Journal of a Nooblet

Rain

Just want a place to keep track of what I'm doing and to share my success and failures while learning this hobby. Touched on it earlier, but to recap...pipes are way harder than cigars imo. Maybe it's easy to say that when you go from something you've practiced a bit to something new though. Today's goal is to work on packing, which I've got a few methods I'd like to try. If there is any time left (fat chance), I'd also like to try and get a good rhythm down...because as I experienced smoking a pipe at cigar speed is no bueno.

rsherman24

Biggest thing for me(and I am a newbie as well) was to realize that I can not smoke a pipe like a cigar. No putting it in the ashtray for a few minutes in between drags. Makes it difficult to multitask while smoking, so I have to be in the mood. Don't go crazy learning how to pack at first. Get it packed to the draw that you prefer, and then learn a pace which works for you

Rain

Tried the Dustin method and it worked pretty well. I think I need to break up the tobacco a bit, because it's kind of hard to pack.Saw a video where a man said if you think the pipe is going out, exhale some air through the stem, cover the bowl and puff a little. Said it will help to spark the embers. Not sure if it's true, but I incorporated it in to my routine and it seemed to work.Also heard some gurgling, so need to check out the causes and fix for that. Think I read in here that it was moisture. Fun fun.

flowbee

thanks Randy!! we are pipe nooblets together, I find that when I pack my pipe last couple of times it has been staying lit. I have been gravity dropping the first small pinch in, lightly packing the second pinch, and pushing a lil harder on third pinch. My bowl has been full to about 1/8" below the top. I light the tobacco in a round pattern while drawing in, take a couple puffs. tamp a little hardly any pressure and re-lite. Bro so far it has been working for me!! Good Luck, im gonna be your wingman learning with ya!!

roland_7707

I wanna be a wingman too. Or a third wheel.

flowbee

Cmon in!! now we got a nooblet Party!!

I think I just hi-jacked Randy's thread in his fashion!!

onestrangeone

Rain:

Tried the Dustin method and it worked pretty well. I think I need to break up the tobacco a bit, because it's kind of hard to pack.Saw a video where a man said if you think the pipe is going out, exhale some air through the stem, cover the bowl and puff a little. Said it will help to spark the embers. Not sure if it's true, but I incorporated it in to my routine and it seemed to work.Also heard some gurgling, so need to check out the causes and fix for that. Think I read in here that it was moisture. Fun fun.

for me I use different methods with different pipe/tobacco combinations, play with it till it works! The gurgling can be from several different things, packed to tight, this seems to be the worst for me, smoking to fast, tobacco too moist, you can let it sit out for a bit before smoking and it will help with the burn as well, it seems like it loses some flavor if you get it to dry tho

Rain

flowbee:

Cmon in!! now we got a nooblet Party!!

I think I just hi-jacked Randy's thread in his fashion!!

The more the merrier

Rain

I'd mentioned it a while ago in the cigar threads, but I'll face some unique challenges because I have full dentures (thanks Uncle Sam) so I don't get much mouth flavor. With cigars it was no problem because retro FTW, but even the two times I've smoked pipe I did not get so much "flavor" as I did "feel" if that makes any sense. To put it in a crazy metaphor, I could not see the show but I could see the mood of the audience

Amos Umwhat

flowbee:

thanks Randy!! we are pipe nooblets together, I find that when I pack my pipe last couple of times it has been staying lit. I have been gravity dropping the first small pinch in, lightly packing the second pinch, and pushing a lil harder on third pinch. My bowl has been full to about 1/8" below the top. I light the tobacco in a round pattern while drawing in, take a couple puffs. tamp a little hardly any pressure and re-lite. Bro so far it has been working for me!! Good Luck, im gonna be your wingman learning with ya!!

Perfect.

Amos Umwhat

Rain:

I'd mentioned it a while ago in the cigar threads, but I'll face some unique challenges because I have full dentures (thanks Uncle Sam) so I don't get much mouth flavor. With cigars it was no problem because retro FTW, but even the two times I've smoked pipe I did not get so much "flavor" as I did "feel" if that makes any sense. To put it in a crazy metaphor, I could not see the show but I could see the mood of the audience

Retrohale the whole thing. Cigars burn the nose if you retro too much, pipes give tongue bite, but most tobaccos are safe for full retro.

Rain

Will try that. Got some Lane 1Q packed using Chris' method that I plan to burn on v herf. My hypothesis is that aromatics will help make up for having no mouth...you know.

Amos Umwhat

onestrangeone:

Rain:

Tried the Dustin method and it worked pretty well. I think I need to break up the tobacco a bit, because it's kind of hard to pack.Saw a video where a man said if you think the pipe is going out, exhale some air through the stem, cover the bowl and puff a little. Said it will help to spark the embers. Not sure if it's true, but I incorporated it in to my routine and it seemed to work.Also heard some gurgling, so need to check out the causes and fix for that. Think I read in here that it was moisture. Fun fun.

for me I use different methods with different pipe/tobacco combinations, play with it till it works! The gurgling can be from several different things, packed to tight, this seems to be the worst for me, smoking to fast, tobacco too moist, you can let it sit out for a bit before smoking and it will help with the burn as well, it seems like it loses some flavor if you get it to dry tho

Yep.

Rain

Random question, that I could google but eff it. Is there ISOM pipe tobacco? Not looking for any, just curious. What are the Opus X and Siglos of the pipe world?

Rain

So the gravity fill did not work well for me. Flavor was good but I had to relight so often it was crazy. Operator error, I'm sure. Going to try the Dustin method again next, and if it works then I'll go from there.

Amos Umwhat

Rain:

So the gravity fill did not work well for me. Flavor was good but I had to relight so often it was crazy. Operator error, I'm sure. Going to try the Dustin method again next, and if it works then I'll go from there.

Curius, are you smoking th 1-Q? If so, it is usually a little wet, needs some air time. As for your question, I sort of think of Dunhill as the Fuente of pipe tobaccos.

Rain

Yes, it was the 1Q. How much air time do you recommend? And does that mean I can pack it in the pipe and let it sit?

Amos Umwhat

You kind of have to judge by feel. The 1-Q will feel soft, moist, with no "crunch". Spread it out on something, clean sheet of paper, paper towels work but tend to cling and then deposit a little paper dust, which probably won't hurt, just pisses me off. When it's right, and this will take a little practice, an individual bit of tobacco should feel just a little crunchy, but not enough to break when squeezed. I've had to let it sit overnight, and then thought I'd gone too far. Put it back in a jar, and in a few hours it's about right.

Yes, you can absolutely pre-pack your pipe. My recent purchase of Magnum Opus, part of my own search for the Opus X of pipe tobaccos, came on a Saturday. I packed it that night, smoked it Monday morning. This to let it dry some, although it was in no way as moist as 1-Q usually is. Worked great! When I was a kid, at Ft. Richardson AK, I had a friend whose father would pack 6 pipes on Sunday night, for the week.

On another note, do you ever hear from Walt? Pilgrimtex? Did he just sail away into the sunset?

Hope this helps. Good luck, have fun.

onestrangeone

The 1Q is part of my monthly rotation, what I do is pull out enough for 5-6 bowls spread it out on a piece of paper for about 4-8 hrs. it depends on how humid the house is, as for packing it I gravity fill the bowl then wad up a small ball and stuff it in, this is very close to the Frank method. For me and 1Q the 3 step does not work well. The G-H Birdseye I sent you needs a little air time as well 30 min to an hr. I think this is a shag cut, I grab what feels like will fill the bowl and stuff it in in one shot. it takes some practice.

Rain

I have not spoken to Walt in ages. I got busy in school and lost his number. Was an awesome guy to herf with.

Rain

Also got to see a benefit of doing cigars and pipes. Someone around here said that they picked which one to smoke based on mood. I'm going over to finish cleaning my old house and would like to smoke, but I doubt I could multitask enough to keep it going...enter the cigar. Can set that think down for minutes at a time and be fine. Score! Also thought about when I'm reading and tend to puff too much on my cigar...sounds like a pipe would be great.

J.S.

Rain:

Will try that. Got some Lane 1Q packed using Chris' method that I plan to burn on v herf. My hypothesis is that aromatics will help make up for having no mouth...you know.

I know a lot of people love 1-Q but I am not one of them. If this is what you are smoking and you are not picking up flavor, I understand completely. 1-Q to me was hot air, and a very mild vanilla that comes in and out. It looks like tobacco but that is really as far as it gets for me. It was one of my first blends I tried and if I did not already know that liked med-full to full cigars I would have never took to the pipe. Just my 2 cents.

J.S.

onestrangeone:

The 1Q is part of my monthly rotation, what I do is pull out enough for 5-6 bowls spread it out on a piece of paper for about 4-8 hrs. it depends on how humid the house is, as for packing it I gravity fill the bowl then wad up a small ball and stuff it in, this is very close to the Frank method. For me and 1Q the 3 step does not work well. The G-H Birdseye I sent you needs a little air time as well 30 min to an hr. I think this is a shag cut, I grab what feels like will fill the bowl and stuff it in in one shot. it takes some practice.

Interesting about the G&H Dark Bird's Eye. I come at it differently. It is almost a shag cut, shag is really just a little thinner but very close. I usually don't need it to air for very long maybe 5-10 min. tops. I like the Frank method because for me it keeps the bottom of the bowl from clumping and clogging but I really get a good pinch for the top. I always check the pack by taking a draw. I like mine to have just a little resistance maybe like just a little more pull than drinking coke not just pulling air but definitely not like a shake. I do get flavor from this one and yes, you can do full retro on it too. The nic is nice as well.

J.S.

1 other thought here. If you are still have issues with gurgle, it very well might be the blowing back down the pipe to help keep it going. Yes, you can do that (I do but very rarely and I always place the tamper in the bowl when doing it). But when you blow back down the stem all the moister that is in the stem from the smoke mixing with the small amount of air that goes back down on the puff gets forced back down into the bowl. It is that moister that will make the gurgling sound. Don't be afraid of relights. They do not affect the flavor of the tobacco and often relighting will allow for a cooler smoke. If you puff away and try to keep a small ember burning it will get hot. Just let it go out, sip some coffee or something and then relight.

Rain

So I was reading up on different pipe materials because I was getting confused when I saw stuff about Calabash. I knew about meerschaum, briar and clay only. When someone says "This meerschaum has a bulldog bowl"...is that the actual name? Is this akin to where, for example, Gurkha calls a corona a Viva Especial? Yes it is a traditional corona size but they can name it whatever they want.

onestrangeone

Bulldog, Calabash, Pear, Apple, Egg, Etc refers to the shape of the bowl/style of the pipe and of course there are sub-categories as well.

Rain

One step forward, two back. Tried to smoke while v herfing with Vin..and..not working. Could not keep either pipe going. I have to imagine that when you get through a bowl without relighting it feels like winning the Olympics.

J.S.

Yes, going through on just 1 light is nice. However, I have learned that certain blends just need to have a relight or three. I used to be concerned about relights but I have learned that there is nothing wrong with them and at times it is better then making the tobacco burn too hot.

onestrangeone

Rain:

One step forward, two back. Tried to smoke while v herfing with Vin..and..not working. Could not keep either pipe going. I have to imagine that when you get through a bowl without relighting it feels like winning the Olympics.

On the rare occasions that it happens I hear We are the Champions by Queen in my head!
I think that the right pipe/tobacco combination is a huge factor in reaching this goal, I have one set that will burn just about perfect almost every time and it doesn't seem to matter which method I use, about the only way I can screw it up is to stuff so much in that it barely draws. I do agree with JS that it's better to relight than overheat.

Amos Umwhat

Rain:

One step forward, two back. Tried to smoke while v herfing with Vin..and..not working. Could not keep either pipe going. I have to imagine that when you get through a bowl without relighting it feels like winning the Olympics.

This will happen for you more often after your tobacco has had some jar time, your pipe develops some caking, your pack gets better, and you learn your pace. Not always, but more often. The Frogmorton blends are pretty good for staying lit, once they've had a little time.

roland_7707

Put an order with SEANtheMAN today via email. Very excited.