New Pipe Smoker with a question

Casper

At present I've been smoking a couple different Aromatics and a few Tin Tobacco's. I fill the bowl in a manner I've read about everywhere, I fill my bowl with tobacco, then Tamp it down to approx 1/3rd of the bowl, At this point I can draw air through the stem un-lit, and there is nearly no resistance, just like an empty straw, I then fill the bowl completely again, and tamp that portion down to 2/3rds of the bowl, still no resistance, I then fill the bowl again even with a bit over the top of the bowl, and tamp that down just about 1/16th below the edge of the bowl, still no resistance. When I'm packing the bowl, I get a nice pinch of tobacco between my thumb and index finger, and sprinkle it into the bowl as to make sure the tobacco is always springy in the bottom 1/3rd and at the 2/3rd and at the full mark. When I false light the bowl, and draw from the stem, I can almost smoke 1/3rd of the bowl before it goes out, I then tamp that, and smoke another 1/3rd of the bowl, accumulating all the ash down to the 1/3rd bowl area, and at this point the bowl goes out, and no matter how many times I relight it, it goes back out fairly quickly, and when I empty my bowl, I have approx 1/3rd of the bowl empty out unburned, and wasted. Problem is I read how many folks smoke all the way to the heel of the bowl, which tells me I'm wasting tobacco, May I ask what I'm doing wrong and seek your feedback please? Thanks much.

TaylorJDutton

There are probably many things that are contributing to that, but i don’t wait until I’m 1/3rd through to tamp, i tamp every couple of minutes. Think of tamping as a gentle reminder of where the ash should be. If you’re going in thirds it’ll be much less a gentle reminder and more of a crush, which should be avoided. You’ll make it to the bottom if you sip nice and easy, and tempt every couple of minutes or so (in my experience). With this method i rarely have to relight before reaching the bottom of the bowl. 

I’m sure others will have advice as well

also, I’m not sure you need to pack as tightly as you are. The idea is, fill once, and pack light. Then fill again and pack slightly tighter, then fill the final time and pack the hardest. Not necessarily smushing down that first fill all the way to a third. If you keep doing that your first pack will be so tight it’s more of a brick of tobacco than anything. (Again, in my experience)

Danfriedman

Hi @Casper. I wish you lived near me so we could pack and smoke a bowl or two together. I would encourage you to stop trying to follow such a complicated procedure. A lot depends on the pipe you are using as well as the tobacco cut and moisture. Letting your tobacco dry out may help. Smoking your pipe should be relaxing. Don't be afraid to tamp lightly and ash frequently. No one cares how many re-lights it takes to get to the bottom of the bowl. We do care about you. Let us know how it is going as you experiment. 

Londy3

Practice, practice, practice. 
I tend to tamp fairly often and tap out some of the white Ash as I go. I rarely have to relight. As @Danfriedman pointed out, it depends on the Tobacco cut, moisture and the pipe your using.  Some do need to dry a bit first. I would also suggest starting with a cob and get used to the process of packing and tamping. Cobs are great smokers and very little hassle to use. 

My 2 cents

Casper

I'm thinking maybe we're not on the same page. Let me clarify a bit hopefully. I am thinking the issue is in the initial packing side, and not on the smoking side because I do tamp gently as I smoke, I do tamp every few minutes, not hard but just enough to keep it lit and going, and usually after I tamp, the first puff is a great signal that it was needed, as the smoke gets heavier. As the ash gets below half of my bowl, and I'm tamping gently, all of the sudden and it may just be a puff or two after I just tamped, the bowl will go out. I've even tried removing some loose ash, because the bowl I usually smoke are generally in an XXL bowl,  (Ben Wade Freehand, Preben Holm Freehand, Il Cepo full bent Apple XXL). Sometimes after the bowl goes out, I'll tamp and relight, Get one good puff and it's out again, so I relight again just for it to go out immediately again. I've gently removed some ash with the poker end of my pipe tool, poured the ash out, leaving just a charred top, so I relight that over and over, and it goes out, finally I just loosed it all up, and about 1/3rd of the bowl comes out, unburned, now this is a cell picture of the bottom, please keep in mind, this after loosing a little from first digging it out, then a little more in my big fingers and crumbling. This is about a ½ of what's left after crumbling and loosing more digging it out to snap a picture. I would say it's the bottom 1/3rd of the bowl. 

newdave61

@Casper, I had similar issues until I started packing more firmly so there was some resistance in the draw (think drinking water through a straw).

I also switched from the 3-stage pack to a more brutish "stuff all I can stuff and mash it down" tactic.  I was told this improves the contact between bits of tobacco and has so far been working well for me. The logic seems to hold as this is how I smoke bullseye flake, by rolling it into a ball and inserting.

I now dry my baccy so it's just above crumbling when I handle it. If the bottom 1/3 is damp from absorbing condensates from the previously smoked leaf, it will definitely be harder to keep lit.

I only tamp when the volume of smoke starts to reduce significantly. After tamping, lightly cover the center of the ash with the tamp while drawing. This forces air to the outer edges and promotes combustion there, thus ensuring the cherry covers the whole bowl.

These four things have really increased my ability to smoke a bowl to the heel without a bunch of relights. As usual YMMV and it also depends on the tobacco cut and pipe. As stated above, practice, practice, practice. You'll find your groove.

motie2

When I first took up the pipe in the mid-1960's, I knew nothing about pipe tobacco, other than what was offered OTC. My first tobacco was John Rolfe Peach Brandy, because the organist/choirmaster smoked it. As with many newbies, I tried Middleton's Cherry Blend, because it smelled great.... in someone else's pipe. It also bit like a freakin' barracuda. I tried Paladin Black Cherry, and a couple of other OTC's (Rum and Maple, Holiday, Sail, Amphora, Klompen Kloggen, yada, yada, yada), but then I was introduced to English blends (Latakia) and VaPers. That was it for the OTC's, and after running through a variety of tinned tobaccos from Mac Baren and Dunhill, I eventually settled on Balkan Sobranie and Cope's Escudo, and never smoked OTC's again during that first pipe life. 

This Secret Santa exchange just past brought me a tin of Out of the Office: Civic Duty, a burley/Virginia blend with a cherry topping. No bite, no goop; a pleasant cherry flavor ..... and aroma (according to SWMBO). So, there you are: after almost fifty years, I have the cherry blend I always wanted.....

And, so, of course....

RockyMountainBriar

@motie2
Dang, I was just going to look for it as I have been somewhat searching for a cherry blend.  So far I have not tried Paladin or Middelton (sounds like a blessing), and the CULT Blood Red Moon was a serious letdown for me.  I might have some more squirreled away to try, I do not remember what I have in my stash...silly...I know.   So many tobaccos, so little time.

motie2

motie2

https://youtu.be/MjzsJqG_jSs

Packing is not rocket science

by our virtual pipe club member, Kent