Best Pipe Smoking Tip

Put a pipe cleaner in the pipe before you start packing. That way you won't get tobacco particles in the draft hole nor your mouth. I say this, and it is a good tip, alas I never do it.

Seeing these old threads and these guys who haven't logged in for years makes me think "Will I ever just stop coming to B&B???" I'd like to think of us a pack of tobacco wolves...

Senshi said:

Put a pipe cleaner in the pipe before you start packing. That way you won't get tobacco particles in the draft hole nor your mouth. I say this, and it is a good tip, alas I never do it.

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It's funny you should say this, I just did it and it didn't work. I was loading my no-name Canadian PIF'd from RobAtSGH. I don't usually get any particles through it but I randomly remembered the pipe cleaner trick and tried it...sure enough, test draw brought particles straight to my mouth.

I think I did load it a little too loosely though, the draw was more open than I prefer.

Kilroy6644 said:

Eight years - that's a heck of a bump. But a thread full of good advice is always handy to have around.

My best pipe smoking tip: RELAX. If it's not going well, relax some more. It's not rocket surgery or defusing a bomb. It's just smoking a pipe, and nothing to get worked up over. All these other tips are just ways to make it easier to relax. Listen to them, but remember why you're doing it. To relax.

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So, what are you trying to say? We should Relax?

Actually I think that this is the best advice. If I didn't pack it just right, who cares? Maybe next time it will be perfect. If I have to re-light a dozen times, so what? Fire is cool! I love the whole experience... The subtle or bold flavors and aromas, the cool pipes, the learning about this whole topic, the nic hit, and even the occasional tongue bite... But I think most of all it forces us to sit back, relax, and contemplate all of this or anything else for that matter... In the hustle and bustle of daily life, I think this is the best advice. Relax and enjoy the experience. The rest of it will come to you! ...Or not... But to me, that's part of the fun!

NRAM said:

So, what are you trying to say? We should Relax?

Actually I think that this is the best advice. If I didn't pack it just right, who cares? Maybe next time it will be perfect. If I have to re-light a dozen times, so what? Fire is cool! I love the whole experience... The subtle or bold flavors and aromas, the cool pipes, the learning about this whole topic, the nic hit, and even the occasional tongue bite... But I think most of all it forces us to sit back, relax, and contemplate all of this or anything else for that matter... In the hustle and bustle of daily life, I think this is the best advice. Relax and enjoy the experience. The rest of it will come to you! ...Or not... But to me, that's part of the fun!

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Other than relighting a dozen times, yes.

Buy as much as you can whilst you still can. My little bit of advice. (I live in a country with crazy taxes that the rest of the world wants to copy) That and get a MM cob or three.

NRAM said:

So, what are you trying to say? We should Relax?

Actually I think that this is the best advice. If I didn't pack it just right, who cares? Maybe next time it will be perfect. If I have to re-light a dozen times, so what? Fire is cool! I love the whole experience... The subtle or bold flavors and aromas, the cool pipes, the learning about this whole topic, the nic hit, and even the occasional tongue bite... But I think most of all it forces us to sit back, relax, and contemplate all of this or anything else for that matter... In the hustle and bustle of daily life, I think this is the best advice. Relax and enjoy the experience. The rest of it will come to you! ...Or not... But to me, that's part of the fun!

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This can only be taken so far, at least for me. Only getting two puffs before it goes out really rains on my parade; having to constantly relight, almost only smoking while putting flame to it, is not relaxing at all. If every bowl is like that, it's quite the opposite of relaxing.

Lately I've been doing better. I'll smoke it down to 100% ash in 6-7 lights, with 4 of them going for 8-10 minutes each and the others being 1 to 5 minutes. When I tamp after those long runs it's actually fluffy and gets tamped. (If I tamp while it's lit, it is guaranteed to go out in 30 seconds...not sure why, I'm only tamping lightly.) I'd still love to have a one-light bowl, but at least I can relax with these better runs.

Robster said:

Buy as much as you can whilst you still can. My little bit of advice. (I live in a country with crazy taxes that the rest of the world wants to copy) That and get a MM cob or three.

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My current strategy is based on both of those pieces of advice. I'm not spending money on pipes that could go to cellaring tobacco against the tobaccopalypse until I've got at least 80 pounds (calculated as enough for one bowl per day for 40 years, a reasonable if slightly pessimistic guess at my remaining life expectancy)...if I need a pipe I buy a cob (or more likely a MM Ozark hardwood, very cobby in smoking quality, even less expensive, and looks nicer than a plaster-covered cob).

captaincaveman said:

looks nicer than a plaster-covered cob).

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I have to disagree here good sir, I actually like the look of a cobb pipe, I think it has its own sort of really rustic feel to it. And besides it makes me feel like pop-eye, and thats just cool

For me though I think I average about 2-3 relights per bowl.

Boro62 said:

I have to disagree here good sir, I actually like the look of a cobb pipe, I think it has its own sort of really rustic feel to it. And besides it makes me feel like pop-eye, and thats just cool

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I suspect that Popeye smoked a naked cob, not a plastered one. I like the naked cob look.

captaincaveman said:

I suspect that Popeye smoked a naked cob, not a plastered one. I like the naked cob look.

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well i guess im a more sophstimicated pop eye then!

Use Vodka to clean a pipe. Works well.

Vodka+1

+2 Everclear

Tamp before the pipe goes out.
I havnt been doin this long but find if I lightly tamp(feel the ash touching the baccy) before the pipe goes out I can oftern get a 2 light smoke.

Servus,

Tamp lightly! I see so many pipesters crushing the tobacco into oblivion, subsiquently putting the pipe out. Just enough to compress the ash is enough.

OkieStubble said:

+2 Everclear

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+3

Rattlesnake Jake said:

Servus,

Tamp lightly! I see so many pipesters crushing the tobacco into oblivion, subsiquently putting the pipe out. Just enough to compress the ash is enough.

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+1