How To Pack & Light Your Pipe

GETTING STARTED

If you are brand new to pipe smoking and have never smoked a pipe before, it is a good idea to rub a thin coating of honey around the inside of the bowl with your finger. Make sure you completely cover the bottom [heal] and sidewalls of the pipe, but be careful to prevent the stick stuff from covering the exterior of your pipe. The honey on the inside of the bowl will accelerate the process of building up a "carbon cake," the charred coating on the inside of your pipe. This cake of caramelized sugar will keep the smoke cool, preventing tongue bite, and sweeten the flavor of your pipe. Normally it will take about three to five bowel fulls to begin building up an adequate cake. 

PACKING & LIGHTING

STEP 1

Trickle in tobacco until the bowl is overflowing.

STEP 2

Lightly press the tobacco 3 times with your finger or a tamper to settle the bowl. It should feel springy. The tobacco should be loose and aerated at the bottom and slightly packed on top.

STEP 3

If you're lighting with a match, make sure all the sulfur burns away from the match before lighting. With the flame held against the tobacco, rhythmically puff slowly, pulling air in and blowing gently back through the pipe to oxygenate the flame and form an even, top layer of coals.

STEP 4

Sit back, relax, and enjoy your pipe!