Lighting
Your Pipe

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Lighting your pipe

When lighting, puff with long, slow puffs. Move the match or lighter slowly around the outside edge of the tobacco. Puff as many times as necessary to completely light the top surface of the tobacco. This is called the "false" or "charring" light. This will assure an even burning load.

Next take the pipe out of your mouth, and tamp the ashes gently; pressing them down on the unburned portion of tobacco.

Now, re-light and puff rhythmically. Blow lightly into the stem between puffs as though you were inflating a tiny balloon. This "balloon method" feeds air to the base of the pipe just as a bellows feeds a forge.

Again, smoke slowly! Don't let your new pipe get too hot. IMPORTANT: Don't knock the ashes out of the first load of your pipe. Instead, just fluff the loose ash out gently. If there is unburned tobacco mixed in with the ashes, you are not smoking far enough down. Make sure that you have only a gray ash residue in the bottom of the pipe. You should always cake the heel first; the top will gradually cake itself after a number of smokes.

As your carbon cake builds on the inside of the pipe, the cake may be uneven, or thicker at the top than at the bottom. Should this occur, use a conical shaped reamer to shape the cake thinner at the top and slightly thicker in the heel.

WATCH THE VIDEO

Pipe Smoking 101: Lighting A Pipe

by There And Tobac Again

Marsha James Pipe Club For Gentlemen