What to expect from the first smoke?
Hi everyone,
I'm brand new to the world of pipe smoking, just received my first pipe and tobacco the other day. My question is simple: What should I expect from my first smoke? The tobacco I chose is Frog Morton's On the Town, I packed a good size half bowl into my Stanwell De Luxe 88, it smoked for about 30-40 minutes, had to relight once but it seemed difficult to keep it lit after I smoked about half of what I packed. Maybe it wasn't packed down enough? Also had a peppery kind of sensation on the tongue, is that what we call tongue bite or was that just the tobacco flavors talking? How much smoke should I be seeing from taking draws? If I'm seeing real heavy clouds of smoke, am I smoking too hot? The bowl was slightly warm but nothing too extreme; I thought that should be expected seeing that there hasn't been a build up of cake yet.
Just looking for general comments on what one is to expect from the first smoke and smokes to follow.
Thanks fellow pipe smokers!
Comments
Some great advice already given. One thing I can add that comes to mind, is that when I dry my tobacco, I usually like it to go into the pipe crispy. If it is too dry, it will crumble to dust when pinched, and that is too dry. I like for it to still be pliable, but barely.
Different blends require different amounts of moisture content to smoke well. This is one of the skills involved in pipe smoking, that sets those who make an art of it, vs. those who struggle to enjoy their pipe. If you feel that your tobacco is too dry after you have loaded a bowl, you can make a ring with your thumb and index finger, and gently exhale into the top of the bowl. This will add a little moisture back to the tobacco on top. No need to worry about the tobacco further down the bowl, the burning process creates moisture in the smoke stream, and you will end up with tobacco that is plenty moist halfway down the bowl.
Another thing I would suggest, is to listen to others advice with an open mind, and then experiment with your new knowledge, and decide what YOU like, and decide how YOU like to do things. There are a lot of different approaches when it comes to pipe smoking, and the ones that you prefer are always the ones that work the best.
Also, if you try a particular tobacco in a particular pipe, and do not like it, don't be too hasty and write the blend off without experimenting with it in a few other pipes. Over time, you will learn to look at a pipes size and bore, and instinctively know what type blends and cuts that will most likely be a match.
Don't be surprised if your techniques continue to evolve over the next couple of years.
Don't feel bad whatsoever about having to relight your pipe. It's rare to smoke a pipe and never have to relight. Even tonight with my first pipe, I have a few matches in the tray. It takes a few times to get packing and lighting down right. In my opinion, the most important part to get down right is packing. Your entire experience will depend on how you pack your pipe, but once you get that, everything else will fall in place.