Topping off a pipe?

[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.