How do you smoke a pipe without using a million matches. I’ve tried and after every puff or two the fire goes out, so to speak and I have to relight and thus I end up with a pile of matches and a lot of frustration rather than enjoying the pipe. any suggestions?

practice especialy packing the pipe. It gets easy.

There’s a pipe-packing method called Frank’s Method that has always done me well: http://thepiperack.blogspot.com/2009/01/pipe-packing-frank-method.html Link to videos http://members.bellatlantic.net/~vze43wza/frank.html Text & photos This technique has many advantages, at least for me. When i started on a pipe, I tended to just sort of cram as much as I could in there, and the darned stuff never drew or burned properly.

My first advice to new pipesters is to let the tobacco dry some before packing. IMO, most tobaccos come all too wet for smoking – especially Samuel Gawiths. Spread a bowlful’s worth on a tissue or a piece of paper and let it dry until quite dry, but not yet crispy. If you live in a humid climate this obviously doesn’t work. Experiment and see what suits your tobacco and smoking style.

Here’s how I learned: Gravity fill the bowl, pack it down. Gravity fill it again, pack it down. That should give you about 3/4 of a bowl full. Don’t drag on it too hard, that will make the bowl get too hot and make it hot on your tongue, take even slow drags. I think it’s normal to relight a few times.

tried the frank method of pipe packing. The amazing thing isn’t how well it works which it does work well. What’s amazing is how easy it is to do and how little room for mess ups. I definatly say try it at least once. I think I understand the legendariness of it now.

me too Bob.I tried it and i will use it again and again…

Buy a Zippo Pipe Lighter, then you won’t waste matches! Do not pack the tobacco to tight, there must be room for air to flow through.

You don’t need fancy lighters, just practice. All in the packing and tamping occasionally as you smoke. Nothing more satisfying than a one match bowl! Prod. Poke. Fiddle. Get air to it. But not too much!

Well, fellows, I think I’ve managed it. Thanks for all your good advice. I just fill the bowl using the gravity method pack it lightly, fill again and pack it a little harder and then I smoke and the amazing thing is I don’t have a ton of match sticks in the rubbish bin. So far for a nice full pipe I’ve used 3 matches. I must say I’m very interested in getting some SG pipe tobacco but it’s damned hard to get a hold of. Any suggestions on where to get some online. Thanks again, friends.

@ pauljmuk Nothing fancy about a Zippo pipe lighter. Best 15 dollars I’ve ever spent. @saucy_jack Here ya go: http://www.marscigars.com/samuelgawith.aspx I recommend trying Full Virginia Flake, Chocolate Flake, and Squadron Leader.

I’m not slagging off zippo pipe lighters, I hear they are great, but I am of the view that it makes sense to learn packing and fiddling . The OP will be glad of it the day he is miles from home, zippo run out and limited matches in box!

Your right, there have been times when I was in that very situation. Out on a drive, forgot to refill lighter, only have a few matches. Definitely is useful to be able to get a pipe going under those conditions because stuff like that happens.

do most of you use filtered pipes or non-filtered pipes?

I have seven, all non filtered. Have owned scores of pipes in my life and never a filtered one.

The falcon pipe I have use bits of pipe cleaner rolled into a disk. I actualy use the filter in it about half the time. It really depends on the tobacco I’am smoking some of the aromatic blends that have a bit of a bite to them seem to smooth out nicely with the filter. Oddly the Brebbia allegro blend (mango vanilla) seems to actualy taste better if smoked quickly (compared to speed at which I smooke the other blends at least) expecialy if I use a filter when smoking it. Basicly the filter catches the moisture which seems to carry a lot of the heat and seems to really help a lot if you have trouble smoking coolely. Just my opnion haven’t really gotten much experience with filters.

first break the pipe in carefully …http://www.tobacco-pipes.net/break-tobacco-pipe I have also found that when you light it first, the tobacco swells up…then tamp it down and light it again…it will stay lit nicely after that. A little sprinkle of snuff on top is nice as well!!

^^^ +1 on the pinch of snuff placed after the tamp and before the second light

The only filter pipe I own is a Missouri Meerschaum. I bought one pack of filters and having used them up stopped using filters in it.

I have an old Dr. Grabow that I use filters in to smoke cavendish. It was my fathers pipe. He used to smoke Sir Walter Raleigh.

what’s the point in having more than one pipe? just to have more than one pipe or for different tobacco use?

I’ve always been told a pipe has to rest or they will get sour…that’s what I told my wife so as to have more pipes. (And for different types of tobacco too)

Jack I’ve got four pipes. Each one is diffrent. One is my cheap crappy pipe which is for hiking or camping. If I lose that pipe or it gets damaged not a big deal. I’ve got a briar almost churchwarden (it’s stem is briar and is almost a foot long) the pipe has a huge bowl so that one only comes out when I really want to spend four hours smoking a pipe. I’ve got my go too pipe a falcon with a meer lined bowl. Great pipe and durable enough. Then I’ve got a meer churchwarden my favorite but only for smoking on my porch because I don’t want to break it. Additonaly briars take on the flavour of the tobaccos you smoke. So only aromatics in my briar and only certain ones. hope that helps.

Also the different types of tobacco will smoke better in certain pipes. The fun part is matching a tobacco to a pipe. There are some basic recommendations as to what bowl size works better for certain cuts with certain packing styles. It can be as complicated as you want it to be, but it does not have to be. It’s all a matter of personal preference anyway. There are loads of information on the web to decipher, hints here, hints there. A very interesting and rewarding hobby really.

Don’t forget about corn cob pipes. They may seem silly, but are excellent smokers. I always toss the filter if it has one. They smoke cool and dry, and are cheap. Missouri Meershaums are very good, and they make some special models too.

hehe Well thanks to Saucy J and his initial question I’ve been reading through this thread and wondering myself… So I did indeed pick up a couple of cob pipes last night. Middeltons Half/Half just for something to try. Was a pleasant diversion with the evening beer. All the comments regarding filling and lighting etc. made that 1st bowl an extremely easy one. Gravity fill, charring match, lighting match. She told me I would banned from partaking indoors…

@Saucy Jack: That’s like asking whats the point in having more than one snuff. Besides all the reasons given above, there is also OCD.

Why do you buy more than one pipe? Because you can!! And you WILL love them all. I had 8 pipes, one for each day of the week and two for Sundays. And another 4 because a dozen sounds so nice.

I just got a Quiet Comrade pipe off of ebay and I really like it. It has some kind of cooling system thingee in the stem. It has a nice smooth smoke to it. I also got some of the Longbottom Leaf tobacco from Just For Him (hopefully it was okay of me to purchase there as I am female). Wow I really enjoy smoking the Longbottom out of the new pipe! I have only been using a pipe two or three times a week but it is very relaxing.

seems similar to the falcon which does smoke very cool.

I just realized that I haven’t had my pipe out for at least a couple of weeks. I better pack it up tonight for a nice long smoke. I’m thinking Squadron Leader…

You guys are always great! thanks for all the tips and the humor! lol