Topping off a pipe?

[Will46r]

Soooo is it okay to top off a pipe you're smoking? Only have 1 pipe right now and I've been topping it off with some new tobacco when it gets near the bottom. I know I should have more pipes lol or get a bigger one. I've been smoking while working in the shop, wife doesn't mind it compared to cigars.

[Cool Breeze]

You're putting tobacco into the pipe with it still burning?

I'm no expert by any means. I'm still a newbie to pipes but it doesn't sound like a good idea.
If you have a nice, or even an average briar pipe it is best to smoke it all the way down and sit it aside for 24-48 hours.

If you want to smoke more often than that, get you a corn cob pipe or two from Walgreens. They're only $5-$6 each and they smoke great.
I've been known to smoke 2-3 bowls back to back in a cob. If they burn out who cares, they're cheap.

I wouldn't do it with a briar though.

[MrMotoyoshi]

Well, this is a first I've heard of this. It's not the end of the world provided the pipe isn't getting too hot and you don't mind the continual ash taste.

If this is a daily practice with the same pipe, you might make the pipe sour quicker or risk running a burn out.

I will echo the advice for a cob. You can keep smoking them as they cool down a lot faster and are more disposable due to their low price point.

[LandonColby]

Why? I mean if it's getting to the bottom then just knock it out and start over fresh?

Then we segway to the topic of "how long should you let your pipe rest". Everyone has different opinions but if you want to smoke 3 bowls in a row, go for it.

But I think topping off a bowl wouldn't taste as good as starting a fresh bowl.

[izkeh]

Why? I mean if it's getting to the bottom then just knock it out and start over fresh?



Exactly what I thought.

[BryGuySC]

You'll probably have a better experience just dumping it out and refilling.
If you're just working in the shop, get a Missouri Meerschaum. They'll take the abuse better, and they are really cheap to replace.

By the way, what tobacco are you smoking?

[Emperor Zurg]

I do that. I'll smoke it down till it's getting resistant to burning, then once it goes out I dump the ash and put fresh baccy on top and relight. I figure if there's a lump that's going to sit and not burn it might as well stay there and act as a sponge for the next round. Doesn't seem to affect the flavor much at all. I only do this if the pipe's getting low and I want to smoke a bit longer - like on a road trip. I wouldn't try it if the pipe's been sitting around with stale baccy in it for a couple days.

[Tobias Lutz]

I only see this as being an issue if the dottle in the heal of the pipe is wet. If the pipe is burning pretty dry, I don't see why it wouldn't work just fine.

[freestoke]

Terrible idea, I'll tell you why. The dottle that remains in the pipe at the time you add fresh tobacco is already probably damp with condensed moisture and certainly saturated with combustion tars. It's doubtful if this will burn away any easier with tobacco on top of it, because you will no longer be able to light it directly. Suppose it is dry and does burn away: You now have a layer of ash between the fresh tobacco and the airway, that will either be sucked up or impede the airflow. More likely, the dottle will continue to get wetter and grosser and taste simply awful, as you wind up relighting from the top of the pile. I would offer the conjecture that the new tobacco will not easily ignite at its base from the old ember and then burn upward as one expects from campfire.

With one pipe, it's codger time, Ancient Mariner mode on. Finish that wet dottle by tamping and relighting, which will dry the bottom of the pipe and condition the heel. Dump the ashes, run a pipe cleaner through (or alternatively, hold the bowl and flick the gunk out, then blow hard through the pipe to clear it out -- sailor mode). Fill and smoke another bowl. Letting pipes rest does improve the smoke a bit, but I remember when people didn't concern themselves that much with such niceties, and cobs easily tolerate chain smoking in any case. I smoke about six bowls from a Legend in 9 holes of golf, no filter, no problem. I don't even use a pipe cleaner on the course.

Buy a couple of cobs and stop fretting.

[freestoke]

I do that. I'll smoke it down till it's getting resistant to burning, then once it goes out I dump the ash and put fresh baccy on top and relight. I figure if there's a lump that's going to sit and not burn it might as well stay there and act as a sponge for the next round. Doesn't seem to affect the flavor much at all. I only do this if the pipe's getting low and I want to smoke a bit longer - like on a road trip. I wouldn't try it if the pipe's been sitting around with stale baccy in it for a couple days.

Can't imagine doing it personally. I'd just keep relighting until it was done or dump it and start over. I have found that more frequent damping is required to finish a damp dottle (two meanings of "damp"), but I almost never dump tobacco.

[Emperor Zurg]

Can't imagine doing it personally. I'd just keep relighting until it was done or dump it and start over. I have found that more frequent damping is required to finish a damp dottle (two meanings of "damp"), but I almost never dump tobacco.

If I get persistent with damp tobacco and keep tamping and relighting the stuff that doesn't want to burn, all I end up with is an empty pipe and a mouthful of tongue bite. IMO that damp tobacco at the bottom is the filter... and it's good for a couple bowls at least :D

[freestoke]

If I get persistent with damp tobacco and keep tamping and relighting the stuff that doesn't want to burn, all I end up with is an empty pipe and a mouthful of tongue bite. IMO that damp tobacco at the bottom is the filter... and it's good for a couple bowls at least :D

I think it's more a matter of damping than tamping toward the end. The problem is harder to deal with when you smoke a large pipe than a medium or small bowl pipe. If a dottle tastes really awful and I can't get it to burn, I dump it, and probably will avoid buying any more of that particular tobacco -- or maybe stop smoking that pipe if the problem is persistent. Sometimes, I will mix PA or something with a recalcitrant mixture, so that it doesn't create a nasty dottle to begin with.