How to get an hour from 3g of tobacco?

[brianr]

I've been watching some of the pipe smoking competitions and confess to being impressed by the times people "squeeze" from 3g of tobacco.

I don't pretend to be an expert on the competition rules so, if I have this incorrect be gentle, but it seems the basic idea is to see how long you can make 3g of tobacco last.

A recent UK competition was won with a time of over an hour.

I've just had a bowel which I weighed at 5g. I confess I had to "repack" it as I'd got it too 'tight' at first but on the second attempt it lasted about 50mins, with no dottle (all ash, which is my norm). If I'd packed more tightly, I doubt it would have smoked- that was why I had to repack.

I don't think I 'puff' hard or quickly, the pipe generally is comfortable to hold.

I only smoked 5g as I filled the pipe, a Peterson Sherlock Holmes.

Any tips how these experienced smokers are achieving these times, please?

Brian

 

[RDPipes]

Being that this Gram thing has always had me a bit puzzled I reckon if you load 5 grams into a bowl to fill it, considering you have what I see as a medium size bowl 3/4" by 1"to 1-1/8" and I fill mine about 3/4 or more full and get a 45 minute smoke, I'm putting about 3 grams of tobacco in it. Now if I would smoke a bit slower I can see how a full bowl might last an hour depending on the tobacco also. Of course I haven't a clue what size bowls there smoking either. If I was to load one of my larger pipes up 7/8" + by 1-1/2" to near top I can see it lasting much longer then I could sit and smoke it. I doubt that answers your question but, it worked for me. 

 

[brianr]

Being that this Gram thing has always had me a bit puzzled I reckon if you load 5 grams into a bowl to fill it, considering you have what I see as a medium size bowl 3/4" by 1"to 1-1/8" and I fill mine about 3/4 or more full and get a 45 minute smoke, I'm putting about 3 grams of tobacco in it. Now if I would smoke a bit slower I can see how a full bowl might last an hour depending on the tobacco also. Of course I haven't a clue what size bowls there smoking either. If I was to load one of my larger pipes up 7/8" + by 1-1/2" to near top I can see it lasting much longer then I could sit and smoke it. I doubt that answers your question but, it worked for me. 

Thank you for the response.

Perhaps I need to 'watch' some others smoke, which I've never really done, and see what 'pace' they have.

I tend to smoke mainly at home (but outdoors) but have been meaning to visit the Pipe Club of London- Pipe Clubs are not so common in the UK and I haven't seen many pipe smokers out and about. Plus there is always the danger of being thought to be some weirdo if you sit watching someone ;-)

Like in the US, smoking is banned in most places (bars etc.) and seeing a pipe smoker outside is very rare- I don't recall ever seeing one in the street.


Brian

 

[Northern Neil]

Personally, I find flake tobaccos smoke much longer than ribbon cut tobaccos. I have a Caminetto 1/2 bent dublin which hold a 2" deep (50mm) bowl. I can smoke that pipe with a rubbed out flake for about 3 hours straight. Obviously with many relights haha. If you are really concerned about getting a longer smoke, get a deeper bowl and fill it with a flake. Personally, I aim for enjoyment over length of smoke.

 

[brianr]

Personally, I find flake tobaccos smoke much longer than ribbon cut tobaccos. I have a Caminetto 1/2 bent dublin which hold a 2" deep (50mm) bowl. I can smoke that pipe with a rubbed out flake for about 3 hours straight. Obviously with many relights haha. If you are really concerned about getting a longer smoke, get a deeper bowl and fill it with a flake. Personally, I aim for enjoyment over length of smoke.

I agree that enjoyment should be the aim, otherwise what is the point of smoking a pipe!

However, I'm blessed/cursed with a sense of curiosity which is rarely satisfied, plus I had considered trying one of these competitions at some point.

While I take on board your point re flake, in competitions the tobacco is supplied (as is the pipe, generally a simple 'straight' with a removable filter based on what I've seen). Three matches are supplied and a simple wooden tamper. Time for packing, lighting, etc. is specified. Last man smoking wins.

It doesn't seem like a 'cut throat' competition, more a bit of fun- just how I like things.

Thank you for your reply.

Brian

 

[Anonymous]

Slow smoking.

 

[pylorns]

I want to say the winner of the 2013 slow smoke championship was slightly over 3 hours with just 3g of tobacco.

 

[brianr]

I want to say the winner of the 2013 slow smoke championship was slightly over 3 hours with just 3g of tobacco.

One step at a time ;-)

I managed 50 mins yesterday, with Sunset Breeze but only 40mins this evening wing with a Cherry and Vanilla. I wasn't especially 'going for time' but I think the 'pace' was about the same. Pipes were similar but not identical.

 

[pylorns]

In the same boat - hell I'm still trying to keep from having to relight 2-3 times.

 

[Northern Neil]

In the same boat - hell I'm still trying to keep from having to relight 2-3 times.

I have never worried about quantity of re-lights. If I have to re-light my bowl 15 times during a smoke, what difference does it make? As long as it tastes good.
I hear about people getting caught up in the number of times they need to re-light their pipes, and I really do not think it makes any difference, unless you are in one of these slow smoking competition's. And I'll bet if you ask the winner how his mouth felt after the competition, he would have a hard time answering because his toung was so fatigued.

 

[pylorns]

In the same boat - hell I'm still trying to keep from having to relight 2-3 times.

, unless you are in one of these slow smoking competition's. And I'll bet if you ask the winner how his mouth felt after the competition, he would have a hard time answering because his toung was so fatigued.

That's what I'm talking about - in trying to compete you can't relight - and I generally relight AT LEAST 3 times if not more.

 

[Geoff]

Pylorns, might give some thought to golf or tennis as your competitive sport.

 

[ravkesef]

I entered the slow smoking contest at the 2013 Chicago pipe show. I had never done a contest before, and I entered only because the entry fee was $40, and I figured the official contest pipe was worth somewhere around $100. Pardon me for sounding a bit mercenary. I also figured I'd be the first guy out with a time of 22 seconds, or something like that, but that would provide a good laugh for everyone, and then I could walk away with my new pipe.
Remember,I'm not a contest smoker, but I do have 54 years of smoking experience behind me, so I do know a thing or two. But at the contest I decided that a bit of humility was called for, and decided that I would watch how more experienced people did it.
We had 5 minutes to prepare our 3 grams of tobacco and pack our pipes. The contest tobacco was a virginia blend specially created for the event. It was definitely not a tobacco I would ever smoke, and I confess that I disliked it thoroughly. Mainly I was hoping that I wouldn't hurl during the contest, and that alone was motivation to smoke slowly.
The experienced people spread their tobacco on a sheet of paper, folded it over,, and began to crush it. I knew from nothing, but I just followed suit.
Anyway, to make a long story short, I lasted 50 minutes and 47 seconds. Surprised the heck out of myself.
Will I enter this year? You bet. Do I have a hope of winning? No way. The top winners are really good at this. But for forty bucks I'm going to walk away with a pretty nice pipe. Sounds like a winner to me.

 

[rothnh]

Great story, Eric -- thanks for posting   

 

[ravkesef]

Thanks, rothnh. Good hearing from you.

 

[Thomas Tkach]

Personally, I find flake tobaccos smoke much longer than ribbon cut tobaccos. I have a Caminetto 1/2 bent dublin which hold a 2" deep (50mm) bowl. I can smoke that pipe with a rubbed out flake for about 3 hours straight. Obviously with many relights haha. If you are really concerned about getting a longer smoke, get a deeper bowl and fill it with a flake. Personally, I aim for enjoyment over length of smoke.

I bet flakes burn longer because they are compact--more tobacco crammed into less space. You can fit mroe flak into a pipe than ribbon. Even if the weight were the same, I guess they would burn a little slower because of lack of oxygen getting to the center of a flake (only the outside can burn).

P. S. I relight about 5-10 times per bowl, and haven't found a way to cure this in 5 years besides smoking too hot to enjoy it.

 

[KevinM]

A bit late, but --

Notice that rothnh described a process at the contest of "crushing" the tobak. If you're looking for a longer smoke it helps to at least cull out any sticks and twigs and rub out the rest. You want a consistently dense -- but not too dense --pack. This will also help if you have an interest in lessening relights.

Everyone says relights don't matter, but methinks it's kinda nice to get at least a half hour of uninterrupted enjoyment out of a smoke.

Being outside with a mild breeze is a plus I don't know how anyone can keep the fire going for more than an hour indoors.

 

[brianr]

A bit late, but --

Notice that rothnh described a process at the contest of "crushing" the tobak. If you're looking for a longer smoke it helps to at least cull out any sticks and twigs and rub out the rest. You want a consistently dense -- but not too dense --pack. This will also help if you have an interest in lessening relights.

Everyone says relights don't matter, but methinks it's kinda nice to get at least a half hour of uninterrupted enjoyment out of a smoke.

Being outside with a mild breeze is a plus I don't know how anyone can keep the fire going for more than an hour indoors.

Thank you for the reply Kevin.

I've not really tried crushing the tobacco yet but I am achieving an hour or more generally now, most times with only a char light and a proper light (no relights). I do break up any flakes in blends and remove "sticks".

I find a breeze counter productive, it causing the burn to go too quickly in my case- simply a different smoking style I guess.

I'm certainly not going to win any serious slow smoking competitions but I smoke to ease neuropathic pain and I find I need an hour or so for that to work.

I'm puffing some Cherry and Vanilla in my Peterson Sherlock Holmes as I type this.

Thank you again.

Brian

 

[KevinM]

Brian, I'm glad that a soothing pipe helps ease your neuropathic pain. It may be anecdotal or whatever one chooses to call it, but I do agree that many pipe smokers gain health benefits from their avocation.

By "slight breeze" I generally meant the sort of pleasant zephyr that visits central Connecticut USA in springtime. When the family visits the Maine shore, I agree that the gale coming off the Atlantic is not a piper's friend

My missus suffers from neuropathic pain in her feet. She has good days and not so good days. I hope you continue to gain comfort from your briars.

 

[SpeedyPete]

I won a nice db carpino 21 last year in a smoking competition. We also used 3g of tobacco and I managed 1hr 7min out of it.

The secret to keep the baccy lit is by sipping very softly. In between I would take one strong pull to fire it up a bit and then sip ever so softly again. Don't pack to tight or to light. You must be able to sip easily. I only tamped maybe twice during the whole smoke.

I don't normally smoke like that because it needs a lot of concentration and therefor it's not enjoyable.