Really Hot Smoke

[steelarts]

I recently got a small barrel Peterson “specialty“ pipe for shorter smokes. Today I decided to smoke some Peterson De Luxe Navy Rolls in it. I used the fold and stuff method and it smoked really nicely. However, the bowl got hotter and hotter until I could no longer hold it and had to hold the stem instead. I was sipping, using the breath method so I didn’t expect this. My other smokes in it have never been that hot.

Was I doing something wrong? Does that baccy always smoke hot or should I have packed the pipe differently? Or is it just that it’s a smaller, thinner walled pipe? Do I risk damaging the pipe if it smokes very hot like this? That’s my main concern.

 

[Scottmi]

in my limited experience, thin walls will get hotter, and if a new pipe without some cake, for sure. I have burnt through a very thin stack (repaired with pipe mud) and certainly get wary when I feel a HOT bowl in others... yes, i think it is a risk.

 

[Hillcrest]

No, nothing wrong. Thin walled pipes smoke get a bit hotter; Virginias burn a bit hotter (might try rubbing it out and packing looser); the taste is great so you 'might' have drawn more fully. Keep smoking until some cake builds up to line the walls. Just my 2 cents adjusted for current inflation ...

 

[Sigmund]

Was your tobacco too wet? Maybe try rubbing it out a bit. If its literally too hot to touch its probably not good for your pipe.

 

[ThermionicScott]

I like to break in pipes with ribbon cuts (or fully rubbed-out flakes) in order to start building an even cake from the get-go. I also like to use matches, so I'm not torching the virgin chamber walls with such a hot heat source. I'm an exclusively outdoor smoker, so I try to only smoke a new pipe when there is no wind. There are lots of other paranoid/obsessive things one could do, I could go on and on...

As others have posted, it's normal for a new pipe to get hot. Go ahead and let it go out and cool off whenever it feels too hot for comfort. (You can extinguish it quickly by clamping off the top of the chamber tightly with your fingers and drawing to create a vacuum. h/t to @cosmicfolklore for that tip.)

 

[kcghost]

Thinner walls could have contributed to the problem, but you were probably smoking the pipe in a less than optimal fashion. I suspect the problem was caused by how you packed your pipe. With a thin-walled shorter pipe you usually have to be sure didn't overpack the pipe. I think you should rub the tobacco out and then load lt. But I could be wrong, also.

 

[Searock Fan]

A rusticated pipe will smoke cooler.

 

[Searock Fan]

To continue the post above. Here are some examples from my pipes. All else being equal the more "craggy" the finish, the more surface area and the less of that surface touches your fingers. Therefore, It smokes and feels cooler.

 

[steelarts]

Was your tobacco too wet? Maybe try rubbing it out a bit. If its literally too hot to touch its probably not good for your pipe.

No, definitely not too wet in this case.

 

[steelarts]

To continue the post above. Here are some examples from my pipes. All else being equal the more "craggy" the finish, the more surface area and the less of that surface touches your fingers. Therefore, It smokes and feels cooler.

View attachment 308795

It is rusticated. It’s this small Peterson

 

[steelarts]

Was your tobacco too wet? Maybe try rubbing it out a bit. If it’s literally too hot to touch it’s probably not good for your pipe.

No, this one was definitely not too wet.

 

[steelarts]

Thinner walls could have contributed to the problem, but you were probably smoking the pipe in a less than optimal fashion. I suspect the problem was caused by how you packed your pipe. With a thin-walled shorter pipe you usually have to be sure didn't overpack the pipe. I think you should rub the tobacco out and then load lt. But I could be wrong, also.

I was sipping using the breath method. I’m starting to think that the folding and stuffing method is probably better for a larger pipe. Although I can get a good draw I’m thinking after what you say it might still be too tight. I’ll try rubbing the rolls out in the future. Thanks

 

[simong]

Cheap briar smokes hot.
Good briar smokes cool.

 

[steelarts]

Cheap briar smokes hot.
Good briar smokes cool.

I wouldn’t call a Peterson a cheap briar. Okay, it’s not a Dunhill but it wasn’t exactly cheap to me.

 

[simong]

I wouldn’t call a Peterson a cheap briar. Okay, it’s not a Dunhill but it wasn’t exactly cheap to me.

Not cheap to me neither, I've been buying Peterson's for over 30 years! I've learned in 'lower range' pipes (which is what a donegal rocky is) briar quality varies..... a lot! Most of the time they're fine, now & again you'll get a duffer. Could just be you haven't broken it in yet, a fresh pipe and a seasoned pipe are two different things.

 

[UB 40]

Nice little pipe. The first Peterson I could fall in love with. I’ve got a few small pipes with thin walls. When they’re getting hot, I put them down and let it rest to fire it up again. Or I smoke it all way down. It depends on my mood and if the taste is still acceptable. Some tobaccos run cooler than others. I remember the Peterson Rolls on the hotter side.

 

[Searock Fan]

It is rusticated. It’s this small Peterson

That's not small.... it's tiny!

 

[fishmansf]

I recently got a small barrel Peterson “specialty“ pipe for shorter smokes. Today I decided to smoke some Peterson De Luxe Navy Rolls in it. I used the fold and stuff method and it smoked really nicely. However, the bowl got hotter and hotter until I could no longer hold it and had to hold the stem instead. I was sipping, using the breath method so I didn’t expect this. My other smokes in it have never been that hot.

Was I doing something wrong? Does that baccy always smoke hot or should I have packed the pipe differently? Or is it just that it’s a smaller, thinner walled pipe? Do I risk damaging the pipe if it smokes very hot like this? That’s my main concern.

Echoing what everyone else said, small walls get hot quickly. I also have found that the breath method, while designed for a cool smoke, can often burn your tobacco way hotter than you would ever realize. I generally hang my pipe in my mouth if im doing something and block the hole with my tongue. Otherwise, if I am sitting, all I do is sip.