Full or half bowl?

PipeProfessor

Do you always smoke a full bowl or find yourself dumping some out and starting to pack smaller or half bowls?

judandhispipe

I always smoke a full bowl. If I have to stop for some reason, I simply leave the pipe and come back and relight later - the practice known as Delayed Gratification Technique,or DGT. DGT is known as not working well with aros, but since I smoke very few aros, that's not an issue for me.

crapgame

half bowls for me..i mainly smoke on my breaks at at work so i cant fill a pipe to the top and the thought of dumping out tobacco is terrible..i usually have to dump a small bit ..maybe i need a few small bowl pipes..another reason to buy a pipe or two!

drac2485

I normally smoke full bowls and like @judandhis pipe if I don't finish it in one sitting I'll come back to it later. I do however judge my time available for smoking and pick an appropriately sized pipe. I have to many monsters in my collection not too

mhajec

Full bowls. I read somewhere long ago that it's best for your pipe. Something about even bowl something rather, LOL. If I don't have time for a full one, I make the time. 

PipeProfessor

DGT, haha I love it @judandhispipe! I usually know how much time I have and pack my bowl accordingly.

PipeProfessor

@mhajec, I always break my pipes in with the 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, full method and then smoke them full for awhile to really build up the cake. That way I don't worry when when I only have a short amount of time and pack a half bowl every once in awhile.

mhajec

@PipeProfessor, there's actually a step method for breaking in pipes!? Why am I so ignorant to so much that is pipe. 

PipeProfessor

@mhajec, we are all here to learn!

mhajec

@PipeProfessor some of us more than others obviously, LOL

PipeProfessor

Haha, no worries brother!

IndyJG

Always a full bowl for me. If I'm pressed for time, I choose a pipe with a smaller bowl.

pipeman83

I always smoke a full bowl , I smoke large pipes so if I have the time I will smoke it  all the way down , if not ,I will put it down and come back to it  later, even the next day because I don't like to waste tobacco.

Abreathawayfromglory

full unless I am breaking in a new pipe 

Subtilis87

I half bowl of an aged Virginia is just perfect for me.

thebadgerpiper

I always fill my pipe to the top of the bowl. The only exception is if I'm breaking in a new pipe. Then I fill half a bowl for the first three bowls, and 3/4ths for the last two. If I don't finish, I'll come back later to it.

Topaz75

Except when breaking in a new pipe, I'm now consistently a 3/4 to 7/8 guy. I've burned holes in more than a couple T-shirts as a result of over packing.

Woodsman

If I know the time allotted I use a small bowled pipe, more time, larger bowl.

Woodsman

I remembered something( Old guy Brainfart, sorry.) Early on for 5 years or so I used to always fill to the top and would smoke for a short while on the way to my next call. after 2 or 3 short smokes the pipe got unpleasant so I'd clean out including the unsmoked 1/3. after a while I noticed my pipes had a high build up of cake but toward the bottom there was very little. In cross section it was Bottle shaped. After that I would only half fill while working which relieved the uneven stress on the bowl.

ghostsofpompeii

I also pack a full bowl as well. The only time I might pack a half bowl is during the winter when I'm catching a quick smoke. I don't like leaving tobacco in the bowl and returning to it, so in a case like that I'll only fill it half way. Otherwise I'll waste it by dumping it out. Don't like the taste of the tobacco after letting it set in doddle for a few hours.

motie2

Many "experts" recommend building cake from the bottom up by smoking half-bowls for a while. I've never followed that advice, packing full bowls from the beginning with a new pipe, and smoking down to the dottle....

pipeman83

Full bowl, all the way!

Jdalen

Lately, I've been using the air pocket method of packing so by default I guess I'm packing 1/2-3/4 of a bowl

madman

Full bowl if I'm craving a nic hit

drac2485

Full bowl.  If I want a shorter smoke I grab a smaller bowl pipe.

jim102864

In fact, usually a too-full bowl.  More often than not, I over-fill my bowl, or at least fail to leave room at the top as you're "supposed" to.  If I don't have time for a full bowl, I don't bother smoking my pipe.

Woodsman

I used to fill to the top, light it and the tobacco would swell so I'd just pass a matchbook over it to flatten it and puff away. I put too many burn holes in my clothes so I started to leave an 1/8" clearance on top which also cut down on rim deposit.

motie2

I've always thought of rim deposits as the sign of a well smoked pipe.... I even left 'em, when I could, after a thorough reaming.

randelli

Some say the bowl is half-full, some say half-empty, but I say it is under-utilized...

motie2

@randelli -- Funny you should bring that up. People who knew me professionally would opine that I am a "cynical pessimist," describing me thusly: "Some say the glass is half full; others say it is half empty. You say that someone is going to knock the glass off the table."

Accuracy in reporting.

ghostsofpompeii

"Some say the glass is half-full, others say th glass is half-empty. I say ... who peed in my glass!"