Keeping Your Bowl Rim Clean

A charred, sticky and caked bowl rim is nothing but an eyesore. There are a few things you can do to keep it looking good. For this article lets assume that your bowl rim is already clean or new.

First, never pack your pipe all the way to the top. +/- 1/4" from the top is ideal depending on the overall depth of the tobacco chamber. This will allow room for the tobacco to expand when you light and still not touch the top and will keep you from putting the bowl rim in direct contact with flame.

Second, take a little saliva and rub it on the bowl rim before you light. This will keep the flame from charring the briar.

And last but not least, always clean your bowl rim when you are finished smoking your pipe. While the pipe is still warm apply saliva to the rim and wipe with a soft cloth or paper towel until clean. Saliva does an amazing job of breaking down and cleaning tobacco gum and tar.

For more stubborn tar or pipes with a rusticated or burl rim an old toothbrush and saliva work wonders. I realized some of you might be put off by the use of saliva but give it a try and you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Super Fast Tobacco Aging

Now that the warm weather has arrived (at least here in Vegas where it has been 105+) I'd like to share an aging trick that I discovered quite by accident.

Take a tin of tobacco and place it on your dashboard in full sunlight or on a window sill in full sunlight. Leave it there for about 30 minutes +/-. Now take the tin inside and allow it to cool to room temperature.

You'll find that your tobacco will now taste and smoke very similar to tobacco that has been aged about 6 - 12 months. Of course there's no substitute for properly aged tobacco but this is a great way to improve the smoking quality of just about any type of tobacco.

This technique works especially well with Virginia style tobacco. If you'd like to try this with your favorite bulk tobacco simply use an old tin or small coffee can. Only do 2 - 4 ounces at a time.

Without ever having to re-light trick

There are many tricks that can be using to keep your tobacco burning without constant re-lighting. This little trick will take a little time to master but once you do it will become second nature and part of your smoking habit. The concept behind this method is similar to a bellows.

When you sense that your pipes is going out, simply blow into the stem very gently. After a few gentle breaths into the pipe you'll notice that your tobacco will begin to smolder and re-ignite. Now partially cover your bowl with your thumb and take a couple of deep puffs. Your tobacco should once again be fully lit.

Ideally, you should practice this technique the whole time you are smoking your pipe and not wait until it is about to go out. Master this technique and you'll be able to smoke your pipe all the way to the bottom without ever having to re-light.