2 Questions

[Jeff]

1. How far down do most you guys smoke the tobacco? I guess what I'm really asking is how do you know at what level to stop smoking so that you don't end up burning the briar?
   
2. Sometimes when I'm smoking, the majority of combustion occurs only in a narrow area in the center of the bowl. I end up tapping the ashes out and moving the unburned tobacco into the center. Is this a packing issue or a poorly designed pipe?

Thanks for any help.

[Dogwatch Dale]

In my experience;
1. All the way once your pipe is broken in.
2. I would first look at packing. What works for me is to pack the first bunch in softly, the 2nd bunch more firmly and the last bunch quite firm. Light the bowl, tamp lightly and then re-light. May take a couple times, but if you have the pack right, it should burn all the way with just an occasional tamp now & then.

[IHT]

Originally Posted by Jeff

1. How far down do most you guys smoke the tobacco? I guess what I'm really asking is how do you know at what level to stop smoking so that you don't end up burning the briar?
   
2. Sometimes when I'm smoking, the majority of combustion occurs only in a narrow area in the center of the bowl. I end up tapping the ashes out and moving the unburned tobacco into the center. Is this a packing issue or a poorly designed pipe?

Thanks for any help.

1 - for me, there's always a little bit o' tobacco left in the bottom, sometimes it just won't burn due to moisture that's worked its way down. sometimes because i'm done smoking and knock the rest out. like a cigar, pipes can let you know when it is time to stop smoking.
2 - a good smokin pipe (could be a cheap stanwell, or an expensive Tsuge), that's is broken in, with quality tobacco at the right humidity, and packed correctly, you're entire surface area will burn all the way down. the center happens to me sometimes as well, with some of my new pipes that aren't broken in and i know they won't be very good smokers. the article that ScottM quoted about diameter of the hole (not bowl) from the bowl to end of the bit has some good info in it.

i've got a cheap stanwell that will smoke perfectly, same as my savinelli hercules, and then my expensive Karl Erik, etc. so, it depends on the pipe (how good of a smoker it really is), breaking in of the pipe, the packing, the tobacco... "I" feel they all influence that.

if you recall that small Nording Canadian style pipe i won back in december, it doesn't smoke all the way down yet as i've only had about 6-8 bowls in there so far, but it burns the entire surface area (small bowl diameter though).

also, i've heard/witnessed some pipes that just aren't good for aromatics/english blends. i was given a Nording "Signature" pipe by a buddy a looong time ago, back when i smoked aromatics only (new to pipes). it sucked at smoking aromatics. matter of fact, it didn't burn in the center, it burned on the side of the bowl closest to the bit... now i use it every so often for english blends, and i've come to pack a bit better, and it burns the entire surface area.

i don't think you'll get every strip of tobacco to burn in a bowl though. but that's just my opinion, i could be wrong.

i've heard some ppl say that every once in a while pack the pipe only halfway and make sure you burn it all the way down... i think the hardest part of the bowl to build up a cake is the bottom.

^^^ those are only my opinions, i could (and probably am) be wrong.

[TypeO-]

Has anyone ever heard of coating the inside of the bowl with honey? Smoke a bowl and allow the heat to carmelize the honey. I haven't tried it. My buddy was given this "trick" from our local B&M.

[IHT]

Originally Posted by TypeO-

Has anyone ever heard of coating the inside of the bowl with honey? Smoke a bowl and allow the heat to carmelize the honey. I haven't tried it. My buddy was given this "trick" from our local B&M.

this was also covered in a post by ScottM in the FAQ topic.
i have never done it, have heard of it, but i don't condone it.

[canadasmokes]

I usually find packing is the bigest problem and solution, i used to pack very poorly causing me to relight constantly but now am becoming fairly good at it. It all takes practice
good luck

[Mr. Pink]

I've noticed the "center burn" thing as well. However, I have also had the same pipe, smoking the same tobacco (from the same pouch), not do this and smoke neatly and nearly to the bottom. Only possible answer is variability in the smoking conditions which, in my case, are primarily determined in the packing of the bowl, I figure. I try to pack the same way every time, but sometimes I just do it better than at other times. Using a cheap cob at the moment but have three nice briars waiting for me to get this all figured out.

[joed]

I went to the Dunhill site to read up on breaking in a new pipe-

The Dunhill folks say it takes 25 bowls to break in the pipe. During the breakin period - they suggest you only fill the bowl about half way full.

One old timer that I talked to - he runs a local B&M has been for more than 50 years (86 years old) said that I should never smoke the bowl to the bottom. He called the bottom quarter of the bowl the mixing chamber and said that it collects moisture while you smoke. The smoke will taste bad and cooking the moisture is bad for the briar.

I try not to fill the bowl all the way when the pipe is new - and I always have some tobacco left at the end of the smoke - it just doesn't taste right.

So, there you have it - treat your new pipe with respect and don't smoke the tobacco past where it tastes good.

[Scott M]

Alot of pipe smoking how-to seems to be asking 20 different people and getting 35 different opinions. So, now that the whole meshpucha has chimed in, I'll add my (not that I'm Mr Pipe dude... just trying some stuff I find and passing the info along).

The Long Version:

Originally Posted by Jeff

1. How far down do most you guys smoke the tobacco? I guess what I'm really asking is how do you know at what level to stop smoking so that you don't end up burning the briar? Sometimes I'll smoke to the bottom of the bowl if the tobacco's burning well, (needs to start out pretty dry for this), and I still like what's going on with it, or if I'm smoking partial bowls to develop a little cake at the heel, (like Greg mentioned). But it's just like cigars; when you stop enjoying it...stop. You're going to scorch (not burn) a briar bowl unless it's coated with cake or a factory applied lining, but it's only bad if you start getting burn into, (and in the worst case scenario, through) the briar. If you're not seeing any pitting in the bowl, you oughtta be OK, (and there are ways to correct this if you do see them). The issue of a broken-in pipe seems to be of equally mixed consensus; it's broken in when it first needs to be reamed... stops tasting nasty... first bowl...its developed 2.679mm of cake. There's no magic number, (although some brands seem to take longer than others, or so I've read), no dramatic change-over point, no Beethovens 9th symphony Gloria moment. The one I'm going to hang my hat on is when it starts smoking the tobacco you like (or it likes) well and you're enjoying it. And don't start out with anything in the bowl other than tobacco.
   
   
2. Sometimes when I'm smoking, the majority of combustion occurs only in a narrow area in the center of the bowl. I end up tapping the ashes out and moving the unburned tobacco into the center. Is this a packing issue or a poorly designed pipe? Yes. No. Maybe. Could be your packing... could be your rhythm/pace... could be the tobacco... could be how you're lighting it. Try to get an even pressure on the entire surface of the tobacco when you pack it. When you light it, light the entire surface. Might take 20 seconds, but make sure the entire surface is burnt. Then do the tamp/relight thing. When you relight it, make sure the entire surface is again lit. See if that helps. If it's your pace you question, slow down. Relights aren't a sin. Observe how that affects the burn. I try to angle the outer edges a little deeper than the inner area when I tamp. The ash can help your burn pattern, along with frequent tamping, so I'm not entirely certain dumping them's a great idea. Sometimes it helps, other times not. See if any of this helps.

Thanks for any help.

The Short Version

Pack light tamp light draw tamp draw tamp relight draw finish clean.

If you find it's not working as you'd hoped, change the way you're doing one of these. It's all just a big experiment, and differences in pipes or tobacco or any of the above will have a noticable effect.


The Shortest Version

Relax. Enjoy.

If ya ain't doing this....


Scott"justsmokethedamnthing"M

[icemncmth]

You should be able to smoke the whole bowl...down to the bottom with only a few specks of tobacco left. The problem with a new pipe is breaking it in and part of that process is actually charring the briar. Once you do this you will start building a "cake" on the bowl. This will flavor the pipe. Some of my pipes taste really good when you draw on them with nothing in them..

If you are having problems with not being able to smoke a whole bowl then your tobacco is too moist or you are smoking too fast..

If you smoke too fast you can burn a whole in your pipe. But I am sure you would get a real nasty taste if you did!

-ice