07.28
I read about a new method of packing a pipe in a recent issue of Pipes and Tobacco. It’s called air pocket packing. It involves leaving a small chamber at the base of the bowl that isn’t filled with tobacco. I tried it once and I’ve been packing that way ever since. I’ll try to describe the technique here as best I can. To start with, here is a childish drawing of what you’re trying to achieve:
First, start by taking a large clump of tobacco in your fingers like you would if you were grabbing some Red Man chewing tobacco. Next, rock it slightly back and forth in your fingers with some firm pressure to get the whole thing to clump up and kind of stick together. Once you have a decent ball of tobacco, press it down into the top of the bowl, giving it a slight twist as you push it in. Once it won’t go any further just stop and pluck off any tobacco sticking out of the top. You don’t want it to be too tight and prevent air flow.
This method has a number of benefits. The first is that by not filling the bowl completely it makes it easier to draw. Also, any moisture that collects in the bottom of the bowl (i.e. the gurgles) can be swabbed out by just pushing a pipe cleaner through the stem during your smoke. The air pocket leaves plenty of room for this. Lastly, if you pack it correctly, as you get toward the end of your smoke you can just push the whole clump to the bottom of the bowl and give it a few tamps and finish up the entire thing. This gets some cake development on the bottom of the bowl as well.
