Alright guys, I am giving the pipe thing a go again...after all, April is Pipe Month!!...but I have a few questions that are buring (
) inside that I need to ask, so I can enjoy it more:
1. Maybe stupid, but what does a "non-carbonized" bowl mean? Is it that it hasn't been smoked yet?
2. I cannot tell if my baccy is the right RH...what is it supposed to be? and is there a method, other than a hygrometer, that you can use to tell if it is right (like a feel or something)
3. Am I packing my bowl too tight or too lose...Here is why I ask...I am not getting much smoke production out of it? I use the 3-2-1 (thanks Moo!) method, but I'm not sure if it is packed correctly. I light all over, tamp, light again...but then about 45 seconds to a minute later, when I draw, i do not get the "full mouth" feel of smoke anymore, and when I blow it out, it is very little smoke. Am I expecting too much from smoking cigars? I see pictures of people smoking pipes and it looks like they are getting a lot of smoke...I want that! I also have some troubles with keeping it lit, I mean, if I don't puff like every 45 seconds it is out for sure...could this be because it is packed too loosely?
3.a. So could it be that the baccy is too dry/wet, packed too loosely...I am 100% sure it is not being packed too tight.
4. Recommendations for a newb pipe smoker that loves a med/med-full Nicaraguan cigar, and doesn't want tongue bite.
Sorry if that was lengthy, just trying to get it figured out so I can relax with a bowl as easily as I do with a stick, and enjoy the change of pace that pipes give.
Thanks all!