Advice to a beginner pipe smoker

Darmon

Hello to all,  First time posting but I have been enjoying reading the posts from everyone.  I've been enjoying my pipe off and on for a little over a year now.  But I still have some issues with pipe gurgle, or getting it too hot, or it going out constantly.  I thought I'd open it up to a discussion/class if you will.  I'm guessing a lot of my issues come from too fast/slow of a cadence while smoking.  But I would love to hear any thoughts or advice, anyone is willing to share.

drac2485

First off, smoke the way you enjoy. As it has been talked about in various discussions relight are part of smoking a pipe. Sometimes you may get through with none and other times you may have to relight a few times. Don't stress over it. However, it may be due to a very wet tobacco, gurgling as well, and you may want to try drying it out for a bit before packing the bowl. Personally, if I have a wetter/goopy tobacco I'll load my pipe the night before and let it sit overnight. As far as your cadence you'll have to practice it. Hard thing to force some one to do... Go smoke your pipe... When I smoked cigarettes I use to huff down a pipe and it felt like my hand was on fire by the time I was done, bowl was super hot. I taught myself to slow down by taking the pipe out of my mouth after each sip and putting down in my lap still holding it, I normally just sit in a chair when smoking. Then I would have to pick it up to take another sip. I noticed this slowed me down quite a bit and my pipes stayed cooler, plus I enjoyed it more. I still have some pipes that need more breaking, or to be shelved, as they smoke hot no matter what though. Hopefully my experience helps you out on your journey, otherwise don't be afraid to ask questions, this a great group. Oh and YMMV

judandhispipe

@drac2485 is on the money - slow down,slow down, slow down. To get rid of gurgle, dump the cheap drugstore aros and smoke better tobacco.

PipeProfessor

I totally agree with @drac2485 and @judandhispipe. Take it slow and don't push it. You may want to try to smoke with some friends over conversation. The more talking you do, the less you will push the pipe. Don't worry about relights, you will get that down with time. For now just enjoy the comraderie and relaxation. 

judandhispipe

Let me add, as well, some slightly more general advice. Smoke the best tobacco you can afford in the best pipes you can afford; it will increase your enjoyment of the hobby.

tomatobodhi

First off, I am a wet smoker. I like to clench the pipe, which makes things worse, because every breath out is also pushing a little moisture in my breath back into the pipe; that is just how it goes. So, I keep some pipe cleaners in my pocket. If a pipe gurgles a little (sometimes this happens because the pipe is poorly made and the draft hole is poorly placed and it won't matter how 'well' you smoke the pipe), I will run a soft cleaner into the bowl, leave it a second, and pull it out. Gurgle is gone, because the moisture that had pooled was absorbed by the cleaner.

Pipe Cleaners

I am a firm believer in matching *the right bowl to the right tobacco.* Some cuts just do better in a broad pot bowl while others do better (smoke dryer, cooler, etc.) in a narrow stovepipe bowl. After a while, a smoker makes better and better first guesses on the match, but sometimes a tobacco just says to you on the first smoke: "Nope! Wrong pipe!" So, you need lots of pipes and lots of bowl depths, widths, and shapes. The answer:

Lots of pipes for lots of tobaccos!

Cobs are an inexpensive way to build a fast collection of bowl widths and depths (though you can forget about getting a good draft-hole placement without experimenting with pipe-mud bottoms). With options, you can experiment with pipe/tobacco pairings until you have a good feel for which combinations provide the best smoking experience for you. A thick, broken flake is just not going to go well for me in a broad, shallow bowl. I'll smoke it right down the middle and it will get hot as I struggle with it. YMMV, but that combination just doesn't ever work for me. A deep, narrower bowl and a nice, relaxed pack and I can enjoy the heck out of that broken flake. You will find your own combination dos and don'ts, and I'm betting with a year under your belt that you already have.

When I go out to buy a pipe, bowl width/depth is the number one thing I am looking at. I have a tobacco in mind and I want to find the right pipe *for me, for that tobacco.* There are a lot of beautiful pipes out there with the worst possible bowl shape for what I want to smoke in them, so I have to pass on them. Momma was right all along: don't fall for pretty on the outside - it is what is on the inside that counts. Or something wise and folksy like that... Ha!

So, to summarize: 1) Don't be afraid to run a dry pipe cleaner into the bowl briefly to clear out a gurgle. 2) Match the right bowl shape with the right tobacco/cut.

I think pipe smoking is all about managing the variables: you, the cadence, the way you hold or clench the pipe, shape of the pipe, shape of the bowl, cut of the tobacco, ingredients of the tobacco (some just tend to smoke hotter, some slower and cooler), moisture content of the tobacco, etc. You change the variables, you change the experience.

Oh, and don't eat or drink (esp. Alcohol) while you smoke if you are already a wet, hot smoker. It just makes it worse.

Darmon

Thanks for all the input, I figured that I needed to slow down. But I had not thought about matching the bowl size/shape to the tobacco.  Makes perfect sense I just never thought about it.

Thank you again,  if anyone thinks of anything please continue, we don't have a local pipe shop/club for me to learn from so please, keep the advice coming.

PipeProfessor

Great advice @tomatobodhi! I agree 100% that some tobaccos do much better in one pipe or another. I can smoke the same blend in 5 different pipes and 4 of them will not be enjoyable, but that 5th one is simply amazing. It's trial and error sometimes!

LostMason

I wholeheartedly agree with the advice given and would only add that the trial and error can be as fun as
it can be frustrating.Don't over think the proccess,same as don't get hung up on spelling.If it tastes hot,set
it down and take a drink of water,don't try pairing alcohols with your blends until you find blends you like.
Alcohol will numb your tongue but also mute the flavors.Make sur when you go to load a bowl you will have
a few minutes to sit and enjoy,some blends taste better after carring and letting them rest in the pipe for bit.
Others will taste nasty,but taste is subjective,some blends you will like or love and other pipers will hate.
So find what works for You,and don't be afraid to try new blends or methods.

drac2485

@lostmason I never thought of that with alcohol as when I normally smoke my pipe I drink water. I'll have to keep that in mind the next time I have a cigar as that always involves alcohol of some sort

LostMason

Yeah,I'm a scotch lover but when I'm smoking something new I pair it with water.
I want to know what the taste is before I pick a beverage to compliment it.I have a few
sticks in the humidor that any alcohol covers up the natural sweetness of the tobacco.
I also smoke mostly aro's and you have to be picky with a drink.

drac2485

@lostmasom I think that's why I normally go with water when smoking my pipes is because I started with aromatics and what you drink drastically affects the flavor. I had some bad combos

tomatobodhi

The wetter your mouth, the more moisture in your breath. The more moisture in your breath, the more moisture in your pipe. The more moisture in your pipe, the more likely that you will burn your mouth.

An old veteran told me: "It isn't hot air that burns your mouth so much as steam in the draw. A hot, dry draw won't burn your tongue like a hot, wet draw will."

Could be wrong, but it makes a kind of sense, and thank God for the ol' timers.

I 100% agree with @lostmason too. The trial and error is part of what makes it a fun and enjoyable hobby, and not just that other 5-letter H-word. And the community, of course!!

pipeman83

Everybody is spot-on, you learn by doing, I've seen to many people give up the hobby because things didn't go right the first time and they missed out by not having the patience to master the pipe . Patience is the key, and also practice, put these together, and you'll have many years of enjoyment from the pipe. Hang in there.

judandhispipe

AS @pipeman83 points out, patience is key. If you are not a patient sort, and you take up pipe smoking, you'll either learn, or you'll find another hobby. 

Darmon

Thanks for everyones encouragement, I do ok if I can remember to slow down, relax and enjoy it.

thebadgerpiper

For me, I think the most important lesson I learned was how to properly pack and light a pipe. My first two pipe experiences were alright, but once I had packing down it changed everything.

Also slow down and take your time. The first few attempts will result in many mistakes. Just learn from them and keep trying until you get it.

Finally, it's okay if you end up going through a ton of matches. Only using two matches for a pipe rarely happens. Relight when you need to, and enjoy.

judandhispipe

@thebadgerpiper is right on the money about relights for new folks. Once you get it down, it won't be as hard to keep it lit, but when you are getting started,it can be very hard.

tomatobodhi

I relight all the time. If my smoke is getting thin, I prefer letting it go out and then relighting (takes just a touch) to bringing it back from an ember. Cleaner taste imho and no worry about a hotspot.

LostMason

One thing I would add,and I'm not trying to scare anyone here,Is with the current attitude
of our FDA buddies.I would start cellering.You may end up with several tins or jars of
blends you don't care for,but that is trading matterial (Damn I can't spell) if down the road
you decide that pipes aren't for you or you just don't like aro's,there will be someone
who is willing to buy it.And if the courts shoot down the FDA's deeming rule you'll
be able to trade with other pipers or get in on a pass or two.

judandhispipe

 I'd have to disagree with @lostmason on cellaring for new folks. Lots of blends aren't going anywhere. Don't go rushing out to buy the latest hot blend you have never tried. If you find something you like, sure, grab a pound. I just am baffled by the whole "I gotta grab a pound of this new blend I haven't smoked" mentality. I realize it's FOMO, but I don't understand that, either.

PappyJoe

I see both the cellar now and the don't bother sides of the issue of cellaring. I didn't start my cellar of pipe tobacco until about 3 years ago and now I have tins of tobacco that I don't know if I will ever smoke again. On the other hand, those tins are of Briar Fox and a couple of the Frogmorton blends which are on the endangered blends list. There is nothing wrong with either blend other than I have 7 tins of tobacco opened that I've decided to smoke before opening anything else.

That hasn't stopped me from making a monthly tobacco purchase. It just means the new tobacco goes to the bottom of the cellar.

LostMason

@judandhispipe , Your idea of cellaring and mihe differ a bit.The only blend I have pounds of
is Captain Black original in bulk.On the other hand,I do have several jars of different blends,
and a few tins resting,as well as having a couple hundred cigars.I'm not saying to bulk up
on just one or two blends but to get a varity to smoke or trade while they are still around,
The Deeming rule may very well get shot down,or ignored.Such is the DEA's decision
to leave MJ on the schedule 1 list,states are doing what they feel is best for their citizens
and ignoring the Feds.We live in very uncertain times now,and if we wait to see where
the chips fall.we may very well be left out.I remember smoking clove cigarettes in HS,
my memory tells me how nasty they were to me.So now that they are banned,I
don't miss them,but have at least tried them.

Mangoandy

@drac2485 @LostMason I am a dryish smoker and I agree. I like to have water on hand when smoking to enjoy the flavor. Cool my mouth. I do the same when I drink nice scotch.

judandhispipe

Oh, I see what you are saying, @lostmason.
My advice stands, though. Get to know one blend  a bit first. Smoke a tin (or pouch) or two, while you learn how to smoke a pipe. Then start branching out a bit. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of blends that are protected by the original act of Congress that authorized the FDA to act in the first place. It's not going to be the end of the world.

ghostsofpompeii

Being an aromatic smoker you can't help but get the occasional moist blend that will burn wet and cause your pipe to gurgle. Don't really worry about it too much. Just keep a pipe cleaner nearby and run it through the stem a few times. It can be a pain in the butt at first as you learn to slowly sip your pipe instead of puffing (which can add to the moisture problem), you'll notice the problem won't be as great. Some of my favorite bent pipes like my Peterson Jekyll & Hyde are notorious gurglers for me regardless of what I'm smoking, so it must have something to do with how I'm holding the stem in my mouth which causes me to water up more. Rather than curse at the pipe I'll just run a pipe cleaner through it. It's a bit perplexing, because I'm not doing anything different - it just seems the way it's constructed and how it sits in my mouth which causes a perfect slobbering storm.  

motie2

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Woodsman

@LostMason I agree with @judandhispipe, Most all online dealers offer the bulks by the oz. if I'm curious about a bulk tobacco I order an oz. of a couple of tobaccos along with my normal stock order. Brick and Mortars also sell bulks by the oz. Finally, if you go to a club meeting( Most all of them welcome walk ins.) there's always some one offering you to have a pipe full of something. 

LostMason

@Woodsman I'm not sure that I disagree.What I was advocating is trying as many different blends
as your wallet allows.I have many "samples",an ounce of this and an ounce of that.Samplings from
all different classes of blends.In the course of things I've found a great liking for Lat blends and
Va/Per as well.I am still very fond of CB original and have a distinct love of LL Dark Red.It's not that
I am advising cellaring large quantities of several blends,but trying several blends.Expieriencing them,
and finding not just a blend you like but perhaps a flavor profile that fullfils your smoking hobby.The blends 
you find you just can't enjoy,those samples become material for trades,if by chance that includes partial
to full tins,then you have that much more to trade for blends that fit into your target flavor profile.

Unfortunatly, around here the closest to a pipe club is me trying to corrupt family and friends.Easier
with cigars,these Okies are a lazy lot,and taking time to fill and light a pipe properly seems to tire them
unacceptably.

Woodsman

@LostMason I was based in Germany with half a platoon of Oklahomans, They all chewed tobacco, We were not allowed to smokei n the secure area (Things go BOOM!!) THEY talked me into buying a plug of Apple, three weeks later I had to have a tooth pulled on the side I kept my "Chaw", then I noticed they were all  missing a lot of teeth, I threw the stuff away.  

LostMason

I can't handle chewing tobacco,seems I turn green after about a minute.
At Ft Campbell we were heading out for a ten day field problem.31 troops in
the back of a duece and a half.We had pulled to a stop at an intersection when
a fuel truck pulled in behind us.He was carrying JP4.As we pulled off about twenty cigarette
butts flew out the back of our truck.Ever see an 18 wheeler back up at 50 miles an hour.
We were Infantry,BOOM is a GOOD thing.