So I've been smoking a pipe with some regularity for about a week now (I've dabbled over the last 6 months, but never took to it), I figured I would share some of what I've learned in case it might help others:
1) Properly packing a bowl is critically important. Nothing else will ruin a smoke as much as a bowl that's packed too tight or too loose. So far I've tried the 3 step method, the frank method, and that cool method from McGrane at JJ Fox. All three work fine, but it really comes down to testing the draw. If the draw is off, dump it out and start again. The extra 2 minutes invested will make a world of difference in your smoke.
2) I find ribbon tobacco easier to start with. I'm still figuring out how to pack flake and haven't even tried plug yet, but ribbon is pretty straight forward. It's also easier to dry which makes a big difference for the next item...
3) Tobacco that is too wet will cause tongue bite. This seems obvious, but I "reminded" myself at least 3 times this week. The moisture causes steam which causes tongue bite. Figuring out how moist a tobacco should be will take practice, but there's a big range and it's not rocket science. When brand new to this, I'd err on the side of too dry, rather than too wet.
4) Buy 3X the number of pipe cleaners you think you will need. You'll thank me.
5) Don't discount cobs. They may not be the sexiest pipes, but they are great smokers. And they don't need as long a rest period, so you can get started with fewer pipes. Also, they're cheap. So if you ruin one, not the end of the world.
6) Pipe lighters make things easier. You can definitely use a regular Zippo or matches, but I find a pipe lighter easiest (especially for relights when the bowl is half empty). I haven't used one, but I would be REALLY careful with torches, lest you burn your pipe.
7) Stop when you're done. Seems obvious, but twice this week I ended up with a tongue-full of ash. When you notice the flavor turn a little and the pipe go out more frequently, you're probably near the bottom.
8) The point of tamping is to keep the ember in contact with the tobacco. You should tamp lightly. The point is not to improve the draw, fix a badly packed bowl, or anything else. If you're tamping frequently or pushing more than very lightly, you probably packed the bowl wrong.
9) Don't worry about relights. My first few pipes I was determined to get through a bowl without relighting. This cause me to smoke far too fast and led to tongue bite and a hot pipe. Embrace the relights. It's not like a cigar in that the flavor will not go bad if the pipe goes out. Slow down, taste the tobacco, enjoy the experience.
10) Pipe smokers are pretty laid back people and generally love to talk about pipes/tobacco. Ask questions, read posts, watch YouTube videos, ask more questions. Most of all though, have fun with it. If you're not enjoying it, what's the point?
I clearly have a lot more to learn (like how to pack flake tobacco so I'm not left with a rock hard "gob" of wet baccy at the bottom of my bowl) but I figured this might help someone thinking about getting into it. I may come back and edit as I go.
Also, big thanks to the guys on here for answering my questions, posting great content, and being so welcoming.
1) Properly packing a bowl is critically important. Nothing else will ruin a smoke as much as a bowl that's packed too tight or too loose. So far I've tried the 3 step method, the frank method, and that cool method from McGrane at JJ Fox. All three work fine, but it really comes down to testing the draw. If the draw is off, dump it out and start again. The extra 2 minutes invested will make a world of difference in your smoke.
2) I find ribbon tobacco easier to start with. I'm still figuring out how to pack flake and haven't even tried plug yet, but ribbon is pretty straight forward. It's also easier to dry which makes a big difference for the next item...
3) Tobacco that is too wet will cause tongue bite. This seems obvious, but I "reminded" myself at least 3 times this week. The moisture causes steam which causes tongue bite. Figuring out how moist a tobacco should be will take practice, but there's a big range and it's not rocket science. When brand new to this, I'd err on the side of too dry, rather than too wet.
4) Buy 3X the number of pipe cleaners you think you will need. You'll thank me.
5) Don't discount cobs. They may not be the sexiest pipes, but they are great smokers. And they don't need as long a rest period, so you can get started with fewer pipes. Also, they're cheap. So if you ruin one, not the end of the world.
6) Pipe lighters make things easier. You can definitely use a regular Zippo or matches, but I find a pipe lighter easiest (especially for relights when the bowl is half empty). I haven't used one, but I would be REALLY careful with torches, lest you burn your pipe.
7) Stop when you're done. Seems obvious, but twice this week I ended up with a tongue-full of ash. When you notice the flavor turn a little and the pipe go out more frequently, you're probably near the bottom.
8) The point of tamping is to keep the ember in contact with the tobacco. You should tamp lightly. The point is not to improve the draw, fix a badly packed bowl, or anything else. If you're tamping frequently or pushing more than very lightly, you probably packed the bowl wrong.
9) Don't worry about relights. My first few pipes I was determined to get through a bowl without relighting. This cause me to smoke far too fast and led to tongue bite and a hot pipe. Embrace the relights. It's not like a cigar in that the flavor will not go bad if the pipe goes out. Slow down, taste the tobacco, enjoy the experience.
10) Pipe smokers are pretty laid back people and generally love to talk about pipes/tobacco. Ask questions, read posts, watch YouTube videos, ask more questions. Most of all though, have fun with it. If you're not enjoying it, what's the point?
I clearly have a lot more to learn (like how to pack flake tobacco so I'm not left with a rock hard "gob" of wet baccy at the bottom of my bowl) but I figured this might help someone thinking about getting into it. I may come back and edit as I go.
Also, big thanks to the guys on here for answering my questions, posting great content, and being so welcoming.
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