From: ?????????????????????????? (Steve Masticola)
Subject: Tamping, inhaling, "Pipe Smoker..." newsletter, etc.

Our Most Prolific Contributor has trouble with tamping? Incredible, in this
day and age!

Seriously, though, I've learned a few things that help in this regard. You
want the pipe to draw about as hard as a good cigar (that is, with some
small resistance), and the tobacco should be packed at the same density all
the way down the bowl.

Sometimes, the tobacco leaves may lock together, especially in long-cut
tobacco (like Cavendish). To unlock them, gently pull them apart as you fill
the bowl. Try filling in stages - in each stage, fill the bowl loosely to
the top, then compress the tobacco until it's springy. When the bowl is
full, compress again until you get the proper draw.

When lighting, first char the surface, then tamp down and char it again. The
first charring helps more of the tobacco catch a light. [Hacker84]

(It also helps to be writing for the Pipes Digest while smoking! :-)

I had a little off-line conversation with Bill about blowing smoke through
the nose; some others may be curious. I don't inhale (except on rare
occasions when I want a little, legal rush! :-), though I have known pipe
smokers who did - their lungs kind of creaked after awhile. Exhaling through
the nose without inhaling smoke is kind of like swallowing while breathing
air out through your nose. I hope those who want to learn to do it will
persevere!

Lastly, I finally got a-hold-of the "Pipe Smoker and Tobacciana Trader"
newsletter from Pipe Collectors International (P.O. Box 22085, 6172 Airways
Blvd., Chattanooga, TN 37422). I think its appeal is more for the collector
than the recreational pipe smoker - they sponsor conventions, run ads for
pipemakers and specialty tobaccos, and have a small classified section.
Unfortunately, they've just changed from 6 issues per year to four per year
(still at $15 - v.7 n.1 was a 28-page B&W tabloid), due to financial
pressures. It might be worth checking it out for a year, especially for the
collectors or carvers in the group!

Speaking of which, I hope to meet some of you folks in New York next Tuesday
(see above)! Until then, keep your bowls warm and glowing.


					Smoke in peace,
					~\U Steve.

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( Pipe smokers will rule the world!      *   ??????????????????????	 (
 ) (if they don't run out of matches...) *   Steve Masticola, moderator	  )
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