I think I may be drawing on my pipe too often. I draw at least once a minute. Is that too often? How often do you puff on it?
I enjoy it but I think I do a bowl to quickly.
I enjoy it but I think I do a bowl to quickly.
How often do you draw/puff on your pipe?
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That’s a good question. Once a minute seems like the pipe would go out a lot. Personally I think it’s less about how often you puff, but more how forcefully you puff. Once the pipe is going well I try to puff lightly, like blowing on a candle to move the flame but not blow it out. Next bowl I’ll try time myself.
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Thanks, that sounds like a good tip to try. I'll give it a shot the next bowl.
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- #4
I was just reading on another thread here that 30 even 45 minutes is common for someone to smoke a bowl. I could never make mine last that long. I definitely have to make some changes on how I smoke. I'd love to have it last at least 30 minutes.
I wouldn’t worry about other people’s smoking habits. If you get a nice satisfying smoke who cares? If you want longer smokes just get a bigger bowl
.No harm it trying different things of course. Instead of changing your smoking mechanics try packing a little more tobacco into the bowl.
Good advice from @Kentos. Some observations:
Slow smoking contest winners typically have a bowl last around an hour or over.
The contests usually use 3 grams as the amount of tobacco.
3 grams is a lot of tobacco when you pack it in an average (whatever that is) sized pipe.
Note: many smokers like the contests and techniques, I found it not all that enjoyable.
I typically don't' smoke 3 grams in a bowl, unless it is a particularly large bowl.
My average smoke is around 45 minutes, but I really don't have a target, I just pack the bowl and smoke.
The most important rule is there are no rules!
Enjoy!
Slow smoking contest winners typically have a bowl last around an hour or over.
The contests usually use 3 grams as the amount of tobacco.
3 grams is a lot of tobacco when you pack it in an average (whatever that is) sized pipe.
Note: many smokers like the contests and techniques, I found it not all that enjoyable.
I typically don't' smoke 3 grams in a bowl, unless it is a particularly large bowl.
My average smoke is around 45 minutes, but I really don't have a target, I just pack the bowl and smoke.
The most important rule is there are no rules!
Enjoy!
I'll never win a slow smoke contest nor is my packing method approved. Finding the proper cadence which works best for you requires time and repetition. Eventually you won't even think about it. Individual pipes also differ in smoking characteristics which is the reason all of mine which didn't possess my preferred smooth wide open draw are down the road. This process took years.
This. It’s not a time trial event.I wouldn’t worry about other people’s smoking habits. If you get a nice satisfying smoke who cares? If you want longer smokes just get a bigger bowl
No harm it trying different things of course. Instead of changing your smoking mechanics try packing a little more tobacco into the bowl.
Are you enjoying yourself and relaxing? That’s all that ultimately matters.
Watching the clock, and making sure you exactly followed the eleven packing steps you saw on Youtube, just drains all the joy out of it.
I puff pretty frequently I suppose and I do smoke a lot from when I get up to when I turn out the lights. Most of my pipes are mid-century and the chambers are 3/4”x 1/1/2” so I reload frequently and pack lightly. In general, pipe smokers just set into what pleases them at some point. There is no correct or incorrect way so long as you aren’t overheating the bowl and diminishing the flavor I suppose. Just try different approaches and you will eventually fall into your way of enjoying your smoke.
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What is the largest standard bowl size?
Nording have some huge bowls. An inch in diameter and almost 2” deep. Peterson have house pipes that are around .8 diameter and 2”+deep. If you go to SP and use their pipe locator you can plug in bowl diameters and depth, though it doesn’t always work.
What size are the pipes you smoke now?
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- #12
One of my pipes (Savinelli) bowl depth is 1.39 in/35.22 mm, inside diam .92 in/23.32 another (Peterson) is
bowl depth 1.67 in/42.42 mm, inside diam .83 in/21.08 mm.
So I guess the sum of one is 1.28 inches and the other is 1.39 inches. (inside diam X bowl depth).
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Those are decent sized bowls, but depending on the chamber shape depths can be deceiving. A conical chamber would hold less than a u-shape of course.
You can also try folding and stuffing flake tobacco as they burns much more slowly than rubbed out or ribbon cut.
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- #14
I could try folding and stuffing. I also took your advise and went to Peterson's and used their search option but they really didn't have anything much bigger than what I now have.
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They would be very large bowls for me. My larger ones, which I consider a "full" bowl, are nominally 20mm diameter x 35mm deep. My smaller ones, which I consider "half bowls" tend to be around 16mm (a couple are up to 18mm) x 30mm deep.
I might make 6 to 8 light draws a minute, interspersed with periods of maybe 30 or 40 seconds without a draw. I also frequently put it down for a few minutes, or even an hour or more, and relight when the urge takes me.
I consider myself to be all fouled up in regards to my smoking technique, so take this with a grain of salt. My draws are very light, think sipping a glass of neat bourbon.
I tend to take 3 draws that are progressively longer in length, but the same light pull. First a short draw exhaled through the mouth, then a longer draw exhaled through the nose, then a long draw exhaled through both mouth and nose. I probably do that once a minute or so, but I don't watch the clock. This method just feels natural to me.
A typical pipe, group 3 or your average Peterson bowl size (however you prefer to think of it), lasts me 45 minutes to an hour. A large pipe will last me an hour to an hour and a half. Those are the pipes I love. I smoke a lot of VA or Balkan blends and I get a ton of flavor out of those big bowls smoked slowly. Pipe tobacco is like BBQ for me. Slow and low is the ticket. I'd rather relight a bunch than miss the sugar in those virginias.
I tend to take 3 draws that are progressively longer in length, but the same light pull. First a short draw exhaled through the mouth, then a longer draw exhaled through the nose, then a long draw exhaled through both mouth and nose. I probably do that once a minute or so, but I don't watch the clock. This method just feels natural to me.
A typical pipe, group 3 or your average Peterson bowl size (however you prefer to think of it), lasts me 45 minutes to an hour. A large pipe will last me an hour to an hour and a half. Those are the pipes I love. I smoke a lot of VA or Balkan blends and I get a ton of flavor out of those big bowls smoked slowly. Pipe tobacco is like BBQ for me. Slow and low is the ticket. I'd rather relight a bunch than miss the sugar in those virginias.
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- #18
Apparently I've been puffing faster than I know. My smokes with average sized pipes, not the small-bowled ones, have been running around 25 minutes -- which is actually a good segment of time for me -- compared to the 30-40 some of you do. No idea how many draws or puffs I've been doing.
Recently, though, I began to experiment with the "breath [or "breathe"] method," inhaling air through my nose and puffing out smoke from my mouth and through the pipe a little more than before. So far it's resulted in cooler and somewhat longer smokes.
Recently, though, I began to experiment with the "breath [or "breathe"] method," inhaling air through my nose and puffing out smoke from my mouth and through the pipe a little more than before. So far it's resulted in cooler and somewhat longer smokes.
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- #20
My last bowl lasted me about 30 minutes. From what some of you guys wrote I guess I should be happy with that. I enjoyed it very much. Right now I do a bowl about every-other day. I'm enjoying smoking my pipes more now than ever before. In part thanks to this forum and all you guys that help out. Thanks again.
