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The Bottom of the Bowl

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greenmonster714

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Why is it that the bottom of the bowl seems to always be the best part? I often pack half a bowl just so I can get to the bottom faster..lol. Does anybody so the same?
 

Charly

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Hummm I think it's a personnal preference :)
For me it depends on the blend, sometimes it's the beginning that I prefer, sometimes the middle, but seldom the bottom :)
 

greenmonster714

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Hummm I think it's a personnal preference :)
For me it depends on the blend, sometimes it's the beginning that I prefer, sometimes the middle, but seldom the bottom :)

I've tried packing just the top of the bowl, but it doesn't seem to work. It always ends up at the bottom.

Bob

For me guys. If it ain't bubblin at the bottom of the bowl. It ain't good yet..lol. I don't know what it is about that but to me it seems like all the flavors meld together at the bottom just waiting to assault your taste buds. For sure it is a subjective thing.
 

Silverone858

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I usually don't finish a bowl in one sitting and some times not even the same day. I do puff on it several times through out the day and I find I like the second session best, I assume I am toasting it and then the second session is very sweet and has good flavor. I end up dumping the bottom of the bowl out. I need to do more outdoors stuff with more time to sit down and enjoy.
 

greenmonster714

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I usually don't finish a bowl in one sitting and some times not even the same day. I do puff on it several times through out the day and I find I like the second session best, I assume I am toasting it and then the second session is very sweet and has good flavor. I end up dumping the bottom of the bowl out. I need to do more outdoors stuff with more time to sit down and enjoy.

I hit the bottom of the bowl at least 90% of the time. I'm having some issue lately which cause me to sit down and take breaks way more often than I want to. I used to puff on a lot of aromatics but Bob kinda steered me towards some blends with latakia that are typically on the dry side. I really enjoyed it so lately I've been searching for blends with no flavors added or those toppings they use to make stuff look all moist like PG or VG. John Cotton 1&2 is a good example. I do like the Syrian latakia as well. Perique seems to be sneaking in there a lot lately as well.

Man, I get writing and go on and on. I'm not a big talker but when I write stuff just keeps rolling out of my head. I started an answer to finishing a bowl and before I know it I'm babbling on about tobaccos. So, with that said I'll save the rest for another day...lol.
 

Silverone858

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Hahaha! in my case I get Interrupted constantly by my 9yo, 3yo or wife typing gives me a chance to tell my story all the way through. And it seems to flow easily when I get back to my pipes. I am going to try some latakia blends soon, I'm not sure how I'll like them but from what it sounds like the Syrian stash is in ever shorter supply so I have a list of a few tins to try and very soon. Perique is another, my plan (rough plan) is to try a handful of well liked blends and then start ordering WLT a lb or 3 at a time and try everything straight and blend some stove some press some. Sounds like a lot of fun.
Geoff
 

greenmonster714

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Hahaha! in my case I get Interrupted constantly by my 9yo, 3yo or wife typing gives me a chance to tell my story all the way through. And it seems to flow easily when I get back to my pipes. I am going to try some latakia blends soon, I'm not sure how I'll like them but from what it sounds like the Syrian stash is in ever shorter supply so I have a list of a few tins to try and very soon. Perique is another, my plan (rough plan) is to try a handful of well liked blends and then start ordering WLT a lb or 3 at a time and try everything straight and blend some stove some press some. Sounds like a lot of fun.
Geoff

Yes, I am doing the same thing. I am looking for blends that I may be able to copy with the homegrown I will have to play with. I too will have to order some Latakia from WLT. The Syrian stuff is fantastic but I've not found anywhere I can buy it in bulk whole leaf style. The Cyprian Latakia can be found by the pound whole leaf at WLT. Cyprian is good. Not everyone likes it but I do. A good tasting tin tobacco Bob told me about is called John Cotton 1&2. That was my first taste of the Cyprian stuff and it was pretty good I thought. And it is a tobacco I think I may be able to blend myself someday.

HH has Vintage Syrian in the one pound size. Its about 50+ shipping and all. I have not tried that blend yet but many folks who like the Syrian stuff say it is great. They say by next year it will be no more. Big bummer. I tried the McClelland Syrian Super Balkan and loved it. I'm going to search for some HH within the next few months but for now I've got to many things I need for my grow....fertilizer, bug/slug stuff, set up a kiln, build a drying shed, and the list goes on and on.

I just bought some tobacco from 4noggins blended by John Patton. Its called Cool Hand Fluke. It about 40% perique and I do like it very much. It is on the dry side just the way I like it these days. A real tasty bowl all the way to the bottom. I also ordered his Dark Horse and Storm Front. Both of them were just as good. It took me two bowls to change my mind on the Dark Horse but now I enjoy it as well as the other two. Dark Horse has cigar tobacco in it. It has a little bite but I like that for some odd reason. When I smoked cigars I always had my pipe with me to finish it. A 50ring fits nicely into most small briars if they are not caked up. Its odd how a nice cigar does not bite your tongue but stick the nub in a pipe and it certainly will. Maybe its just the condensed smoke attacking your tongue through the small opening. I duuno I just know I like it. HH also offer a tin called Arcadian Perique. I have a tin and it is a nice change when I want something different after dinner.

Once I get my crops in this year I want to start trying to make some perique of my own. Press some and take a stab at making some cavendish among other things. Its going to be a busy summer and fall.

My kids are in their 30's and I have grandkids 15, 13, 3, and 4. They live in Ohio. I wish I could see them more often but children do tend to move on in life. It sucks when they are so far away though.
 

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Ok newbie question here. I appreciate that you smoke until you've had enough. My impression was that you had to empty the bowl when you're done to prevent clogging. After my second bowl - I honestly could say I'd be happy with half a bowl I'd wager. If you only smoked half a bowl what do you do with the rest?
 

ChinaVoodoo

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Ok newbie question here. I appreciate that you smoke until you've had enough. My impression was that you had to empty the bowl when you're done to prevent clogging. After my second bowl - I honestly could say I'd be happy with half a bowl I'd wager. If you only smoked half a bowl what do you do with the rest?

The supposed rule about smoking an entire bowl is only really for precious briar pipes. It's about building up an even carbon layer all the down. With a corn cob, it doesn't matter, so just pack half a bowl. Or find a smaller pipe. It isn't as enjoyable, but you could also just pick it up later and smoke the rest.
 

deluxestogie

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As evidence of how crude I am about pipe smoking, I just set down the pipe when I feel like doing so. If it's an hour or a day or week until I get back to it, well that's just the way it is. This approach may not be as practical with gooey, commercial pipe blends.

I have mistreated my pipes in this manner for the past half-century.

Bob
 

CowboyTed

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It isn't as enjoyable, but you could also just pick it up later and smoke the rest.

It depends on the tobacco, but some people swear that smoking the second half of the bowl later actually tastes better. Google "pipe delayed gratification technique DGT" and you'll find lots of people discussing this concept. I'm not entirely sold on the idea, but I routinely set down a pipe partway through and come back the next day. I don't think it tastes any better the next day, but it's never tasted any worse either.
 

greenmonster714

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That's one thing I really like about a pipe. I can set it down with half a bowl left and when I come back to it it is just as good as when I started. Never could do that with a cigar. They seemed to get harsh if you let them go out and relight them later.
 

Levi Gross

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I too have the same caveman smoking principles, I expect my pipes to be as stout hearted as I am. I will smoke various blends in the same pipe in the same day. Sometimes smoking half to let it set or sometimes hot boxing the thing untill my senses are raw. I never have liked the pipe gurgle or even the bottom of the bowl. So I guess I have wasted a lot of tobacco over time. The top of the bowl and around the middle are my favorite. If one prefers the bottom of the bowl though my hat is off to you... I for one can not handle it.
As evidence of how crude I am about pipe smoking, I just set down the pipe when I feel like doing so. If it's an hour or a day or week until I get back to it, well that's just the way it is. This approach may not be as practical with gooey, commercial pipe blends.

I have mistreated my pipes in this manner for the past half-century.

Bob
 

greenmonster714

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Gurgles build character...lol. It's all good until that one sip of the stem becomes a tar bath for your tongue. Yuck. I try to avoid that but sometimes it just happens.
 

KiwiGrown

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The last 1/4 of the bowl is the very best part ! I smoke mainly straight Virginia and VaPers, I've always found that smoking half a bowl, leaving it an hour or more and returning later makes that second half so much tastier. With English blends not so much I find them over powering unless consumed in 1 sitting.

Edit:

Packing half bowls doesn't seem to work right, I think you need that juice build up and then for the tobacco to reabsorb it.
 

davek14

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The bottom half of a bowl *is* the tastiest, but the very bottom is not. I try to smoke to the bottom for bowl maintenance, cooking the pipe mud in the bottom, building cake all the way down, etc.. But sometimes smoking to the very bottom is kind of a chore at the end of a great smoke.
 
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