New Pipe Smoker With A Question? Ask an Old Fart

[Mister Moo]

Attention new pipe smokers!

All pipe and tobacco questions answered.
All pipe and tobacco problems solved.

Terms of Service: to ask you have to have a serious question; to reply you must have a minimum two years pipe smoking experience. (No snob zone.) There are no stupid questions. Nobody can beat someone with a "Use the search funtion" lead pipe. There will be no rude replies no matter how many times your question has been asked - nosir, not in THIS thread. Maybe a little tiny bit of sarcasm though, just to keep it interesting.

Bring it on.

[Mister Moo]

Somebody better ask a question pretty darn soon.

Old farts don't live forever.

[schnell987]

OK, I'll go first....

1) Is it really necessary to rest the pipe for a day or two to let it "dry out" before using it again? If you don't do this, what will happen?

2) Do you need to have a separate pipe(s) for aromatic tobaccos or can you scrape the bowl to get the ash off and then smoke the Virginia or English tobaccos without the aromatic flavor bleeding over?

Thanks in advance for your input.

Kevin

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by schnell987

OK, I'll go first....

1) Is it really necessary to rest the pipe for a day or two to let it "dry out" before using it again? If you don't do this, what will happen?

2) Do you need to have a separate pipe(s) for aromatic tobaccos or can you scrape the bowl to get the ash off and then smoke the Virginia or English tobaccos without the aromatic flavor bleeding over?

Thanks in advance for your input.

Kevin

Great questions, Kevin - I have no idea.



Next.



jk.

Dry time. No real dry time for cobs or meers - just let them cool down between scraping/tapping and a refill. Excellent road pipes; one will do for a week. Briar holds moisture and, smoke after smoke, it'll maybe get swampy down there. The swamp gets soggier and soggier, bowl after bowl, and makes for a wet, (steam) hot smoke. Old guys say one pipe gets one smome per week; other old guys say smoke a pipe a couple of times in a day and put it up for a while; and everyones grandfather only had one beat-to-snot old Dr. Grabow they carried eveywhere and smoked 11-teen times/day. I'm an old guy and I don't remember what I had for breakfast yesterday but I do remember how many smokes a certain briar needed before it last got put up to dry out. You can't rely on a bunch of effin' old guys - smoke your briar a few times and look down into it with a flashlight - you can tell when it's wet by looking (or by smoking). I'll smoke dryish tobac 1-3 times/day in the same pipe and come back to it after a while. Mostly 1-2. Three in a day means I got desperate for some reason.

Ghosting. Bet your ass pipes ghost but when you're new to pipes it's hard to tell what's what. Tell you what - what do you care what anyone else thinks? Smoke what you like in whatever pipe you want. Sooner or later you'll figure out what ghosts in what pipes (and what doesn't). Or - basically consider a meer for anything, any time. A cob is good for aromatics, virginnies and burlies. A briar? Once you get latakia stink in most briars it'll dash a wonderful, piquant, nuanced virginia/perique all to pieces. Different folks have different ideas about what is good and bad for briar - I start a (new to me) briar on virginia or virginia burley. After 20-30 1/2 bowl smokes, if it drools or gets too hot I'll decide, ok, "Now you're an english or burley blended pipe."

If you take a favored virginia pipe to aromatics and then back to virginia, you'll figure out the ghost soon enough. WTH? Ghost can be banished with salt and Everclear in 24 hours. In the end, no bad ghosts - only learning experiences.

[schnell987]

Terrific responses, thank you!

Originally Posted by Mister Moo

A briar? Once you get latakia stink in most briars it'll dash a wonderful, piquant, nuanced virginia/perique all to pieces.

Ghost can be banished with salt and Everclear in 24 hours. In the end, no bad ghosts - only learning experiences.

So I am wondering about lat ghosts in my briars. I had smoked English blends (some up to 50% lat) in all my pipes, but I've only been smoking pipes about two months. Somewhere around month-one I realized what I was doing and dedicated two pipes to lat-heavy blends and sequestered the other two - one for VA's and one for VA/Pers. Since I'm still new to pipes, they could have lat-stink in them and I simply don't realize it yet because I don't know any better.

I guess my question is how fast does a lat ghost take hold? Will four bowls of English baccy do it? Will it go away after a few bowls of VA, or is it time to bust out the alcohol?

[tedrodgerscpa]

I have a question for an old fart...

What's the best way to prep flake tobacco for smoking?

Not sure that 'flake' is the best way to describe it, but I'm talking about something that looks like this...



disclaimer: picture ruthlessly stolen from the internet

I do O.K. with the "Cake" style, but these big ol' flakes confuse me a bit!

[Mister Moo]

Note: terms of thread to be an old fart with a reply are:

"you must have a minimum two years pipe smoking experience."

This is not complicated. You know who you are, Scott.

ps - nothing says your old-fart answers have to be right, either. This thread is strictly "caveat emptor".

[dunng]

What's the best way to get started? Cheap starter pipes? Basic tobacco? Necessary tools? Thanks!

Greg (A.K.A Reformed Poddie)

[Neuromancer]

Originally Posted by schnell987

OK, I'll go first....

1) Is it really necessary to rest the pipe for a day or two to let it "dry out" before using it again? If you don't do this, what will happen?

2) Do you need to have a separate pipe(s) for aromatic tobaccos or can you scrape the bowl to get the ash off and then smoke the Virginia or English tobaccos without the aromatic flavor bleeding over?

Thanks in advance for your input.

Kevin

Number one was well answered...just a quick thought on your second question...you DO NOT want to scrape off the carbon that your bowl will begin filling with...that's cake and that's good as long as it's not too thick...if it gets to be about the thickness of a nickel use a reamer to take it back down to the thickness of a dime...that cake will help cool the smoke and will greatly reduce tongue bite (as will smoking slowly)...your pipe should always be almost on the verge of going out more or less...and if you have to relight a few times it's no biggie..btw, I have my pipes separated into three categories...one for English/Balkan mixtures, one for aromatics and one for Virginia's and Va/Pers...

Originally Posted by tedrodgerscpa

I have a question for an old fart...

What's the best way to prep flake tobacco for smoking?

Not sure that 'flake' is the best way to describe it, but I'm talking about something that looks like this...

I do O.K. with the "Cake" style, but these big ol' flakes confuse me a bit!

Flake...fold it length-wise first then width-wise and stuff it in..that's basically it...I find flake smokes better in pipes with narrower chambers that take about one flake...and you need to leave a little room in the bowl as flake will expand...or you can take a flake and ball it up in between your palms and rub it out so it's more ribbon like and then use any filling method you normally use...

Originally Posted by dunng

What's the best way to get started? Cheap starter pipes? Basic tobacco? Necessary tools? Thanks!

Greg (A.K.A Reformed Poddie)

Corncob pipe, Czech pipe tool, pipe cleaners and maybe a simple burley that won't bite too much...stay away from gloppy drugstore aromatics like Cherry Blend as they're loaded with PG solution to keep them moist and bite like hell...other drugstore stuff like Prince Albert may be a good starting point...

[Slow Triathlete]

Originally Posted by petewho

So I am wondering about lat ghosts in my briars. I had smoked English blends (some up to 50% lat) in all my pipes, but I've only been smoking pipes about two months. Somewhere around month-one I realized what I was doing and dedicated two pipes to lat-heavy blends and sequestered the other two - one for VA's and one for VA/Pers. Since I'm still new to pipes, they could have lat-stink in them and I simply don't realize it yet because I don't know any better.

I guess my question is how fast does a lat ghost take hold? Will four bowls of English baccy do it? Will it go away after a few bowls of VA, or is it time to bust out the alcohol?

Lat stink takes hold pretty fast if you ask me. It will eventually go away but it also depends on how long and how much you smoked in that pipe. It's always nice to start off a new blend genre with a clean pipe (salt & alcohol treatment) but it's not 100% necessary. Your Virginia blends might just taste and smell a little funky for the first several bowls.

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by Slow Triathlete

Lat stink takes hold pretty fast if you ask me. It will eventually go away but it also depends on how long and how much you smoked in that pipe. It's always nice to start off a new blend genre with a clean pipe (salt & alcohol treatment) but it's not 100% necessary. Your Virginia blends might just taste and smell a little funky for the first several bowls.

Pretty much the kind of advice I'd expect from an old fart. Bravo.

[dunng]

Originally Posted by Neuromancer

Corncob pipe, Czech pipe tool, pipe cleaners and maybe a simple burley that won't bite too much...stay away from gloppy drugstore aromatics like Cherry Blend as they're loaded with PG solution to keep them moist and bite like hell...other drugstore stuff like Prince Albert may be a good starting point...

Thanks!

[schnell987]

The wise old farts have stated that: "Ghost can be banished with salt and Everclear in 24 hours."

Could you explain how to do this process?

Thanks in advance.

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by schnell987

The wise old farts have stated that: "Ghost can be banished with salt and Everclear in 24 hours."

Could you explain how to do this process?

Thanks in advance.

Precise methods vary. Mine:
1. remove and clean stem with bristle and booze
2. put a fluffy pipecleaner down the shank and into the bowl; bend the protruding end upward with an eye to preventing wicking booze from touching the shanks finish
3. secure the briar, tipped, to level out the end of the shank and and bowl lip
4. fill bowl with coarse deiodized (kosher) salt (alternatively, a cotton ball or two)
5. add Everclear to bowl, slowly and carefully to prevent a finish-stripping overflow or popped bubble, with an eyedropper; some folks like to use rum, bourbon, scotch, 91% rubbing alcohol etc.
6. STOP adding Everclear before the bowl (or shank) overfills
7. watch salt turn brown and watch alky and grunge wick up the pipecleaner over hours
8. when dried out, maybe add some more Everclear or remove/replace dirty pipe cleaner and salt; repeat until all is clean/sweet - once or twice usually does it.

All this jazz and more is discussed in the ASP FAQ, too. Excellent resource. You can now cross-check the ASP experts against the CA Old Farts for total pipe security. In fact, without being an Old Fart yourself you can now deodorize your briar, read the ASP FAQ and consider yourself fully qualified to refer other people to the FAQ for very good information. Congratulations.

Now go do a photo essay, clean your pipe and stop bothering me.

[Sr Mike]

Originally Posted by tedrodgerscpa

I have a question for an old fart...

What's the best way to prep flake tobacco for smoking?

Not sure that 'flake' is the best way to describe it, but I'm talking about something that looks like this...



disclaimer: picture ruthlessly stolen from the internet

I do O.K. with the "Cake" style, but these big ol' flakes confuse me a bit!

There are a few different ways to work with flake tobacco. From my experience, folding flake over on itself and then filling the bowl is easy to start out with, but it can be a bit difficult to light or keep lit. So to aid the start, I will take a bit of extra flake and rub it between my palm and first two fingers until the flake is broken up and shag looking. Setting this shag on the top of the bowl, it lights up easily and gets the flake burning nicely. I have found that smoking flake folded over on itself will burn for a much longer duration than a bowl of loose tobacco. Tamping will be a bit different as the flake really does not tamp like loose tobacco and pack, gentle tamping at first so not to put out the ember, practice is the best way to learn with flake.

Another method it to rub the flake in the palm so it is more ribbon like, or if you really want to get a lot into the bowl, the flake can be rubbed into all shag and packed into the bowl like loose tobacco. Rubbed out flake used by a lot of new smokers, this will give the new flake smoker an idea of how flake tobacco feels when tamped without getting over zealous and put out the ember. The first time I smoked flake I remember thinking the tobacco was not packing down and just crunching.

IMHO, I personally like flake to be folded on itself for smoking rather than rubbed out. I have found that just taking the time to learn to smoke flake in this manner makes the flake far more enjoyable. I tend too think that companies nowadays layer tobacco to be smoked folded over, this gives the smoker the taste of all the layered tobacco at the same time. I could be wrong as flake was originally used as a way to store tobacco.

I have read that one can cut up the flake into smaller pieces, with a knife or scissors, and fill the bowl with what was cut. I have not tried this method so I cannot accurately give any advice with this method.

Try both methods, you may notice a difference between the two methods with one tin of flake. Also, remember that flake tobacco can have more moisture than loose tobacco, so a flake from a new tin will most likely need to be allowed to dry before smoking.

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by Sr Mike

...I have found that just taking the time to learn to smoke flake in this manner makes the flake far more enjoyable. ... remember that flake tobacco can have more moisture than loose tobacco, so a flake from a new tin will most likely need to be allowed to dry before smoking.

I really botched my first few rounds with various flakes (and pressed cakes like Krumble Kake and Penzance in particular) and it scared me off for a while. I had no sense for the expansion that occurs with many flakes and ended up with very uneven burns and plugged bowls; as air blockage developed I would suck harder, try using the needle-tool to open up airflow and keep trying to relight - worn out tongue and overall bad experience. Very frustrating.

What Sr Mike says - take the time to figure it out. Great stuff out there in Flakeville. Fold it, break it, rub it out, whatever - just don't PACK it into a bowl - let it breath easy and then tamp (gently) if you must, to keep it burning evenly. What Sr Mike says about a sprinkle of crumbs atop is a key to getting an easy, even burn going with many flakes.

(And, speaking as a highly qualified Old Fart, I think from the foto that ted'pa is trying to smoke dried corned beef, but WTH. Whatever. Kids? Who can understand 'em?)

[Mister Moo]

Next.

[BigFrank]

Is it necessary to clean a pipe in between every smoke?
Could you smoke a few times before cleaning it?
Should the pipe be cleaned before being put away?

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by BigFrank

Is it necessary to clean a pipe in between every smoke?
Could you smoke a few times before cleaning it?
Should the pipe be cleaned before being put away?

Different strokes, B'ank. Some are more antiseptic than others.

Personally, I like to put a pipe back up clean. I'll always spit-clean the pipe rim with a paper napkin from the heap of boosted fast-food restaurant collection napkins; a swipe or two with a bristle and/or a fluffy pipe cleaner and a bent pipecleaner swipe of the bowl to remove and remaining tobacco chunks, unburned leaf (if any) and loose ash. The, last but not least, a hard puff to blow out remaining ashy powder. I rarely put a pipe away without a modest cleaning.

Others say... ?