Burning an Entire Bowl and Smoking in the C-c-c-c-old

[Trout Whisperer]

Hello, briar fellers!

(Forgive me if this thread is misplaced, or if I missed the answers when I searched.)

I've experienced a couple of difficulties in my brief pipe-smoking experience, and I wonder if any (or all) of you can assist.

First, I can't seem to smoke an entire bowl of tobacco. That is, at half to two-thirds into a bowl, it becomes difficult to relight, at which point I give up and dump the rest of the tobacco with the ash. It would be great to enjoy all the enjoyment possible from that enjoyable tobacco.

Also, I don't smoke indoors, but it is cold where I live. Which means the few occasions on which I have enjoyed a smoke, the ambient temperature ranged between 0°F and 20°F (-18°C to -7°C). Does the relatively cold air contribute to frequent relights, and perhaps getting to the point where I can barely light that last half of the bowl?

 

[Richard Burley]

A cigar is also difficult to re-light if you don't knock the ash off. Are you collapsing the ash with a tamper before a re-light? You should. Or are you packing too tight, perhaps? I can't say I've ever encountered this problem. On the other hand, I've never thought smoking the bowl down completely was desirable. The dottle is, in effect, analogous to a cigar butt to my way of thinking, with the same effect on the tongue. But you ought to get at least 3/4 or 4/5 without too much trouble.

 

[Slowroll]

Well, the cold can certainly contribute. My first question is, is the tobacco in that last bit very damp when you dig it out? If so, you may be puffing too hard because it's cold, pulling moisture.  And, is the tobacco starting out damp. Damp tobac and hard puffing will make hard delights. You re  not pulling much moisture from the air at that ambient temp.  Otherwise, may be you're drooling into the bowl.

 

[huffelpuff]

The cold can play all kinds of havoc with pipe smoking. If you exhale any at all through the stem the moisture in your breath will condense in the bowl. On deeper bowled pipes even if you tamp regularly you really need to turn the pipe upside down and dump the loose ash from the top at about the halfway point. Reason....even tamped you end up with too much ash on top and the flame won't reach the tobacco. My guess though is that your tobacco is fairly moist to start with and when you combine that with the natural tendency to try and rush in the cold....you end up frustrated trying to relight. Have you considered going inside at that point and let the pipe sit for an hour or two and then going out to finish the bowl. Some tobaccos do very very well with DGT. Just some thoughts from another cold weather smoker for you.

Jim

 

[Trout Whisperer]

Thank you for your responses!  I greatly appreciate your insight!

A cigar is also difficult to re-light if you don't knock the ash off. Are you collapsing the ash with a tamper before a re-light? You should. Or are you packing too tight, perhaps? I can't say I've ever encountered this problem. On the other hand, I've never thought smoking the bowl down completely was desirable. The dottle is, in effect, analogous to a cigar butt to my way of thinking, with the same effect on the tongue. But you ought to get at least 3/4 or 4/5 without too much trouble.

Yes, 3/4 or more seems reasonable, and I tamp the ash.
It is possible I've packed the bowl too tightly.  I've tried packing more loosely than I've read and seen demonstrated, but I will continue to experiment.

Well, the cold can certainly contribute. My first question is, is the tobacco in that last bit very damp when you dig it out? If so, you may be puffing too hard because it's cold, pulling moisture.  And, is the tobacco starting out damp. Damp tobac and hard puffing will make hard delights. You re  not pulling much moisture from the air at that ambient temp.  Otherwise, may be you're drooling into the bowl.

Yes, the "leftovers" from most of the bowls seemed wet.  I may very well have puffed too aggressively, perhaps because I struggle to keep the darn thing lit.
I typically let the tobacco air-dry for 10-30 minutes, though only the G&H ropes seem too wet when I remove them from the jar and rub them.  Perhaps I should err on the dry side until summer.

The cold can play all kinds of havoc with pipe smoking. If you exhale any at all through the stem the moisture in your breath will condense in the bowl. On deeper bowled pipes even if you tamp regularly you really need to turn the pipe upside down and dump the loose ash from the top at about the halfway point. Reason....even tamped you end up with too much ash on top and the flame won't reach the tobacco. My guess though is that your tobacco is fairly moist to start with and when you combine that with the natural tendency to try and rush in the cold....you end up frustrated trying to relight. Have you considered going inside at that point and let the pipe sit for an hour or two and then going out to finish the bowl. Some tobaccos do very very well with DGT. Just some thoughts from another cold weather smoker for you.

Jim

Yet another vote for wet tobacco and rushing the smoke.  I will try dumping the ash halfway through, as well as allowing the pipe to dry (and my fingers to thaw) for a while.

I know there is a sweet spot there, and I'm intent on finding it!  Have great week, fellas!

 

[Trout Whisperer]

Last night I withdrew enough Artisan's Blend from the canning jar to fill the Amphora Dublin. It was drier in the tin than the other blends I've tried, but I let it air dry for 30 minutes before loading the pipe.

At that minimal moisture level, the tobacco had more spring, which prevented overpacking. After three attempts at lighting, I found a relaxed but steady cadence, and only had to relight twice until I gave up in deference to my fingers.

I smoked more than half the bowl, and I saw moisture around the draught hole when I emptied the pipe, but much less than last time. I could have let it dry and returned later had I chosen to.

Next time I will ensure I avoid exhaling into the pipe, and be prepared to dump the ash if it won't relight.

That was a great smoke, though! Thanks again for your help! What we enjoyable hobby this is!

 

[KevinM]

Do your pipes have a tapered bowl? Also, don’t try to smoke a coarse cut in a pipe with a small bowl. Try filling the first pinch very loosely, and a little firmer the rest of the way. If you can, learn to breathe through your nose while smoking and exhale through your mouth only occasionally. This method creates a vacuum in your mouth, so your palette will continually be getting a tasty treat, but cooler and steadier. Patience. It sounds like you’re on the right track.