How to smoke a pipe?

You just purchased a new pipe? You are new to the art of pipe smoking and need a few tips to smoke correctly? This blog article therefore hits the prurpose as you will be able to serenely begin and benefit from our specialist's advice...

A proper preparation:

Unlike a classical cigarette, pipe requires more time. You have to calmly prepare and enjoy, which is a very different philosophy. Before smoking your pipe, here is what you need to have:

• a pipe (if you still do not have one, follow our recommendations to choose a pipe)
• pipe tobacco (if you still hesitate about which to choose, have a look at our guide of the different tobaccos and our recommendations)
• a pipe tamper (if you do not know which one you should take, check out our tips to choose a pipe tamper)
• a pipe lighter or matches

N.B.: to be sure to understand what follows, it is preferable to know the names of the different parts of a pipe. Discover the vocabulary and the anatomy of a pipe.

Claire, La Pipe Rit

Packing you pipe:

First step, you have to fill the bowl of your pipe with tobacco. In French, we call that "bourrer sa pipe".

The method to follow to fill your pipe:

To do this properly, start by crumbling a little bit of your tobacco. Indeed, some cuts are more or less rough. Obviously, bigger tobacco strands will have a more difficult time to burn. Be careful though, your tobacco should not be too dry or too humid or it will not burn properly.

Now, put your tobacco inside the bowl by taking successive small pinches. The easiest way to do so is by letting your small tobacco pinches "fall" in the tobacco chamber, without pressing. When the bowl is filled up to its top, you can press a little bit on the surface. You only have to press at the top so that there will be good air circulation. If a few strands try to escape, remove the excess with your fingers. Et voilà! It is perfect!

A little aside for a new pipe:

If you just purchased a new pipe, packing it will be a little bit more different (for the first 10 or 15 uses). You will have to gradually fill your pipe in order to allow the break-in process to happen. Then, it is advised to progressively increase the tobacco quantity until you build up a cake on the walls of the tobacco chamber, from top to bottom. In any case, please forget about a break-in process with alcohol... (unless you want to damage your pipe!).

What you have to know:

• You have to take your time when packing your pipe. When beginning, this might be complicated. However, with experience, you will not have any difficulty and will mechanically do it. Try the pipe draft before lighting up your pipe. If you find it too hard, fill your pipe again and repeat the process from the beginning. Practice makes perfect.
• A pipe that is packed too tight will prevent a good pipe draft. As a result, you will just want to inhale harder, which risks to overheat (and weaken) your pipe.
• A pipe that is packed too loose will result in an uneven combustion. You will therefore need to constantly light up your pipe that will go out too often.
• A pipe that is well packed will allow a good pipe draft. Once the bowl is filled, you need to have a small resistance when inhaling. It is important because inhaling too hard will generate a too hot bowl, a "stinging" feeling on the tongue, and even the formation of humidity (the syndrome of a gurgling pipe).

Lighting up your pipe:

Your pipe is ready, and so are you to light it up. Even if this could seem easy, it is worth remembering a few things.

Pipe lighter or matches?

The answer is: whichever you prefer. This will actually depend on where you are: if you are smoking outside (and it is windy), the pipe lighter might be more appropriate. on the contrary, if you are comfortably seated and watching a good movie, a match will be enough.

When it comes to pipe lighters, there are two schools: those who use a "classical" pipe lighter (with the risk of burning your fingers), and those who choose a pipe lighter specifically made for pipes. When talking about a "special pipe lighter", you have to understand that this type of lighter allows you to light up your pipe easily. Indeed, the flame is directed "horizontally" and stays like that even if you incline the pipe lighter. It is therefore convenient to aim for the inside of the bowl and not to burn your fingers. We advise you not to use a petrol lighter (like a Zippo for example, because the taste of petrol can be unpleasant when lighting your pipe up) or storm, torch lighters (because the flame is too hot and may damage the briar at the top of the bowl)... The ideal is to get a gas lighter (refillable of course) specifically designed for pipes.

3, 2, 1, ignition:

OK... You have chosen your favorite tool. Now, to light up your pipe, put it in your mouth and bring the flame near the bowl of the pipe. Try to ignite all the surface of the tobacco (so that the combustion is even) while gently inhaling in the stem. For the first ignition, you will see that (and it is absolutely normal) the tobacco will kind of "swell", and it is quite possible that your pipe will go out. Level the surface with your pipe tamper (please be gentle with it: the only weight of the pipe tamper is almost enough to tamp the tobacco, there is therefore no need to press too much, or it might completely smother your pipe) and light it up a second time. After a few puffs, your pipe will be properly lighted up. It is ready to let you enjoy your tobacco for a good amount of time.

What you have to know:

• Lighting up your pipe a few times is not abnormal. Even the most experienced smokers wear out their pipe lighter from time to time. Unless if you are in the middle of a pipe smoking competition! There, you do not have the right to light it up again. If your pipe has been out for a few hours (or a few days) already, it is sometimes necessary to remove a little bit of ashes at the top of the bowl before lighting it up again.
• A pipe with a narrow and deep bowl is what is best for an even combustion. On the contrary, a pipe with a wide (or oval shaped) bowl will make the combustion less easy.
• Apart from a few Turkish creations (famous meerschaum pipes), almost all the pipes are made from briar roots. Try not to let the flame of your lighter stay on the wood for a long period of time, or you might damage your pipe.
• If you already have a gas lighter, here are a few techniques to master the refilling of your lighter.

Smoking your pipe:

Gently inhale:

Taking your time and inhaling small spaced puffs, this must be the secret. We have already said it many times in different blog articles, but smoking a pipe is synonymous with calm and relaxation. You have to find the right pace: inhale slowly to regulate the combustion (and avoid letting your pipe go out) BUT do not inhale too hard not to let your pipe overheat. To get an even combustion, you will have to moderate your pipe draft. You will also need your pipe tamper. From time to time, it is necessary to equalize the surface to allow all the tobacco strands to burn. By using your pipe tamper, you will bring together the incandescent strands with their neighbors below.

Here is a tip you will find nowhere but that is very important to me... To soften the smoke even more, you can simultaneously inhale a little bit of fresh air. The mix between the smoke and ambient air will allow a softer result. Many smokers do this mechanically without thinking about it, but it is a good technique for those who find their tobacco too strong for their taste.

Jean, La Pipe Rit

How long does a pipe last?

We have been often asked that question, but there is no precise answer. It depends on the size of the bowl of your pipe. Some pipes have an extremely small bowl, whereas others actually have a big bowl to smoke longer. Pipe smoking can last between 3 minutes and 3 hours! Yes, the gap is big!

Enjoy your tobacco:

Relax and enjoy... The smoke of a pipe is enjoyed when in mouth. You do not let the smoke go down to your lungs. Unlike cigarettes, you have to puff (like you would do with a cigar). The smoke is not inhaled or swallowed, it is enjoyed between the nose and the palate. You will therefore be able to feel all the aromas of your tobacco.

How can you become an excellent pipe smoker? Here are the 10 commandments for a pipe smoker to follow to become a professional :-) Joking aside, there are as many ways to smoke a pipe as pipe smokers.

Bastien, La Pipe Rit

What you have to know:

• It is usually advised to consume tobacco to the last strand. Of course, when packing your tobacco, you do not necessarily have to completely fill the bowl of your pipe with tobacco. If you want to smoke for a short period of time, you will want to put a little bit of tobacco at the bottom of the bowl. Indeed, if you only smoke the "upper part" of the bowl, the break-in process will build up a cake thicker at the top of the bowl than at the bottom. Over time, this might bother you when packing your tobacco.
• If your pipe begins to overheat (you feel an increasing heat in the palm of your hand), leave it to rest. It will cool down and you will be able to use it a few minutes after without damaging it (indeed: wood will not withstand 250°C!).

After you have smoked:

All good things must come to an end! You just finished smoking your pipe and greatly appreciated this moment of calm...

Empty the bowl:

Ashes should be left at the bottom of the bowl, as well as one or two tobacco strands too. To empty the leftover ashes and tobacco, use the spoon of your pipe tamper. Be careful not to scrape the crust (actually, the "cake"). This carbon layer will protect the briar. We actually say that it is thanks to that crust that we can recognize a good pipe smoker. Finally, you can tap on the bottom of the bowl in the palm of your hand to perfectly empty your pipe. Of course, do not hit your pipe against a hard object, or you might remove all the finish and damage your pipe. (It is actually for this reason that there are special ashtrays for pipes: they are all equipped with a cork half-ball not to damage your pipe).

Be careful, a meerschaum pipe (or a pipe with a meerschaum lining inside the tobacco chamber) does not have any carbon crust. When you empty the bowl, be careful not to scrape the meerschaum. The latter is indeed heatproof but also very fragile to attack from your pipe tamper.

Jean, La Pipe Rit

Cleaning your pipe:

The bowl is empty. Now let's move on... Be sure that your pipe is completely cold. Materials (briar shank VS plastic stem) expand differently under the effect of heat. You have to wait for the pipe to be completely cold before disassembling it or you might break the shank. To disassemble the stem, remove it as if it was screwed to the shank of the pipe. With a hand on the shank (as close as possible to the stem) and the other one on the stem (as close as possible to the shank) is the best way to do it. To put it back, do exactly the same by turning the stem on itself, always in the same direction.

Your pipe is equipped with a filter? Then you should be even more careful when cleaning your pipe.

• If there is a metal filter (the most common system), you will have to clean it from time to time. Rinse it with water, then wipe off the remaining water and put the filter back in the pipe, this will be enough.
• If there is a 9mm filter, you will have to regularly change it. Every 3 pipes is a good frequency to replace it. You are free to do it whenever you want and keep it more or less, depending on how you smoke. However, the newer it is, the more efficient it will be!
• If you have a balsa or paper filter, or a Falcon/Tsuge filter, we advise you to change it even more regularly. The ideal frequency would be every time you smoke for maximum efficiency.

Your pipe is disassembled. You are going to clean the inside of your pipe (shank and stem) with the help of a pipe cleaner (specifically adapted to your pipe). By doing a back and forth movement, you will therefore remove the accumulation of tar. At La Pipe Rit, we advise you to use first a hard-bristled pipe cleaner that will remove most of the tar. Then you can finish with a softer pipe cleaner made of cotton. We actually wrote a special blog article dedicated to those who wish to know how to clean a pipe.

On the Internet or in pipe clubs, we often say that you have to leave a pipe cleaner inside the stem when your pipe cleaning is over. At La Pipe Rit, we advise you to do so because if you leave a pipe cleaner for a long period of time in the stem of your pipe, humidity will be trapped inside. Using your pipe cleaner normally will already be enough. Do as many back and forth movements as you need to absorb the leftover humidity (created because of the smoke), and the result will be there: your pipe is clean.

Jean, La Pipe Rit

Finally, we advise you to store your pipe with its head "upside down". To do so, you will find many specific pipe stands. Of course, if you have several pipes, opt for a pipe stand with multiple seats for your pipes.

Already looking forward to smoking again?

It is possible that you have a few pipes. You just have to set up a turnover. While the first one is resting, use another one, and so on. This will allow you to smoke whenever you want without ever risking traumatising the pipe you just used. Easier said than done! We know well that setting up a turnover is almost impossible. We all have a favorite pipe. We smoke it while others sleep in the cupboard. Having many pipes in your collection is however the best way to alternate your pipes but in truth, we use the same pipe everyday.

Do not hesitate to contact us by mail or by phone: we will be able to advise you and help you find the pipe that suits you best!