I wonder this as I go through an entire tube of butane smoking this Samuel gawith St James flake.
Curse you, asbestos-ridden tobacco
Curse you, asbestos-ridden tobacco
Can Constant Relights Cause Premature Bowl Charring?
- Thread starter gervais
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Not premature bowl charring, just an unsatisfying bowl of tobacco. Things to try might be packing more loosely; drying the tobacco longer; and/or rubbing out the tobacco more thoroughly or even grating it in a hand grater or small coffee bean grinder for a smaller more even cut.
I think long stretches of not having to relight are the mark of a good bowl of tobacco. If the blend has good flavor at all, that will bring it out, and it is difficult to have that if you are constantly relighting, since the ember is often cold.
I had a tin of McC's Dark Star that just wouldn't stay lit, so I couldn't tell whether it was good or not. Hand grating turned it into a sublime blend, everything that I had heard about it. That's about the apex of Virginias I have smoked.
I think long stretches of not having to relight are the mark of a good bowl of tobacco. If the blend has good flavor at all, that will bring it out, and it is difficult to have that if you are constantly relighting, since the ember is often cold.
I had a tin of McC's Dark Star that just wouldn't stay lit, so I couldn't tell whether it was good or not. Hand grating turned it into a sublime blend, everything that I had heard about it. That's about the apex of Virginias I have smoked.
St James flake is my nemesis for keeping lit. I found it needs a good 24hrs sometimes longer dry time to have a smoke comparable to other blends which will smoke basically straight from the tin.
I bought an “herb grinder” that’s basically for weed and it has proven highly effective for taming the asbestos flakes from G&H and/or SG.
They make inexpensive plastic ones but I went with the anodized aluminum with zero regrets.
Try it and see if it helps you get the bowl lit and keeps it going. Makes for a more pleasant pipe smoking experience!
They make inexpensive plastic ones but I went with the anodized aluminum with zero regrets.
Try it and see if it helps you get the bowl lit and keeps it going. Makes for a more pleasant pipe smoking experience!
Using an xikar pipe lighter, and then switched to a bic when I ran dry. I'm probably not rubbing it out enough, as well as over packing it. I'm gonna keep playing around with it. FVF is just as stubborn for me
I think it's the sheer density of the flake. These buggers are not easy to rub out fine like other flakes
I prefer a mortar and pestle to a grinder. A lot more elbow grease, but also easier to control and get particular. And when not in use, it can hold pipe cleaners, tools, etc. Looks right at home amongst the tobacco junk, if aesthetics are of any importance. I seem to see them at garage sales all the time. I have a granite one that weighs too much, but the bottom is rather smooth, so it breaks apart flakes into sort of ribbons rather than triturating the tobacco.
I tried cube cutting St James Flake then drying last weekend.I wonder this as I go through an entire tube of butane smoking this Samuel gawith St James flake.
Curse you, asbestos-ridden tobacco
Gravity fed and very, very light tamping
Success
Full Virginia Flake has been the one blend that is like asbestos for me. I've cube cut and gravity fed, but, it seems like drying it more than eight hours is the solution. I prefer to decide what I want to smoke on the fly, but, FVF requires planning ahead.
Gonna try that too, thanks Oz!I tried cube cutting St James Flake then drying last weekend.
Gravity fed and very, very light tamping
Success
I’ll second this. KingTop grinders have never failed me.
Hmmmmm, wonder if I can get my posts sponsored.
It’s reassuring to see that more-experienced pipe smokers also have trouble keeping these two flakes lit. If the flavors weren’t so great, I might have given up on them long ago!
I'll leave a jar open for several days. It's ok for the flakes to get crispy on top. If it's a fairly full jar the tobacco underneath will always retain moisture. If you then reseal the jar and leave it to sit for several weeks the humidity will equalize. It's a pain that SG products essentially don't come ready to smoke and you're paying for a fair amount of water weight. That's the deal though. Bottom line is, you've got to dry that shit. After long drying, I tend to fully rub out the flakes before smoking and if the ribbons still clump at all, I'll pack a bowl and leave it for another day or two, or three. The microwave also works. I don't have trouble keeping my tobacco lit at all. I also don't believe much is lost in terms of flavour when you let the tobacco get REALLY dry.
Depends on how hard you suck in the flame, and how much tobacco is left. Problem is with new guys either trying to smoke the last bit of tobacco, or not knowing he smoked it all. Since that new guy doesn't know, he will repeatedly suck in the flame hard and toast the bottom of the chamber. I did that to about 3 Megan Bones at start.
Yes. If it goes out near the bottom of the chamber, it's probably a good idea to dump it rather than potentially damaging your pipe by charring the airway.
Seems like Samuel Gawith tobaccos may be packaged fairly wet, and are said to require some drying time for most people's preferences. That is most everyone's report about Squadron Leader, anyway. I have a load of SL on order and I'll reply if I think the same
My practice is usually to switch to matches or a hemp wick when the bowl gets lower if I need a relight... lots easier to reach inside without charring the edge!
My practice is usually to switch to matches or a hemp wick when the bowl gets lower if I need a relight... lots easier to reach inside without charring the edge!