First Pipe/Noob Problems

Smoked my first bowl last night. (I've had 1 or 2 before, but they were years ago and I didn't pay attention.) I have to say I'm mad I didn't enjoy it more. I'm sure I sucked at packing it, lighting it, and smoking it. I'm also sure I was puffing too often, but when I let it rest for a few seconds, it'd go out. I also didn't get the billows of smoke I look for in certain cigars. Guess I just need more practice.

How do you keep it lit while also not puffing often enough to get that harsh burn on your tongue/roof of mouth?

What's a good way to determine how dry/wet it the tobacco should be? It was a flake that I crumbled and let sit on a paper towel for 8-ish hours. Are any okay right out of the tin/bag? And how do you tell?

Are there blends that give you more smoke? Is that something anyone even cares about?

Relights are not uncommon.

Yes the moisture of your tobacco will have a lot to do with how often it goes out. Flake tobaccos and heavily cased tobaccos that have some PG content will be more moist out of the package. Drying your tobacco, not packing too tightly, packing technique, how well it's lit.... there's lots of factors. You will build up a smoking cadence and develop what works best for you.

A few tips to try:
1. Try smoking an easy burning tobacco like Prince Albert.
2. Try drying your tobacco on a plate for an hour or so before smoking.
3. If you're smoking flake, try rubbing it out instead of fold and stuff.
4. Google search for "The Frank Method" or "The swirl Method" of pipe packing. I personally use the Frank Method and think its much easier.

Some tobaccos will produce more smoke than others but a lot has to do with moisture content.

I had the preconceived notion that pipes would afford you big, voluminous clouds of smoke being I was a regular cigar smoker. They don't. Sure, you can get the big clouds of smoke from a pipe but you'll burn the inside of your mouth and the hand that's holding the pipe in the process.

What took me the longest to learn is that a pipe does not smoke like a cigar. Not even close to it. It requires more finesse and some practice to get smoking correctly. It has to do with how dry the tobacco is, how well you've packed the bowl, how often you're puffing...basically all the stuff Tony outlines above. His advice is sage.

It just takes some practice. Dry your tobacco a little bit and get the packing method down and you'll enjoy your pipe much, much more.

Flakes, even rubbed out ones, can be a tricky to keep lit just because of the density of the chunks. 8 hours of drying time is a pretty good amount. I'd suggest filling the pipe with less tobacco than you think you need. If the draw is too loose you can always tighten it up with the tamper, but you'll want to use that judiciously.

The volume of smoke, and the intensity of the flavors will be less than with a cigar, and trying to get big billows of smoke will burn your tongue. I know this isn't that helpful, but stick with it and eventually things will click. Using the frank method to fill my pipe helped me a lot in the beginning.

The packing technique has a lot to do with it. Was your draw nice and loose?
You will get better at that as you go along. I had frustrating moments as well at first.

Don't worry about having to relight a few times. It's not like a cigar where it tastes bad after a re-light. You can smoke half a bowl, have dinner and then come back to it. I did it last night with a bowl of Mac Baren Navy Flake that had been rubbed out like yours. Still tastes great.

Also, as Tony said, you'll find your own puffing cadence that works for you. I puff pretty often but I don't take deep puffs. I sip it. The key is to taste the tobacco.

Also, I've found that most pipes don't give the huge billows of smoke that cigars do. This is probably because I take 2-3 second draws with a cigar and sip the pipe.

A few tobaccos I have noticed produce a bit more generous clouds of smoke are:

Erinmore Flake
C&D Night Train
GL Pease Jack Knife Plug

Thanks for the advice, guys. I’m hoping I catch on sooner rather than later. Watching videos, especially the Frank Method, have definitely helped.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Tony78

1. Try smoking an easy burning tobacco like Prince Albert.

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@Rocket Scientologist got me some PA to try out. It was a lot easier to pack/smoke than the “chunks” (flake?) I had. Thanks!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JustTroItIn

A few tobaccos I have noticed produce a bit more generous clouds of smoke are:

Erinmore Flake
C&D Night Train
GL Pease Jack Knife Plug

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I’ll definitely be trying these out. Thanks, Jack.