A few questions

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Micah

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Hello.

When I smoke a bowl it only lasts for about twenty-five minutes with me relighting once. The pipe gets pretty hot while I smoke; not too hot that I can't handle it, but hot nonetheless. I hear people talking about smoking for an hour and I wanted to know what I am doing wrong. Last night I tried to smoke it slower and the pipe wasn't that hot and it still only lasted around twenty-five minutes.

I have an apple shapped Bjarne Viking pipe, so I guess it is a normal sized pipe and I smoke Captain Black White (I haven't ventured into non-aromatics yet).
 
Micah":k8eczeh0 said:
Hello.

When I smoke a bowl it only lasts for about twenty-five minutes with me relighting once. The pipe gets pretty hot while I smoke; not too hot that I can't handle it, but hot nonetheless. I hear people talking about smoking for an hour and I wanted to know what I am doing wrong. Last night I tried to smoke it slower and the pipe wasn't that hot and it still only lasted around twenty-five minutes.

I have an apple shapped Bjarne Viking pipe, so I guess it is a normal sized pipe and I smoke Captain Black White (I haven't ventured into non-aromatics yet).
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It has been my experience that ribbon cut tobaccos such as CB tend to burn faster, having said that I don't think that 25 to 30 minutes is to short a smoke. You might try a flake or rubbed flake cut tobacco. These typically will burn longer, but you will need to lear that sipping the smoke is much preferred to puffing it.

You might also try different methods of packing. Many new smokers are taught the 3-step method, inwhich the first third of the bowl is very lightly packed, the second is packed a bit more firmly and the third is heavily packed. This method is used universally as a beginners method of fill.

Another method is to sprinkle tobacco into the bowl and then to follow it with a tight plug of tobacco on top. This creates a bit of an air pocket in the heel of the pipe and is used quite a bit by those who are looking for a long smoke.

With Virginia tobacco, I like to gravity fill the bowl and use a light tamp as I smoke. Again the key here is to lightly sip the smoke, otherwise you will experience quite a bit of heat.

Keep in mind that the goal is a relaxed, enjoyable smoke. The length of the smoke is influenced by the bowl size, the cut of the tobacco, the relative moisture of the tobacco and the amount of tobacco in the bowl. If you are enjoying your smoke, that's all that really matters.

I was taught that after loading a bowl, you should draw on the pipe and the resistance should be the same as you experience when sipping milk through a straw.

Good luck!
 
Thank you for the great information!

I do have one more question, though. What is the difference between a sip and a puff?
 
Micah":ytu9bx31 said:
Thank you for the great information!

I do have one more question, though. What is the difference between a sip and a puff?
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This may not be the answer you were seeking, but a sip is a shallow draw of smoke from the pipe into the mouth, and a puff is when you eject the smoke out of your mouth (but then, what is it called if the smoke is ejected out one's nose?).

There's nothing wrong with short smokes, they just give one the chance to grab and stuff another pipe and enjoy that one too in the same sitting.

Steve
 
I just got done smoking a bowl and I did the three layer packing thing and tried to "sip" instead of puff. I drew slowly on the pipe. I had to relight twice. The smoke lasted 46 minutes. Thanks for the helpful information!
 
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