Haven't smoked a pipe in a while, but here goes: Now, help me determine how to have a better experience. The smoke came out cool to begin with but turned pretty hot. It wasn't all that enjoyable. What did I do wrong? I assume I loaded the bowl incorrectly? I packed the tobacco on the bottom tighter and then loosened up as I added to the bowl. I have a little tamp tool to help with that. This smoke also didn't seem to last very long, perhaps 15-20 minutes. Is that normal? That seems a bit short in my book. Any help is appreciated!
There's Baby Boomers, then Gen X. A forgotten middle group is the inBetweeners. We cross the span from 1960 to 1965. One foot firmly in Sheriff Andy's Mayberry, the other stumbling into MTV. Our parents tried to instill Traditional Values while the one eyed demon - Television - was showing us The Real World. But back to the subject at hand; @Bama Samurai , you mentioned what I understand are different finished products. Twist, flake, and I don't recall the others. Care to expound on the subject? A primer for the undereducated on the various and assorted forms either common or uncommonly available, and the positive & negative values as you perceive them? Not to slight anyone else with opinions, please enlighten me!
Well, I've done a little internet reading on the subject and probably loaded my tobacco the wrong way. I should have tamped harder at the top as opposed to the bottom. I flipped it. I remembered something about that method but obviously it's been a while and therefore did it backwards. Oh well. I'm still open to suggestions and help from you folks that know what you're doing. Thanks!
Yeah, you load looser at the bottom, and a little firmer toward the top. When you're finished, the tobacco should have a little spring back when you press gently on it. As far as the length of the smoke, that can depend on the size of the bowl, the type of tobacco, and how moist or dry it may be. If the tobacco is very dry, it will burn a little quicker and burn hot. Your smoking pace has a lot of bearing on that. Pipes are best when sipped slowly. Some say it should be on the verge of going out, but I find that a bit extreme. Just sip it slowly, tamp before you think you need it, and don't worry about making it through with no relights. Too dry isn't good, but too moist or large amounts of PG (chemical humectant) will not burn well, you will puff hard to keep it lit, and wind up with leather tongue. Virginias and VaPers (Virginia and Perique), especially flakes, tend to smoke longer. I have gotten close to two hours from a VaPer flake lightly rubbed out. The larger the pieces, the longer the smoke. Burleys will burn a little quicker. I have recently discovered a blend I like with burley in it. Try as I might, I cannot get much more than 45 to 50 minutes from this blend. If it were a flake, it would probably last longer. Hope this helps some. It will take some experience to find just the right packing, pace, tamping, etc. but it will come quicker than you might think. Edit: and welcome to the POTD!
Here's a good read on the different forms that pipe tobacco comes in: http://www.pipesandcigars.com/faq/article/130/prepping-pressed-spun-or-rope-tobaccos-for-smoking And welcome to POTD!
Thanks! I appreciate the tips and advice. I don't smoke a pipe often. I've trended toward cigars more than pipes, and those only on rare occasions. I have two pipes and brought them with me on vacation this week. I enjoy pipes and cigars but am really a novice. Thanks again!
Here's some good info on the different types of tobacco: http://www.pipesandcigars.com/faq/article/132/ouellettes-tobacco-types-descriptions
Almost all tobacco begins life by stacking the leaves into a press, and forming a rectangular cake. The cake is then sliced to form flakes. This is the finish I prefer. An example is Orlik Golden Sliced. Twist was the archaic version of this and was also sliced in coin shaped flakes. To smoke Flake, wad up a Flake and Roll it between your palms, allowing the leaves to separate into ribbons before packing. Flakes may also be folded and stuffed or screwed into the bowl. Thus, the second method usually results in a more intense experience, as more tobacco may be loaded this way. Some makers process the Flake in "ready rubbed" or tobacco that is smokable right from the tin. Almost all popular blends are ready rubbed. I prefer tinned flakes because they age well, retain their moisture, and provide the user with the option of how fine to process and pack.
Pipes are certainly different from cigars. My son has some very nice pipes, but is more of a cigar guy. I'll have a cigar with him when he's home, but by and large, I enjoy the rituals of pipe smoking, and attention to those things makes a substantial difference in the pipe experience. Rituals such as tobacco prep, i.e. rubbing out, drying, fold and stuff, etc, proper loading, proper lighting, maintaining the proper pace and tamping, and last and certainly not least, cleaning the pipe afterwards. Cleaning is essential to a good smoke; without it, a pipe can turn sour, and everything you put in it will taste awful. I enjoy building a pipe collection, getting different shapes and styles. Aesthetics are kind of important to me, but that stops at a certain price point, as the law of diminishing returns kicks in. Please ask all the questions you want, everyone here will be glad to help out!
That word stuck in my mind, so I looked it up. Wikipedia says; "It is initially sun-cured like other Turkish tobaccos and then further cured over controlled fires of aromatic woods and fragrant herbs, which gives it an intense smokey-peppery taste and smell." Should I be out driving east of my home by 160 miles I'll look into picking up some Perique. Seems it's made just down the way. While the process is archaic, convoluted, and in very limited quantities; "The finished tobacco is dark brown - nearly black - very moist with a fruity, slightly vinegary aroma."
Orlik Golden Sliced contains condimental amounts of St James Parish perique. All true perique is, in fact, from your home state, As for picking some up, I'd advise against that. Perique is so strong and intense that it rarely exceeds 30% of the mass in a blend, and often is only 3-10% of the mix. Straight Perique did have one famous aficionado, but smoking straight perique would be like washing down crawfish with a glass of Tabasco. Latakia is a vaunted leaf, many guys here smoke it. It's essential to most English style blends, but something I've never been able to enjoy.
I had some nice stuff delivered today. An RTIC cooler (half the price of YETI) I ordered a couple of months ago. My David Jones pipe And a 2003 Tomaso Spanu estate pipe, very litely used. It looks like only a couple of half bowls with the carbonized coating being intact on the top half, and a couple of very minor tooth marks on the stem. Maybe the owner decided it was too heavy for a clencher. This pipes a beauty though. And I've got this one on the way.
Better pipe this evening than yesterday. Thanks for the tips! This bowl lasted a good bit longer, was much cooler on the tongue, and was quite enjoyable!
Even though I'm not quite over a head cold, I had three 1/3 bowls of Smoker's Pride Mellow in both the David Jones and Spanu pipes to start the break-in. There's good news and bad news. Both pipes smoked extremely well and were great bargains. I got the David Jones for $61 and even though my max bid for the Spanu was $100, I won it for $51. I consider that my luckiest eBay break so far since I didn't expect to get it at my max bid of $100 based on the prices for new Spanu pipes I've seen on the web. Both are very well made pipes, comfortable to hold and smoke. The fit and finish on the Spanu are excellent, the pic doesn't really show off the blue lapis ring. The bad news - now I've got a higher bar to compare my other pipes to.
My Brigham Chinook Volcano arrived, hat tip to @Erik Redd shining a light on it a few weeks back. Maybe in a bit...
Enjoy it, I'm still contemplating adding a chinook as my second Brigham. I look forward to hearing your first report after you get some Rock Maple Distillators (they don't call them filters anymore).
