Piping Techniques: To each his own...

[Capn Jimbo]

After a newbies' initial fumblings...


We all land upon some kind of "method" or technique: for lighting, relighting, smoking, etc. That's a given. We try different pipes (often works of art), lighting and packing techniques, blends, prep and the like. In my case...


My best time is early in the am. My palate is clear and I somehow just seem to get the most from a spirit or tobacco early on. F. Paul Pacult is the same - a morning taster. For others it is different. For me, it's matter of picking out out a good spirit, then having a series of small or even half bowls of whatever appeals to me at the time. I have a series of drams and tobacco blends, sit out on my patio, watch the sun rise and simply mellow out (at a particularly hard time in my life especially, da'rum knows).

I much prefer these "small" bowls because it allow me to change spirit or tobacco at will, and I'm not committed to any one. It's like when Sue Sea and I used to try different spirits - one would remind us of another and we'd compare and contrast.


Question: how do you appreciate your piping - when, how and why? And interesting concept...

[Dai]

Again sorry to hear your having troubles. Have you tried a bantam bowl for your falcon?

http://www.gqtobaccos.com/falcon-bantam-small-bowls/

[Capn Jimbo]

No worries, mate...


...as hard as things are at the moment, they won't be for long, enough said for now. Your link to the Falcon "Bantam" (small) bowls was nice - very artful and attractive, esp. for me. I don't like long smokes, but much prefer a taste of this, a taste of that and these bowls are a lovely solution. Until I get one (I will), I find my current Falcon bowl is not all that large, and a nice half or two thirds bowl of tobacco is just right.

Thanks for the link - you ARE the Prince of good links...

[da'rum]

First off, wrong section Jimbo

I don't like huge tobacco chambers on my pipes but a middle to large is preferred most of the time. I did have your preference Jimbo and thought a small chamber was enough for me and after all, I can always pack a second...BUT....some tobacco's lend themselves to larger chambers especially non aromatics where the flavour is more subtle. We have talked before about the vaporization of compounds being part but not all of the process of a burning pipe and these compounds are mostly puffed but some stick and build with the layers of tobacco underneath. This is also apparent with cigars, the good ones changing and building as they burn down. In some of my blends the enjoyment factor over a longer smoke really grows as I notice the smoke building in complexity. Of course this also happens in Falcons and other smaller sized tobacco chambered pipes but needless to say to a lesser effect. I still smoke my falcon but find myself packing it with cube cut plug tobacco which burns slow and carries with it an unique and strong flavour.
Short smokes are nice but slowly sipping on a larger bowl of tobacco has it's pleasant rewards as well.

[Blade Rummer]

First off, wrong section Jimbo

Well, that explains it! Jimbo had me thinking he had taken to lighting his rum and drinking it out of a bowl

[da'rum]

a small bowl would be best in that case.