Questions You Thought Were Too Dumb to Ask (Pipes Edition)

[tmoran]

I actually find I smoke more slowly when I'm doing NOTHING else, just concentrating on the pipe. YMMV

A good exercise to try every now and then: starting out with properly dry tobacco, try just barely keeping the pipe going. Don't puff hard, just take very gentle "sips". Almost always, tobacco tastes much better when it's burning cool & slow. Make sure you're not filling the pipe too tightly, this will make you puff harder to keep it going.

I think it was @mooster who once posted on the old site a good exercise. Get your tobacco properly dried, packed and lit, and instead of puffing, just breathe through your nose with the pipe clenched in your mouth. You will be surprised how well a pipe stays lit with just a slow, steady flow of air. You don't necessarily have to smoke this way all the time, but it at least gives you a good idea how little you need to puff to keep it lit.

[OnePyroTec]

Seriously, to slow down your puffing rate will take practice. If you feel your bowl getting a bit too warm, you know to slow down. If it gets HOT, put it down and let it go out. Once cooled, re-lite. If you get it HOT again, put it down again. It is not a race to see who can finish first.

[Tobias Lutz]

It is not a race to see who can finish first.

If I had a nickle for every time I heard that

I do agree that slowing down take practice, and patience. Burning your tongue up is the best motivation, IMO

[rx2man]

Seriously, to slow down your puffing rate will take practice. If you feel your bowl getting a bit too warm, you know to slow down. If it gets HOT, put it down and let it go out. Once cooled, re-lite. If you get it HOT again, put it down again. It is not a race to see who can finish first.

Having started with cigars the hardest thing to is slow down. I have cigars figured out but I continually get tongue bite. Working on slowing down but takes practice.

[Haebar]

A good exercise is to mimic the pipe smoking contests where you try to keep your pipe going as long as you can. You only puff enough to keep it going.

[Bruck]

Behold:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxPgdpIupz8

I'm not sure if this is a speed-smoking contest or a large ears competition

[LivingDeadGuy]

Behold:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxPgdpIupz8

I'm not sure if this is a speed-smoking contest or a large ears competition

I would be so good at that! Not the big ears part though

[JollyRogers]

Is there any prep I need to do on a new corn cob? I noticed it's got a bit of a chemically smell too it brand new, should I just smoke anyway or clean it somehow?

[tmoran]

Is there any prep I need to do on a new corn cob? I noticed it's got a bit of a chemically smell too it brand new, should I just smoke anyway or clean it somehow?

If it's an MM, I just smoke them. First bowl or two might taste a little like corn, and you might get a hint of charred pine at the very bottom. If you get the charred pine flavor, don't keep smoking it or try to relight. Once the wood gets a good char on it, that flavor will go away.

[Haebar]

Nope, just fire away. If it has a filter, you may want to remove it.