Learning to smoke a pipe can be intimidating, especially if you don't know anyone who can show you. But fear not, it's not difficult: But like anything that's worth doing, please practice to puff a pipe perfectly! There are many techniques you can learn to improve your smoking as well as the taste of your pipe and tobacco. But if you're just starting out and anxious to get going, here's a quick tutorial on smoking for the first time.

Packy the tobaccy

Packing the tobacco properly is very important for a good, consistent smoke. Here's an excellent method:

1. Trickle the tobacco into the bowl until just overfull. Pack down lightly to half-way point.
2. Repeat first step, pressing slightly harder until 2/3 full.
3. Finally, overfill again pressing a bit more firmly.

To test it, press down with your finger. The tobacco should be slightly springy to the touch. If not, empty and try again.

Trial by fire

The key to a good smoke is making sure all the tobacco is evenly lit. Wooden matches are ideal.

1. While puffing gently, move the match in slow circles over the tobacco. The tobacco will curl and blacken. Keep at it until the match goes out and then stop puffing. This is the charring light.
2. Using your tamper, press the raised tobacco down very gently until level.
3. Repeat the first step, puffing gently (be sure to light the edges).
4. The pipe should now be lit. Smoke away. (If not, repeat steps.)

Puffing pointers

If you smoke too slow, the tobacco won't stay lit. Too fast, and the pipe will get too hot, your tongue with get burnt and the tobacco will taste bad. Someone once said the ideal pace is when the tobacco is always about to go out. Practice is the key. The bowl should always be cool enough to press against your cheek. If not, take a break and relight.

The tobacco will go out occasionally in the normal course of smoking. No problem. To relight, repeat steps 2 and 3 under Trial by Fire. If your pipe starts to gurgle, try running a pipe cleaner into the stem to absorb moisture.

After-smoke pipe chores

It's best to clean your pipe immediately after smoking. Here's my method:

1. Empty the tobacco from the pipe using your pipe tool. (You can also knock the pipe bowl gently against your palm, but not a hard surface.) Blow through the airhole.
   
2. Insert a pipe cleaner into stem and leave it until the pipe has cooled.
3. After pipe is fully cooled, take out cleaner and discard. Remove stem. (Never do this when the pipe is warm or it will loosen over time.)
4. Using a new cleaner, run it through the stem several times. Bend it in half and clean out the shank.

The last word

You shouldn't smoke the same pipe too often if you can help it (i.e. more than once a day if you only have one): It needs to "rest" (dry) or it will eventually turn sour. Over time, a cake will also build on the inside of the bowl. This is a good thing because it will absorb moisture and tars, improving the smoke. After several smokes you may want to use a pipe sweetener to "refresh" your pipe.

I highly recommend that you eventually take the time to learn proper care, maintenance and smoking techniques in greater depth if you plan to make it a hobby (habit?). The pipe FAQ is an excellent resource for this.

Readers have left 9 comments.

 No.9  mr

hi i seem to be getting a bad taste from my pipe can any one help please i even take my time but it still tastes the same

james king (Unregistered) • 2010-05-22 17:40:15

 No.8  right pipe

Alright so here goes. On a trip to Europe, I was turned on to pipe smoking. While there, I picked up a Jean Claude pipe for about 30 euro($45). I smoked this pipe and loved it so much that I've really kinda gotten interested in the habit. After returning home, I went to a local tobacconist and purchased a Fero pipe for about $30 bucks. The problem is that this Fero smokes nothing like the pipe I bought in Europe. It tastes almost chemically and smells sourish, again nothing like the smell I get from the jean claude. I relize after looking at countless websites that all pipes don't smoke the same but i really want a pipe that will allow me to get the most taste out of the tobacco. Being a newbie, I tend to like the aromatic blends. I guess what im saying is, at around $50 a pipe, I cant really afford the trial and error approach. I dont want to be turned off by selecting poor smoking pipes, so i was wondering if there is a "go to" brand when it comes to slecting a pipe maker. I have no problem spending $100 on a good pipe, I just dont want to keep wasting $$ on bad ones. Any feed back would be GREATLY appreciated.

Guest (Unregistered) • 2010-03-08 15:33:39

 No.7  Untitled

If you are puffing slowly and lightly and your tongue is still burning (tongue bite), try a different tobacco. Most "drug store brand" tobaccos have moisture agents in them, like propylene glycol, which make them burn especially hot and cause your pipe to gurgle. To check out some tobacos that smoke mild without "bite" checkout www.tobaccoreviews.com . It is a great resource for pipe smokers interested in reading others' reviews of tobaccos they have tried. You are sure to find a blend that suits you.

Guest (Unregistered) • 2010-01-02 19:29:17

 No.6  My technique

I am a female pipe smoker. I started when I was teenager. I collected old Briar wood pipes. About 20 years laters I have revived my hobby by havig a good smoke in the evening. I stay in doors to avoid stares; even men are seen as odd for smoking a pipe muchless a woman. I find the tobacco tastes best when I aim the pipe away from my tongue, towards the side, top, or back of mouth and leave plenty of room for the smoke inside my mouth by keeping my teeth apart. If you are biting your pipe you are leaving no room for the smoke in your mouth...it will hit your tongue hard and burn. Give the smoke some room to move around and for you to taste it around your tongue, not on your tongue, burning it. Your face should be serene and flat as you puff...no grimace or squinted eye...sure sign of using your teeth and puffing too hard.

Guest (Unregistered) • 2008-12-20 20:31:11

 No.5  Losing sense of taste

I have been smoking pipes for about five years and own/have owned clay, meerschaum and briar pipes. When I first started smoking, I was told by my local tobacco purveyor that a certain amount of loss of taste and dulling of the taste buds IS indeed common. Often times, this comes of the new pipe smoker going at it too fast, as does the overheating of the pipe (oh, the times i've nearly burned my fingers)! Losing taste and overheating the pipe is merely the result (often in my experience) of being impatient while smoking, trying to hurry, keeping the pipe lit for the entire duration of the smoking or viewing a large amount of smoke production as being proper. The ultimate goal I am finally learning is to take your time. A pipe is not like a cigarette...It's not meant to be a quick fix of tobacco ingestion; it's a hobby, a skill, even an art among the most skilled of the piping veterans among us.Take your time, savor the flavor and enjoy!

Guest (Unregistered) • 2008-10-25 18:05:28

 No.4  Re: Losing Sense of Taste

What I want to know is if this is normal and should I be worried about anything?

— Guest

Serious tongue bite is probably due to smoking too fast -- try smoking as slowly as possible. If you have relight often, so be it! The bowl of the pipe should never be too hot to hold against your cheek. Also, many tobaccos smoke hotter than others; aromatics and virginia blends especially (the latter because of the flavourings added). Try looking for some that smoke cooler (tobaccoreviews.com is a good source). In the meantime, take a break for a while to give your tongue a rest. Also, read this: http://graemets.tripod.com/Safer_Smoking.htm

Eric Mathurin (Super Administrator) • 2008-01-10 22:41:37

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