My First Good Smoke in a Pot Shape

[captainsousie]

I've been a hater of the pot shape and, until today, have never had a satisfying smoke in that shape pipe. Well that changed while giving an A. Curtz pipe it's last smoke before selling it. I loaded it with some random blend with moderate levels of latakia and sat down to read.

It smoked cool and dry. All the way to the bottom. I set it down for a bit at one point and while puffing to see if I needed to run a cleaner I was shocked to find it was still lit. I have always loved Curtz' pipes as I used to live fairly close to his area and could get estates for relatively cheap prices. The stem and button are the only reasons I haven't sold it up to this point and now I'm ready to give this pipe a shot at my rotation again.

So, this pipe, and possibly my hopes for the pot shape, are saved for now. If you have a shape that's never done well for you, it doesn't hurt to give it a try now and then.

 

[tzinc]

I thought pots were regarded as great smokers.

 

[niblicck]

Pots are not my favorite shape but have well over a dozen in my racks because they smoke so well for me.

 

[mso489]

I love that classic cylindrical pot shape. Sixten Iverrson did a pot design for Stanwell that has more of a bowl shape that I also like, but to me, a pot is always cylindrical. Most of them have wide diameter chambers to give complex blends of five or six tobaccos a chance to shine. I have pot shape pipes including by Savinelli and Amadeus (Greek). The pot in the original post looks especially fine with a white stem, which to my eyes is kind of rare. The first pipe I ever bought, now forty some years old, is a Tinder Box St. Ives, probably by Comoy, that is a smooth bent pot with a unique vertical saddle stem, still looking great and smoking fine.

 

[Ahi Ka]

Stoked you had a great bowl…and equally gutted it’s not getting the chop lol

 

[kcghost]

Glad you got one you could smoke!!

 

[Grangerous]

Always considered a pot due to its wide chamber diameter to depth ratio. Should provide a good smoke.

 

[JimPM]

I've been a hater of the pot shape and, until today, have never had a satisfying smoke in that shape pipe. Well that changed while giving an A. Curtz pipe it's last smoke before selling it. I loaded it with some random blend with moderate levels of latakia and sat down to read.

It smoked cool and dry. All the way to the bottom. I set it down for a bit at one point and while puffing to see if I needed to run a cleaner I was shocked to find it was still lit. I have always loved Curtz' pipes as I used to live fairly close to his area and could get estates for relatively cheap prices. The stem and button are the only reasons I haven't sold it up to this point and now I'm ready to give this pipe a shot at my rotation again.

So, this pipe, and possibly my hopes for the pot shape, are saved for now. If you have a shape that's never done well for you, it doesn't hurt to give it a try now and then.

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I have several pot shaped briars that I principally smoke Burleys in. I find the wider and deeper bowls really enhance experiencing the nuances of various blends.

 

[Laurent]

As a novice, is it the shape of the bowl or the drilling that makes a difference in the smoke? Does the thickness of the briar determine or the bowl and angle of the air hole?

 

[captainsousie]

As a novice, is it the shape of the bowl or the drilling that makes a difference in the smoke? Does the thickness of the briar determine or the bowl and angle of the air hole?

Honestly both of the first two make a significant difference. Drilling is important to the draw which in turn influences the smoking quality. Bowl geometry can influence both packing characteristics and the burn also having an impact on smoking quality and flavor. Both, in my experience are important.

Drilling angle chamber wall thickness are a bit more ambiguous and tend to be more of a preference thing than objectively better or worse.

 

[tzinc]

isn't a pot a billiard that got chubby?

 

[renfield]

One of my least favorite shapes but my GBD pot is an remarkably great smoker. It reveals subtle flavors incredibly well. Is it due to the shape? Who knows.