New Pipe Smoker With A Question? Ask an Old Fart

[Subvet642]

Originally Posted by WaRevo

For me I am different then most people that smoke pipe. In some cases I do the Dennis method and I use Prince Albert to start my break in. However seeing that I am not like most I rarely have a pipe with cake in it. I make sure that I clean my pipe after every use and that I keep the stem and bowl as clean as I can daily. I do use alot of Cleaners and from what I have seen in Estate pipes that I have bought I can't understand really how some people could let the pipe fill with such cake. I mean I have had some pipes that you couldn't even put a Pipe tool into let alone a Dr. Grabow filter How in the world did they even smoke the pipe. Then when I take the stem out and it is filled with SO MUCH junk I am like OMG that is nasty. This one pipe I just got from a person that said they didn't want to smoke pipe anymore and didn't like it, Buying the pipe at 1/4 the cost of new because he thought there was something wrong with it. I get it, The pipe wasn't really deep with cake but the drawhole was filled with unsmoked tobacco and the buildup in the shank was deep tar and i was like no wonder they didn't like it. Honestly it looked like they never ran a pipe cleaner in the stem or shank at all. Again the bowl wasn't that bad, ran a Czech took around the bowl maybe 15 times before it was a good clean thin cake. The shank took my shank brush, 40 Q-tips before it came out looking almost clean and the stem took 15 Q-tips and 5 bristle pipe cleaners, and 4 soft pipe cleaners before I could pass it with Alcohol on the tip and pull all the way through clean.

my first thought when I seen this was It had to have been HORRID to smoke this pipe.

James

Hi James, I'm kinda anal like that, too. I've only bought estate pipes that have been reasonably serviced; you know, bowl reamed, everything cleaned up a bit. I, of course, do my own cleaning, too.

Mark, thanks for the links! And thanks for the good advice from Brian and the Rev, too. I'm not too worried about smoking too fast, see, I smoke a lot of small ring CC's so I tend to smoke slowly, anyway. Hopefully, the Chacoms won't give me too much trouble. I hear that they're pretty cool smokers and the smallish bowl sizes suit me as well. Besides, they make such pretty pipes.

[RevSmoke]

Originally Posted by Subvet642

Hi James, I'm kinda anal like that, too. I've only bought estate pipes that have been reasonably serviced; you know, bowl reamed, everything cleaned up a bit. I, of course, do my own cleaning, too.

Mark, thanks for the links! And thanks for the good advice from Brian and the Rev, too. I'm not too worried about smoking too fast, see, I smoke a lot of small ring CC's so I tend to smoke slowly, anyway. Hopefully, the Chacoms won't give me too much trouble. I hear that they're pretty cool smokers and the smallish bowl sizes suit me as well. Besides, they make such pretty pipes.

Here is something to consider, since you already like estate pipes. Certain pipe brands really hold value well, usually 50% of new pipe prices. It is why I buy estate pipes. You get a pipe for about 50% of the new price at the time of purchase... as the price of the new pipes in that brand rises, so does the price of the estates of that brand. I have purchased an estate pipe for $50 which I sold about 15 years later for $110.

You are also right, they come cleaned and ready to smoke, and you usually do not have to struggle through the break in period.

Brands I have found easy to break in: Castello, Radice, Don Carlos, Lee von Erck, Cobs. Stanwell, Savinelli, Meerschaums

Brands I have found hard to break in: Peterson, Dunhill, Chacom, Butz-Choquin

Brands that were all over the map in regard to breaking in are plethora!

Peace of the Lord be with you.

[Subvet642]

Originally Posted by RevSmoke

Here is something to consider, since you already like estate pipes. Certain pipe brands really hold value well, usually 50% of new pipe prices. It is why I buy estate pipes. You get a pipe for about 50% of the new price at the time of purchase... as the price of the new pipes in that brand rises, so does the price of the estates of that brand. I have purchased an estate pipe for $50 which I sold about 15 years later for $110.

You are also right, they come cleaned and ready to smoke, and you usually do not have to struggle through the break in period.

Brands I have found easy to break in: Castello, Radice, Don Carlos, Lee von Erck, Cobs. Stanwell, Savinelli, Meerschaums

Brands I have found hard to break in: Peterson, Dunhill, Chacom, Butz-Choquin

Brands that were all over the map in regard to breaking in are plethora!

Peace of the Lord be with you.

Like I said elsewhere, pure gold!

[ApexAZ]

I have very little experience myself, but I figured I'll just smoke the thing and not worry too much about it, EXCEPT for keeping it as cool as possible. Heating it up to the point of burning the briar seems like a bad idea and I can see the rationality behind that.

[RevSmoke]

I find Chacoms can break in very slowly and difficultly.

Fill it and smoke it. There are all sorts of methods. Virginias I have found make the hardest cakes.

Smoking too hot and/or too fast are the sure ways to possible harm a pipe.

Peace of The Lord be with you.

[WhiteMamba]

So a pastor friend of mine decided I needed to "smoke pipes like a man" instead of cigars. I'm not quite sold as I have come to enjoy cigars quite a bit. He gave me a Dr. Grabow and a corncob pipe. I have tried smoking both but I'm not quite sure if I'm doing any of this right since I have never smoked a pipe or known anyone who has. It seems like it should be self explanatory but I am having problems. When I light it the top burns but then it goes out, and I can never seem to get to the bottom. Anyone have some words of wisdom for me? Cigars seem like a lot less work.

[Commander Quan]

Dry the tobacco more than you think you should
Fill the pipe less than you think you should
Puff often, but not too often, and tamp only when needed.

There is a learning curve that all pipers go though, stick with it and you're technique will improve.

[WhiteMamba]

How do I know when to tamp? I guess I don't necessarily understand the concept.

[RevSmoke]

Originally Posted by WhiteMamba

How do I know when to tamp? I guess I don't necessarily understand the concept.

Do you know where Riegels is in Georgetown Square in Ft Wayne? Get over there with your pipe and sit down with Dennis and tell him what your issue is. Live tutoring is a great benefit, and he's a great guy. Tell him I sent you. If not Dennis, his son would also be a great help.

We can tell you what to do, but sometimes a live tutor is a better resource, and much more helpful than any advice we can give you here. I learned more from experimentation and then time with a veteran pipester refining with him, watching him, letting him watch my technique and then his commentary.

Peace of The Lord be with you.

[MarkinAZ]

^^^^ +1

In addition to Todds comment, I would also suggest getting together with your "Pastor" for a session or two to show you. Who knows, it may develop into a regular session of pipe tobacco learning for you...

[Commander Quan]

You only want to compact the top layer of ash, not compress the tobacco underneath.

If the pipe isn't staying lit, you probably either have the tobacco packed too tightly in the pipe, or it is too most.

[WhiteMamba]

Probably a combination of the two. Thanks for the help

[WhiteMamba]

Thanks Rev. I hope to see you in January at symposia. It will be great to get together and smoke.

Mark I would do that but it is so cold here now that it would hardly be bearable.

[Bubbleheaddiver]

keep smoking it gets easier

[WhiteMamba]

Thanks guys for the help dried out some tobacco and smoked it today. It made a huge difference. Easily the most pleasant pipe smoking experience I have had yet.

[ksknnr]

another newbie question here..... Just started with pipe smoking and a bunch of great guys bombed me with some tobacco, and I bought a few tins/pouches myself. Right now I have about a dozen zip-lock bags, a few pouches and a couple tins. I have them in a 50 count desktop with no humidification. Is this OK, Should I add humidification?

[Zanaspus]

Originally Posted by ksknnr

another newbie question here..... Just started with pipe smoking and a bunch of great guys bombed me with some tobacco, and I bought a few tins/pouches myself. Right now I have about a dozen zip-lock bags, a few pouches and a couple tins. I have them in a 50 count desktop with no humidification. Is this OK, Should I add humidification?

It's fine without humidification. I tend to prefer most baccy's drier than the package anyway.

[ApexAZ]

Originally Posted by WhiteMamba

Thanks guys for the help dried out some tobacco and smoked it today. It made a huge difference. Easily the most pleasant pipe smoking experience I have had yet.

Nice!

[Subvet642]

This may seem somewhat random, but is there a quick rule-of-thumb as to what kind of tobacco in what kind of bowl. Ferinstance: I've heard that straight VA's are best in a wide bowl like a pot because the wide surface area burns more tobacco concurrently, imparting more flavor.

[RevSmoke]

Originally Posted by Subvet642

This may seem somewhat random, but is there a quick rule-of-thumb as to what kind of tobacco in what kind of bowl. Ferinstance: I've heard that straight VA's are best in a wide bowl like a pot because the wide surface area burns more tobacco concurrently, imparting more flavor.

And if there is something that I have heard for years is that VAs like small narrow bowls.

Here's the rule of thumb, try your tobaccos in different size bowls and see which ones smoke best of you, for ultimately, you need to satisfy your palate. Personally, I have found that I like my VAs in many sizes of bowls, and more often than not, the choice is made by asking, "what pipe do I want to smoke today?"

Peace of the Lord be with you.