condition, and your environment. In the middle of winter where I live, a few minutes is quite sufficient for many blends. In the summer, it may take an hour or two.

I also don't dry my tobacco as much as some people do. It takes some experimenting to figure out what works for you.

 

[Bryan L]

In your thread you say that carbon build up is not desired or nessacery in corn cobs because the pipe material acts like carbon does in briars.
Other than not being nessacery, why would it be undesired? Does it tend to cause problems of some type?

 

[LilBastage]

In your thread you say that carbon build up is not desired or nessacery in corn cobs because the pipe material acts like carbon does in briars.
Other than not being nessacery, why would it be undesired? Does it tend to cause problems of some type?

It changes the way the cob smokes and makes them smoke about like a briar pipe with cake build up. The cob material itself is what makes the corn cob pipe unique.

Also, a thick buildup MAY eventually contribute to a cracked bowl in the cob which will crack easier than briar.

It's up to the smoker, though. Some people like to build cake in all their pipes. Some don't.

 

[Bryan L]

In your thread you say that carbon build up is not desired or nessacery in corn cobs because the pipe material acts like carbon does in briars.
Other than not being nessacery, why would it be undesired? Does it tend to cause problems of some type?

It changes the way the cob smokes and makes them smoke about like a briar pipe with cake build up. The cob material itself is what makes the corn cob pipe unique.

Also, a thick buildup MAY eventually contribute to a cracked bowl in the cob which will crack easier than briar.

It's up to the smoker, though. Some people like to build cake in all their pipes. Some don't.

Thanks, I will play with this some.

 

[IronChef]

Has no one ever used honey to ready your pipe for smoking? rather than the 1/4 bowl once a week method for a few months. To the best of my knowledge all you have to do after purchasing a new pipe (pending on the type of pipe) is put some honey on your finger and wipe the inside of the bowl, then add your tobacco, this burns the sugar creating the cake that you want to achieve.

Am i the only one who has heard of this method?

I've tried it, but the resulting cake was very flaky and didn't last. YMMV, but it's not my preferred method. Others swear by it.

Just like almost every other aspect of pipe smoking, whatever works for you and whatever makes you comfortable is what you should do.

The only thing I do now to break in a pipe is to smoke the pipe carefully and slowly for the first 5 bowls. I just make sure that the bowl doesn't get hot and the smoke doesn't get wet and goopy.

I always heard from a lot of pipe smokers, especially the older ones, that you should lick your finger and run it on the inside of the bowl before the first few smokes to help get the cake to stick.

 

[CBoukal]

Thanks for all this knowledge, the tobacco shop by my house is having a special "all pipes in the case $19.99" (they are normally $30).

 

[nismo270r]

Very nice! Lots of good info for new pipe smokers and veterans alike!

 

[mickey2]

One of the mistakes many make when first starting out in smoking a pipe is constantly puffing to keep the tobacco burning. Avoid this. Puff at a leisurely pace and if your pipe goes out tamp and relight.

All good info but the above was an epiphany for me. :thumbs:

I couldn't agree more, just perfect advice for a newbie like me.