The Importance of the Sip

[da'rum]

I have stated before that I puff and puff like a steam train climbing K2 and that I like having my senses filled when smoking a tobacco. This is really the wrong way to approach a satisfying smoke for many reasons which I will try and cover here.

To begin it's detrimental to puff too hard because you create too much heat and kill flavour all the while building excess condensation resulting in unsmokable wet tobacco in the bottom of the bowl. The heat can, over time, damage your pipe and lesson the enjoyment.

Now here is the real reason to pull yourself (myself) together and sip. Flavour flavour flavour. When we smoke a pipe we are not just burning tobacco but also vaporising compounds underneath the glowing coal. These compounds are the lions share of the flavour. As these compounds vaporise they don't all get sucked into your mouth but cling to the tobacco underneath them therefore the flavour compounds compound. Building and building to what should be a crescendo of intermingling flavours at about 4/5 ths down the bowl.

This I have proven to myself on many occasion when I control my enthusiasm and put into practice the slow light sip. I have tobacco's here that I love and have thought to myself after sucking a bowl down in record time that they were losing their appeal. I would then wonder what is happening to my tobacco and question my storage methods or the manufacturers consistency. In my state of questioning I would inevitably pack a bowl and take my time with it just to discover that it was the idiot smoking it and nothing to do with the tobaccos quality.

Try yourself both ways and see if I'm talking out my ear (again).

Cheers

[Capn Jimbo]

...When we smoke a pipe we are not just burning tobacco but also vaporising compounds underneath the glowing coal. These compounds are the lions share of the flavour.

I hadn't thought of that. This is very similar to what Hass describes insofar as the glowing coals set on top of the Sisha tobacco in a hookah. Makes sense. Nice contribution...

[Dai]

Talking of sipping a bowl. How long does it take you to smoke a bowl on average. I only have three cobs legend, diplomat, country gentleman and it goes from 35 mins to 45/50 mins depending on pipe and tobacco. The legend 35 the other two 45/50. I wouldn't say I'm exactly rushing things 50 minutes smoking mac navy flake is ok by me.

[da'rum]

For cobs that's pretty much spot on as their open draw and smaller bowls lead to a quicker smoke. With my Meer which I smoke most of the time with bowl dimensions of 22 mm x 38/40 mm, it takes me an hour or a little over if I smoke it like it should be. If I go the big PUFF then about 50 mins.

Cobs are great pipes but take a lot of self control to not draw too hard on them, even just a little. Try really holding yourself back with your cob and go for the world record in slow smoking, I bet you notice a significant difference.