How To Smoke A Tobacco Pipe
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Tobacco is a common name for any product prepared from the cured leaves of the tobacco plant. It contains nicotine contents, and this factor can influence its flavor and taste. Dried tobacco leaves are used for smoking in cigarettes, cigars, pipes, and shishas.
Curing tobacco leaves is a process of slowly oxidizing and degrading carotenoids in tobacco leaves, resulting in an aromatic flavor that contributes to the smoothness of the smoke. The methods of curing tobacco are:
- Air curing: This involves hanging the tobacco leaves in a well-ventilated area for a period of 4-8weeks.
- Fire curing: Involves hanging the tobacco leaves where hardwood fires are at continuous and low smolder for about 3days to 10weeks.
- Flue curing: Similar to fire curing but involves using flues in place of hardwood for one week.
- Sun curing: Here, the tobacco dries uncovered in the sun.
Many people consider smoking tobacco with a pipe similar to cigarette smoking. Well, they are different. Yes, both are products of tobacco, but one involves applying a distinct pattern for satisfaction. This article highlights the steps on how to smoke a tobacco pipe properly and every other thing you need to know about tobacco pipes.
How To Smoke A Tobacco Pipe
Before going into details on the guidelines to follow when smoking a tobacco pipe, there are certain terminologies to be explained and tools needed when preparing a tobacco pipe.
- Puffing: The act of puffing or drawing is similar to sucking on a straw. This requires control because drawing the pipe too hard may affect the experience causing the tobacco to overheat, burning the tongue.
Tools Needed When Smoking A Tobacco Pipe
These are the tools needed to ensure the best smoking experience with a tobacco pipe:
1. A pipe
This is the most obvious supply needed because they tend to keep tobacco flavor, and these pipes come in various shapes, forms, and prices.
Corn pipes, also known as corncob pipes, are better suited for beginners because they are made from corncobs and are cheap and effective.
These pipes do not require a “break-in” period like the other pipes.
2. Pipe tool
This consists of different gadgets found in the form of a three-in-one tool made up of a pick, a reamer, and a tamper that aids in packing, smoking, and emptying the pipe.
The pick is a narrow pin used to clear the shank of debris and aerate tightly packed tobacco, but not for scraping. The reamer is used to scrape ash and unused tobacco off the sides and bottom of your pipe, and it is flat-spoon shaped. The tamper is a blunt instrument shaped like a nail top, used for tamping down the tobacco when packing the bowl and crushing the ash to aid relighting.
3. Pipe cleaners
Must be used each time you finish smoking a pipe.
4. Lighter
When smoking pipes, specially designed lighters are made for this purpose as these lighters offer a softer flame that covers a broader area jetting from the side of the lighter. This design makes it easier to angle the flame to your pipe without burning your fingers.
5. Tobacco
This is the most crucial supply needed to smoke a tobacco pipe. Using the advice of a tobacconist to know which flavor is suitable and best for a beginner. A tobacconist can be the person who sells tobacco.
Tips Before Smoking A Tobacco Pipe
1. Packing the Pipe
Gradually fill the bowl loosely with tobacco by lightly pressing it down using the tamper tool. When the bowl is filled halfway from the bottom, fill it again to the top while compressing it slightly, ensuring it is firmly packed.
When the bowl is about three-quarters away from the top, compress a bit and add more tobacco to fill the bowl, ensuring there is small space between the bowl top and the tobacco.
2. Test Drawing
Place the filled pipe in your mouth and test draw. If free air does not flow between the tobacco, then the tobacco is tightly packed. If this happens, repeat the packing process above and test draw until air flows freely through the tobacco.
3. Lighting the pipe
Do not use matches as the sulfur present can alter the tobacco’s taste. Instead, ensure to use a pipe lighter and aim the flame at the bowl while gently drawing on the pipe. To evenly light the tobacco, move the lighter’s flame in a circular motion around the bowl. Once the tobacco is lit, allow it to go off as this light is known as the false light.
After the false light is off, relight the tobacco to obtain the second light, known as the true light.
4. Enjoy the experience
Pipe smoking is different from cigarette smoking. To avoid inhaling the tobacco smoke into your lungs, suck and allow the smoke to circulate in your mouth before releasing it.
This will enable you to enjoy the flavor more as tobacco smoke is stronger and is better enjoyed for the flavor. Always remember to take slow and steady puffs.
How To Puff And The Pace of Smoking
- How to Puff: Pipe smoke should never be inhaled. Instead, it should be enjoyed for the flavor by gently and slowly sucking or drawing on the pipe. Avoid clenching the pipe using your teeth as this causes saliva to flow into the pipe’s stem resulting in gurgling.
- Smoking pace: Puffing too often causes the tobacco to burn quickly, resulting in tongue bites. It also results in the premature end of the smoke, as a regular smoke pipe should for an average of 20-40minutes. Likewise, puffing too slow results in the pipe going out more often than usual, which can be very frustrating.
Relighting And Stoking Your Pipe
- The process of relighting a pipe is the same as lighting a pipe. Avoid placing the flame directly on the tobacco as it causes the tobacco to burn too fast. If your pipe goes out too often, recheck the filling.
- Stoking is the process of refilling the pipe before it goes out. It involves pressing your index and middle fingers over the bowl while taking a few puffs or using the pick to poke and keep it lit.
Bottom Line
In general, Smoking on a tobacco pipe is different from smoking on a cigarette. Smoking on a pipe requires knowledge to avoid causing harm to oneself. Luckily, this article contains all the information needed to properly smoke a tobacco pipe and avoid burning the tongue or any part of the mouth.
It is important to understand that smoking a tobacco pipe is enjoyed for the experience. Therefore, practice puffing techniques on a tobacco pipe because it is almost impossible to get the exact puff speed on the first try.
Dan Stevenson
I have been smoking cigars for 30 years and counting, I started at 18 years old with mild Cubans and worked my way up to medium and now bold. I own 4 humidors, that I try to keep stocked at all times.
