Welcome back everyone to the second part of our beginner pipe tutorial. Last week, we talked about the different types of pipes, and I made some recommendations as to what pipes you should look out for. In this installation, we concentrate on filling and lighting you new pipe with some tobacco. Lets get started with some pipe filling methods.

1/3 Method

This method ( which I called 1/3 method) is fairly simple. Start with a pinch of pipe tobacco, hold it over the bowl and let it fall in. Do this until about half the bowl is filled with very loose tobacco. Next, take your tamper, and tamp the tobacco down until it sits comfortably in about 1/3 of the pipe. Repeat these same steps (this time filling for the second third all the way to the top with loose tobacco, and packing it down gently until it fills the 2nd, 3rd.) Continue these steps until your pipe is full. As a general rule, check the draw periodically- usually after every third, to make sure you pipe has a loose, free draw with no resistance. After all of this is completed your ready to smoke!

The Frank Method

This method is called the Frank method (or German Method).It is slightly more complicated than the 1/3 method, but it is extremely popular among pipe smokers today.  Here are some videos put up on Youtube by dracsspago illustrating the Frank method. In the last video, our teacher shows us how to light a pipe with a “Burner” (torch lighter).

The Frank Method, Part 1

The Frank Method, Part 2

The Frank Method, Part 3

Lighting

Part 3 of The Frank Method videos showed us how to light our pipe. The way shown, however is not the most common way to light your pipe. (The actual use of using a torch lighter to light your pipe is a bit of a debated topic). The most common way to light is using a soft flame.

Start with any soft flame butane lighter. Let the pipe sit comfortably in your mouth. To begin, bring the flame to the topmost part of the tobacco, taking slow draws on your pipe. Rotate the flame around so it is evenly charred. (This is similar to toasting the tobacco at the foot of your cigar, so that it burns evenly).

Next, tamp any stray or awkward pieces of tobacco back into place, creating a flat surface of charred tobacco and ash. Repeat the toasting step, this time taking longer slow draws, bringing the flame closer to the tobacco. This step may be repeated until you are certain your pipe is lit. Remember to rotate the flame in a circular motion over the tobacco in order to have an even burn.

Well folks, that’s how you pack and light your pipes. Next week, I’ll have a post on types of pipe tobacco, blends, cuts, and maybe some recommendations to get you started. Until then, practice filling and lighting your pipes, and Happy Piping!

-Agent 10