It is on my list
A caveman and his pipe
- Thread starter captaincaveman
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- #42
Yeah, that's how forum discussions go. I wouldn't want to be on a forum where threads weren't allowed to derail.
I'll derail it again by trying to get it back somewhat on topic....
I have found over the years that the best way to load a cob is the "codger scoop". You just plunge the pipe into the pouch, filling up the bowl, inserting finger to gently pack it in and repeat if necessary. Don't go jamming your finger into the bowl, just enough to gently persuade the tobacco into the chamber and they seem to perform quite nicely.
Another suggestion....stay away from aromatics when you're just starting out. That always seems to be the "go to" for everybody starting out, myself included some 15 or so years ago. Aromatics usually have a ton of sugar that burns at a low temp and creates the beloved tongue burn. Also, in general aromatics never remotely resemble what the label says they should taste like. Once you get the hang of smoking a pipe slow and cool then aromatics can be wonderful, otherwise it's a hot bowl full of disappointment.
I have found over the years that the best way to load a cob is the "codger scoop". You just plunge the pipe into the pouch, filling up the bowl, inserting finger to gently pack it in and repeat if necessary. Don't go jamming your finger into the bowl, just enough to gently persuade the tobacco into the chamber and they seem to perform quite nicely.
Another suggestion....stay away from aromatics when you're just starting out. That always seems to be the "go to" for everybody starting out, myself included some 15 or so years ago. Aromatics usually have a ton of sugar that burns at a low temp and creates the beloved tongue burn. Also, in general aromatics never remotely resemble what the label says they should taste like. Once you get the hang of smoking a pipe slow and cool then aromatics can be wonderful, otherwise it's a hot bowl full of disappointment.
That is the way I fill every pipe. Put tobacco in, tamp to the correct draw, rinse and repeat until it is full
+1 to Owen. I don't expect to taste anything from an aro, so I'm not disappointed. But then again, I'm not a newbie anymore.
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- #46
Yeah, most of what I read agrees about aromatics. I'm mainly interested in avoiding them as such. However, with their advantages in cost and availability I figured I could get some practice lighting and smoking them rather than feel bad about wasting good tobacco before I'm capable of appreciating it.
Now I feel like I'm doing well enough to appreciate it. I'm still not smoking right but it's not frustrating anymore nor is it so horribly wrong that it's a waste. I believe my cadence is a little too fast now, rather than way too slow like it was before. I don't think I'm getting tongue bite (except when I get too aggressive while lighting), but I suspect I'm smoking moderately faster and slightly warmer than is recommended*. My packing is acceptable.
*: Though of course when it's all said and done it's about what I enjoy, not what I'm supposed to do, so I'm not worried about it. I enjoy it like this right now, and I think with practice I'll continue to improve.
Anyway I have that Milan sampler I posted about earlier with these blends (pasted from their web site) in addition to 4 aromatics:
Now I feel like I'm doing well enough to appreciate it. I'm still not smoking right but it's not frustrating anymore nor is it so horribly wrong that it's a waste. I believe my cadence is a little too fast now, rather than way too slow like it was before. I don't think I'm getting tongue bite (except when I get too aggressive while lighting), but I suspect I'm smoking moderately faster and slightly warmer than is recommended*. My packing is acceptable.
*: Though of course when it's all said and done it's about what I enjoy, not what I'm supposed to do, so I'm not worried about it. I enjoy it like this right now, and I think with practice I'll continue to improve.
Anyway I have that Milan sampler I posted about earlier with these blends (pasted from their web site) in addition to 4 aromatics:
Captain,
Don't get me wrong, I've got nothing against aro's. Some are quite nice and they are normally great to smoke around non-smokers or non-pipe smokers as they have a great room note and often evoke memories of a loved relative who smoked a pipe. I'm merely saying that I expect nothing but some nicotine and compliments from an aromatic and leave the flavor and quiet solitude to my other blends.
Aro's can have great flavor, it's just not usually the flavor one expects if you are basing the expectations on the pouch/tin notes.
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- #49
Tonight's bowl from the Milan sampler:
I put some out to dry for a few minutes and it smelled great. Wife disagrees, but loves the room note while smoking. Flavor started off so mild that I could barely taste it then ramped up. Not going to finish it tonight, but I'll enjoy it some more tomorrow.
I put some out to dry for a few minutes and it smelled great. Wife disagrees, but loves the room note while smoking. Flavor started off so mild that I could barely taste it then ramped up. Not going to finish it tonight, but I'll enjoy it some more tomorrow.
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- #50
Glad I didn't finish it. Had a stronger nicotine kick than expected, also I woke up with cigar mouth this morning. I might want to consider it a morning smoke or cut it with something milder.
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- #51
For Christmas I figured I'd make the house smell extra-nice. Working my way through that sampler:
Also I forgot to clean the Fujima last time I used it. When I was loading it I pulled a test draw to see how well I packed and got a load of icky tobacco goo in my mouth. That'll teach me!
Room note is great. Taste is sickly sweet, can't finish it. I'll try cutting it with Carter Hall or something else, but I probably won't be buying more of it!
Also I forgot to clean the Fujima last time I used it. When I was loading it I pulled a test draw to see how well I packed and got a load of icky tobacco goo in my mouth. That'll teach me!
I have two spaces for my pipes. One is the cleaned and ready to rock pipe rack, the other is the "cooling down and not yet cleaned" rack. My memory isn't really great, so this way I know exactly which pipes are in which stage of readiness. Mouthful of tobacco goo is a good teacher though, I'm willing to bet. lol
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- #53
I stopped in a gas station known for having a great smoke shop. I was surprised to see a large selection of inexpensive pipe tobacco. Knowing I wasn't going to get anything particularly great out of it I figured I'd grab a bunch, they're so cheap anyway. I stepped in crap...turns out most of them are for the roll-your-own cigarette tax dodge, despite not being packaged the way tax dodge RYO tobacco is usually packaged.
I bought:
Golden Harvest Mint Blend - on further thought, this one actually does look like tax dodge RYO stuff
Red Cap - looks more like pipe than tax dodge RYO, but google indicates otherwise
Largo Mint - should have known by the Top Tobacco Co. fine print
4 Aces Turkish & Blended - should have known by the color and Top Tobacco Co. fine print. I tried this one and it wasn't lovely.
I did get two that are for pipe use:
John Middleton Apple
Prince Albert's Soft Vanilla
I should have saved my money and bought from a tobaccanist. I spent as much as I spent on that Milan sampler and got the same amount if you include the RYO crap. I think I'm cured of wanting to try random easily available varieties. Anyone know of a decent tobaccanist in RI, northeastern CT, or central MA?
I bought:
Golden Harvest Mint Blend - on further thought, this one actually does look like tax dodge RYO stuff
Red Cap - looks more like pipe than tax dodge RYO, but google indicates otherwise
Largo Mint - should have known by the Top Tobacco Co. fine print
4 Aces Turkish & Blended - should have known by the color and Top Tobacco Co. fine print. I tried this one and it wasn't lovely.
I did get two that are for pipe use:
John Middleton Apple
Prince Albert's Soft Vanilla
I should have saved my money and bought from a tobaccanist. I spent as much as I spent on that Milan sampler and got the same amount if you include the RYO crap. I think I'm cured of wanting to try random easily available varieties. Anyone know of a decent tobaccanist in RI, northeastern CT, or central MA?
Sorry on the misfortune there. On the plus side, I rather like the Middleton Apple blend once in a while, so that may not be a total loss for ya.
I don't know any stores off the top of my head, but you could try this locator: http://pipesmagazine.com/pipe-store-locator/
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- #56
Wow. New favorite loading technique.
http://www.qualitybriar.com/2013/05/back-to-basics-iv-how-to-pack-a-pipe/
I skipped optional step 1, opting for the air pocket result instead. I am unable to practice the circular rubbing; that just pushes tobacco around. Maybe less pressure, now that I think about it. Anyway I do all except the circles; instead I place it down and push sideways. The result smokes really nicely.
http://www.qualitybriar.com/2013/05/back-to-basics-iv-how-to-pack-a-pipe/
The Palm Pack
This one is pretty new to me, but I am falling more and more in love with it. It follows a similar principle to The Frank Method and The Air Pocket Method, but the actual means of packing the pipe is unique, bizarre, and strangely effective.
Beware: This method is not good for people with sweaty hands. The reason should be obvious.
This one is pretty new to me, but I am falling more and more in love with it. It follows a similar principle to The Frank Method and The Air Pocket Method, but the actual means of packing the pipe is unique, bizarre, and strangely effective.
- (Optional) Drizzle in a small layer of tobacco into the bowl. This can be skipped to simulated the effect of the Air Pocket Method. I choose to do it for no other reason than I am used to it.
- Loosen a fair amount of tobacco (enough to fill the rest of your pipe and a little bit more for safetys sake) and rest it in the palm of your non-dominant hand.
- Take your pipe in your other hand and turn it, bowl-side down, on top of the tobacco.
- Now move your pipe around on your hand in a circular motion whenever there is tobacco. No need to do this quickly; take your time. If done while applying a slight amount of pressure, you will notice less and less tobacco in your hand as it is being loaded into the pipe. Do this long enough until you see that enough tobacco is missing from your hand. Return the remainder to the tin/bag/jar (waste not, want not).
- Now gently push down on the tobacco in the bowl. This is not to actually pack down the tobacco more, but just to make sure it is not overflowing.
- Take a test draw. If done correctly, you might be amazed to find that it is packed damn near perfectly.
Beware: This method is not good for people with sweaty hands. The reason should be obvious.
I skipped optional step 1, opting for the air pocket result instead. I am unable to practice the circular rubbing; that just pushes tobacco around. Maybe less pressure, now that I think about it. Anyway I do all except the circles; instead I place it down and push sideways. The result smokes really nicely.
- Thread starter
- #57
Today I tried that Prince Albert vanilla cavendish and one of the few remaining untried varieties from the Milan sampler:
Butter Berry (Aromatic) Pipe Tobacco
Named by Milan's 'Name That Blend' Contest winner Jon V., Butter Berry is a blend of Virginias and Burleys with a generous helping of two special varieties of black Cavendish. Offering subtleties of buttery vanilla with a pleasant berry flavor on the finish, the blend is mild and smooth with no bite. A wonderful all day smoke with a delicious room note!
Tin note (well, bag-in-a-mason-jar note) is similar to the Black Forest that I so disliked from the same sampler, and it looks similar. It doesn't taste anywhere near as sickly sweet. Instead it has what I've come to think of as generic aromatic flavor...seems lots of aros just have one flavor among them. Perhaps it is the "tastes like chicken" of the pipe tobacco world.
Also, after yesterday's post I tried that Middleton Apple...same generic aro flavor.
Butter Berry (Aromatic) Pipe Tobacco
Named by Milan's 'Name That Blend' Contest winner Jon V., Butter Berry is a blend of Virginias and Burleys with a generous helping of two special varieties of black Cavendish. Offering subtleties of buttery vanilla with a pleasant berry flavor on the finish, the blend is mild and smooth with no bite. A wonderful all day smoke with a delicious room note!
Tin note (well, bag-in-a-mason-jar note) is similar to the Black Forest that I so disliked from the same sampler, and it looks similar. It doesn't taste anywhere near as sickly sweet. Instead it has what I've come to think of as generic aromatic flavor...seems lots of aros just have one flavor among them. Perhaps it is the "tastes like chicken" of the pipe tobacco world.
Also, after yesterday's post I tried that Middleton Apple...same generic aro flavor.
That's how I pack.
Just gave it a go in a mm cob with some fmo so it's a tricky one as the fmo burns so perfectly anyway, but, the bowl was perfectly packed and burned with nary a relight required within a minute or two. So far I'm impressed and will experiment some more with this method. Thanks for the heads up.
- Thread starter
- #60
Ok, I tried less pressure, same result, it just pushes tobacco around in my hand and leaves a clearing without loading any. However, if I pick it up and put it down and do circles a few times, that does the job. That's actually what I was doing yesterday, I misspoke about the sideways push.
Today's smoke: Milan Sultan's Blend.
Sultan's Blend (English) Pipe Tobacco
This medium to full strength English blend is made with cube and coarse cut Burleys, Turkish, Bright Virginia Ribbon, toasted Cavendish, long cut Latakia, a touch of Perique, and a pinch of black Cavendish for a slight sweetness on the finish. Sultan's Blend offers a rich toasty flavor with subtleties of nut, dark coffee, and hickory.
This one might require a larger or more fully loaded bowl. The "medium to full strength" was right in the middle of the bowl, more mild at the beginning and end. Flavor was decent and wife loved the room note. She described it as decently strong vanilla. To me it smelled kinda like a campfire, like wood burning. It smoked well, staying lit for a long time and stayed cool.
There was some wetness (cold, not warm) possibly coming from the pipe, maybe I was drooling or maybe it was the pipe or the tobacco or the Dr. Grabow's filter I started using yesterday. Having just thought of that I just pulled out the filter but it didn't seem wet. Next time I'll smoke it in something different.
Today's smoke: Milan Sultan's Blend.
Sultan's Blend (English) Pipe Tobacco
This medium to full strength English blend is made with cube and coarse cut Burleys, Turkish, Bright Virginia Ribbon, toasted Cavendish, long cut Latakia, a touch of Perique, and a pinch of black Cavendish for a slight sweetness on the finish. Sultan's Blend offers a rich toasty flavor with subtleties of nut, dark coffee, and hickory.
This one might require a larger or more fully loaded bowl. The "medium to full strength" was right in the middle of the bowl, more mild at the beginning and end. Flavor was decent and wife loved the room note. She described it as decently strong vanilla. To me it smelled kinda like a campfire, like wood burning. It smoked well, staying lit for a long time and stayed cool.
There was some wetness (cold, not warm) possibly coming from the pipe, maybe I was drooling or maybe it was the pipe or the tobacco or the Dr. Grabow's filter I started using yesterday. Having just thought of that I just pulled out the filter but it didn't seem wet. Next time I'll smoke it in something different.
