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We talk a lot about pipes and pipe tobacco, but very rarely do we mention smoking competitions. It's actually a really interesting phenomenon, if you think about it — taking a generally solitary hobby, one most prefer to enjoy in the privacy of their own homes, and making it into a sport. It's not a new or uncommon affair either. In fact, many of our pipe makers are seasoned, award-winning slow-smokers. Seriously, I don't even know how many awards Claudio Cavicchi has won. But if you've never entered a competition before, it can seem pretty intimidating. So if you're thinking about trying your skills against other pipe smokers, here are five tips to keep in mind.
1) Try the contest blends before signing up
If the competition blend has been announced, pick up a tin or two and try it at your own leisure. Make sure it's palatable and that you can actually enjoy smoking it for hours on end. That way, once the competition begins, you'll know how the blend behaves.
2) Take things slow and find your rhythm
In a slow-smoking competition, the objective is to keep your pipe lit for as long as possible. So if you, like me, are prone to fast puffing, take a step back and try to take things slow. Sip on the tobacco; don't puff. Learn how to find a rhythm or cadence in your smoke, and figure out just how much draw is needed to keep the embers going. This will pay off in spades once you're in the hot seat.
3) Limit yourself to two matches per smoke
In most competitions, you don't get any relights. You can't smoke half of a bowl, let it go out, and then fire it back up again. You've got to make that initial light last as long as possible. To practice this at home, try simulating the competitions restrictions by limiting yourself to two matches per smoke.
4) Get really good at clenching your pipes
During the competition, you'll have to be able to tamp properly while still keeping the pipe lit. The best way to do this is to tamp your pipe lightly while you're smoking it. Quick, light draws seem to work best for me, though you'll need to practice this technique a good bit at home to figure out what works best for you.
5) Record your times and set attainable goals
If your pipe goes out during a competition, you're immediately eliminated and your time is recorded, so you'll want to be mindful of how long each of your smokes takes. By recording the time of each smoke with a stopwatch, you can track your progress and set attainable goals for yourself going further.
While this list will definitely get you started, there are a whole host of articles and blogs out there about slow smoking competitions, each offering first-timers a range of helpful tips and tricks. If you'd like to hear from an expert on the matter, check out our interview with award-winning slow-smoker Gayl Liebman. And to all you competitors out there, if you have any tips or tricks you'd like to share, please do so in the comments section below!
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Comments
Could you provide tobaccos that might possibly be used for slow smoking.
What pipe is being smoked above the 4th point? Looks beautiful.
@Tyler That's Adam's own shop/office pipe. It's basically all he smokes ;)
@Gerrit McClelland has a contest blend you may want to try, but generally anything with cube cut Burleys should get you there, as this is what the US Based International Association of Pipe Smokers Clubs use. Oh, and the IAPSC uses 3 grams, so factor that in too.
http://pipesmokersforum.com/community/threads/slow-smoking-competitions.36025/
https://www.smokingpipes.com/smokingpipesblog/single.cfm/post/gayl-liebman-award-winning-pipe-smoker
I have to say besides packing the bowl which has been challenging this past year (newbie). This is the bain of my pipe smoking exsistence ... keeping the pipe lit. I have tried a couple of tips but to this day a little over a year later I have to light my bowl a minimum of 5 times its can be frustrating at times. But I know eventually it will happen.
I use to practice by smoking while i'm driving medium/long distances.
I lit my pipe before taking the highway. Then I can´t attend the pipe again, neither clench it (I think if you chatge it propperly you don't need to clench your pipe and, if so, you reduce your puffing time. I tasted it in my last cotest, I reached only the third position) and of course, I try to make it last as far as possible. And, for the last, I can fix my performance reaching some points in my way, knowing how much time does it takes to reach them.
The first event I ever went to had a slow smoke competition. I mostly went just to hang out with other pipe guys and try the samples, but I did enter the competition for kicks. I was explaining to everyone that I'm a bit of a neophyte, and had no chance of winning. So we loaded the pipes with cube cut (which I had never smoked) and started puffing. By pure dumb luck I end up winning, and I felt like an idiot because I was just joking about how bad I was at keeping the pipe lit.
On the upside I won a new pipe.
@Chris Jeffrey Lol, you pipe shark you. Congrats on the win!
Well cube cut may be the"standard" but I have had other types in less official contests, and the advice I got served me well. "rub it out as fine as you can and then pack carefully and evenly and check the unlit draw, re-pack if you must." And it makes sense that smaller particles with no gaps between them are going to be easier to keep lit with the least amount of effort.
Oh, and the advice let me beat out the fellow who gave it to me, at the 2015 Chicago Show, the only big official competition I have been in. and while I wasn't in with the big winners, you had to break the 60 minute mark for that, I still beat out all the guys I knew in the contest. And like Keith C. (above) I am notorious for having to re-light within my club. LOL
@Al Lanman It's fair advice, and hey, if you can beat out your mentor you're doing pretty well. Good luck for 2017 (if you attend). Let us know how you go.
Like Gessler said of shoemaking:
“I’d iss an art!”