Filling pipe tobacco is one of the common concerns among pipe users. Indeed, properly filling tobacco into the bowl and lighting it correctly can result in a satisfying smoke, aside from the inherent taste of the tobacco blends.
For instance, a chef pays special attention to the ingredients, their density, and the heat they receive while cooking to achieve satisfactory results. Pipe tobacco is no exception to this rule and demands the user’s complete attention. In this article, we’ll delve into the interpretation of this issue.
A. Types of Tobacco: Tobaccos come in various types, and identifying the type of tobacco being used is crucial for the consumer. For example, Virginia tobacco is very mild, burns softly, and has a somewhat sweet aroma, while Latakia tobacco has a smoky flavor and burns drier than other varieties. Virginia tobacco has a higher capacity for absorbing essence compared to the previous variety. Cavendish tobacco is a processed form of Virginia tobacco that, due to its drying and pressing process, has a higher capacity to absorb essence and is usually offered in the form of a ‘V’ cut. Therefore, if your tobacco of choice is Virginia (usually roll cut), expect less burning time. Soncees tobacco is a mixed type of Virginia that consumers can easily find.
Common types of pipe tobacco blends include:
- Burley
- Cavendish
- Dark Fired Kentucky
- Oriental
- Latakia
- Perique
- Turkish
- Virginia
Latakia tobaccos offer a unique flavor. The finest varieties of this tobacco come from Turkey and Syria, and due to its low tobacco power and poor ability to absorb essence, it is usually offered in its pure form or blended with specially processed tobaccos. Most Dunhill tobaccos and some blends from the Mac Baren company belong to this category. While you may not find the aroma of Latakia tobaccos pleasing, its quality and taste are similar to cigarette tobacco and have a high standard.
Different types of Cavendish usually have more essence, and because it needs to burn softly and with less flame, it’s cut into a ‘V’ shape.
The method of filling the above-mentioned tobaccos usually varies, and the consumer’s experience in using them is highly important.
B. Climate:
Climate is crucial in choosing tobacco for consumption. The warmer the weather, the lighter the tobacco should be. For example, during summer, most people prefer cold beverages, while during cold seasons, warm drinks are favored.
So, for warm seasons, use Cavendish tobaccos and Cavendish blends, and for cold seasons, you can have more variety and choose pure, Scottish, or English tobaccos. Also, remember that during warm seasons, the aroma of your tobacco will be more noticeable than in colder seasons. So, scented tobaccos help us receive fewer complaints from friends during the summer.
C. Fire:
Fire is the most important process in smoking a pipe. The fire should not be too intense or fast. Just like if a chef gives intense heat to cooking food, it will burn the aromatic elements and have an unpleasant taste and aroma. In Cavendish tobaccos, due to the presence of essence, we should have a softer fire so that the aroma and taste of the tobacco can be felt.
D. Tobacco Burning Time:
A standard pipe has at least 15 to 20 minutes of smoking time. Quick puffing on the tobacco while it burns can burn it and give it a very sharp taste. If quick puffing was an advantage in pipe smoking, all vacuum cleaners would be pipe smokers. So, use your pipe softly to have both a desirable and light smoke and a healthier pipe.
E. Tobacco Density in the Pipe:
The most important factor in pipe smoking is the density of the tobacco and how it is ignited. Do not overly compress your tobacco in the pipe; fill the pipe in a way that the bottom is less dense and the top is denser, so that as the tobacco burns, it falls downwards. If the tobacco is improperly compressed, the burnt tobacco will ignite again, resulting in harsh smoke. One sign of overfilling the pipe is when the smoker no longer gets any smoke from the pipe and finds a large amount of unburned tobacco after emptying it; this means they couldn’t break the burned tobacco and ignite the flame onto the unburned tobacco.
F. Pipe Smoking Time:
A pipe is not a cigarette, it has a different smoking method, which unfortunately many pipe enthusiasts don’t follow. One pipe can be used in one day. That means it should have interrupted smoking (2 minutes then 3 minutes then 1 minute, and so on). So, if you filled your pipe, you don’t have to use it continuously. This helps you to harm yourself less. Although some consumers complain about the bitterness of the tobacco after a few uses, it will become a habit after a few uses.
The three-stage method of filling pipe tobacco: One of the most popular and common methods of filling a pipe is the three-stage method. This method is very popular due to its historical background and still has its fans.
Why is the three-stage method popular? If your pipe is not well-shaped or the burning of the tobacco in the pipe has changed its shape, problems can be prevented. Also, the smoker has more control and supervision over the tobacco volume.
There have been many methods suggested for filling pipe tobacco (even the reverse three-stage method), it is worth mentioning that due to the experiential nature of pipe smoking, these methods are only within the realm of the consumer’s experience.
If you’re a new smoker, try to set the correct filling methods and the desired smoking time for your pipe and avoid buying and replacing new tobaccos.
G. Pipe:
The pipe is the main instrument for smoking tobacco. You can buy a cheap wooden pipe and enjoy smoking it as much as a Chinese plastic pipe. All Chinese pipes are wood-like in appearance, but they are all made of wood particles mixed with plastic. To test it, just drill into the wooden part, and you will see black smoke from the plastic, and the drill will turn black (as we see in plastic).
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