Packing Method Poll

[Shemp Jizzle]

whats your favorite method of packing a pipe??


I have used the Swirl method the last 4 bowls and its been working well for me.

[Desertlifter]

You forgot "just put some tobacco in there, tamp it down and light it." When I started piping I did the three step method and worried about such, but now that I know my pipes and the blends that I use, I usually just toss it in and light it up.

[Shemp Jizzle]

You forgot "just put some tobacco in there, tamp it down and light it." When I started piping I did the three step method and worried about such, but now that I know my pipes and the blends that I use, I usually just toss it in and light it up.

Not going to lie but yea i do this as well a lot of the times

[AndyCAYP]

Something about the swirl method doesn't work for me. It makes sense, and the physics/engineering are all there, and the dude from James Fox certainly is fetching in the video, but I just end up making a big mess, getting a fraction of a bowl poorly packed, and totally making an ass of myself.

I pretty much do my own quick Deutsch-method. I've got it to where I can pack a smaller bowl using Frank's guidance or a hefty bowl. Works for me!

[Lostmason]

My method is closer to the three step but really just a codger stuff, Having picked up what kind of draw to feel for has helped me improve
my enjoyment and learning what the tamper was for.

[c.ortiz108]

My method is closer to the three step but really just a codger stuff, Having picked up what kind of draw to feel for has helped me improve
my enjoyment and learning what the tamper was for.

I'd go along with this. Stuffing and testing the draw. I started out doing the 3-step and trying the swirl, and didn't see much difference. For me, the more important thing to learn in keeping a bowl lit was to occasionally restrict the flow of air when drawing, with a match book cover or small card. It works wonders. Having said that, I'm curious about the air pocket method....

[bluenoser]

I bounce back and forth between the swirl and the 3 step method. I find some tobacco's work better for me with one way while other's need the other

[cpmcdill]

I'm with those that go with more of a codger stuff approach. It does not fail me and I consistently enjoy my smokes.

Although I wonder if the codger stuff is a manifestation of what they call "unconscious aptitude" where there's all kinds of subtle stuff that goes on which defy anything like a method that can be modeled and taught to newbies. I think the 3-step is the closest to codger stuffing, and probably evolves into it as one gets more adept.

In Zen and the Art of Archery there's some description about learning precise methods and techniques, and only after that, letting them all go to attain mastery. In this analogy, you are one with the pipe, the tobacco and the flame, and it's all done without calculation or worry. It simply happens. You are the bow, the arrow and the target, and when you let go of "self" -- bullseye!

[BryGuySC]

I'm with those that go with more of a codger stuff approach. It does not fail me and I consistently enjoy my smokes.

Although I wonder if the codger stuff is a manifestation of what they call "unconscious aptitude" where there's all kinds of subtle stuff that goes on which defy anything like a method that can be modeled and taught to newbies. I think the 3-step is the closest to codger stuffing, and probably evolves into it as one gets more adept.

In Zen and the Art of Archery there's some description about learning precise methods and techniques, and only after that, letting them all go to attain mastery. In this analogy, you are one with the pipe, the tobacco and the flame, and it's all done without calculation or worry. It simply happens. You are the bow, the arrow and the target, and when you let go of "self" -- bullseye!

This!

[NeverBend]

I'm with those that go with more of a codger stuff approach. It does not fail me and I consistently enjoy my smokes.

Although I wonder if the codger stuff is a manifestation of what they call "unconscious aptitude" where there's all kinds of subtle stuff that goes on which defy anything like a method that can be modeled and taught to newbies. I think the 3-step is the closest to codger stuffing, and probably evolves into it as one gets more adept.

In Zen and the Art of Archery there's some description about learning precise methods and techniques, and only after that, letting them all go to attain mastery. In this analogy, you are one with the pipe, the tobacco and the flame, and it's all done without calculation or worry. It simply happens. You are the bow, the arrow and the target, and when you let go of "self" -- bullseye!

Well said Chris.

Since I worked in a tobacco store I needed to master filling a pipe long ago and I had to be aware of my technique. I taught either the three-step or pinch n' pack that's exactly the same as the Frank method but older than his grandfather. Frank made a series of long instructive and (to me) hilarious videos to make the method eponymous. I think that they run (combined) ~26 minutes, should have been 2. The method that I taught depended on what they were smoking, three-step for flakes (and rubbed) and pinch n' pack for ribbons. I loosely follow this for my own smoking and for most bowls I couldn't tell you any specific way that I filled the pipe.

I've been with most of my pipes for 30+ years so I know their draw, what they smoke well and how to fill them but I adjust according to moisture (I suspect that I like my tobacco more moist than most) and a bit for ambient conditions and I err on the side of loose but I'm rarely conscious of what I'm doing, I just feel the tobacco. Perhaps once a year I have to empty the bowl and start again when I screw up.

With ribbons I do lift my tongue and draw hard to clear the airway before completing the fill. Hate the little missiles but it prevents gurgling. Other than this everything is just muscle memory.