How long can you let your tobacco sit?

[rbbrock]

A quick question from this pipe newbie. One of the nice things about a pipe is you can let it go out and relight without a problem. But how long can you let it sit before it starts to get nasty. I had a pipe going yesterday and was really enjoying it, but had to leave it and ended up being a couple of hours before I could come back to finish the bowl. I dumped the ash, tamped lightly and relit, and although the tobacco lit fine it was such a nasty, old ashes taste that after trying for a few minutes to get through it and let the flavor come back, I ended up just dumping what was left of the bowl.

It's not that big of a deal, half a bowl of pipe tobacco is, what, 25 to 50 cents' worth? I'm just curious if there's a rule of thumb or something on how long a half-smoked bowl can sit before it turns.

 

[bfreebern]

I haven't done this, but I've read of people coming back to a pipe after 24 hrs. I think it has a lot to do with the tobacco (aro vs non) and how it handles the sitting/relighting.

 

[Pipe Smoker]

There are plenty of people who intentionally start a bowl and then let it sit for a day or more. They call it DGT (Delayed Gratification Technique or something like that). Some people are huge proponents of it, but I could take it or leave it. I certainly don't mind letting the pipe sit for a long time, but I don't do it on purpose. Typically I'll start working on something in the garage, put the pipe down and forget about it. Sometimes I don't get back it for a few days.

My guess is your problem was probably not the tobacco but the pipe. I find that it is important to run a pipe cleaner through the pipe after its been sitting for a while (even a short while). Folks who intentionally let their pipes sit will also run a cleaner through right away, then again when the come back to it.

 

[bfreebern]

There are plenty of people who intentionally start a bowl and then let it sit for a day or more. They call it DGT (Delayed Gratification Technique or something like that). Some people are huge proponents of it, but I could take it or leave it. I certainly don't mind letting the pipe sit for a long time, but I don't do it on purpose. Typically I'll start working on something in the garage, put the pipe down and forget about it. Sometimes I don't get back it for a few days.

My guess is your problem was probably not the tobacco but the pipe. I find that it is important to run a pipe cleaner through the pipe after its been sitting for a while (even a short while). Folks who intentionally let their pipes sit will also run a cleaner through right away, then again when the come back to it.

Yep, good point. Who knows what the moisture does to the pipe if not cleaned out right away. I've had a pipe go sour on me and I ran a pipe cleaner in it, then it tasted fine as I finished it.

 

[rbbrock]

There are plenty of people who intentionally start a bowl and then let it sit for a day or more. They call it DGT (Delayed Gratification Technique or something like that). Some people are huge proponents of it, but I could take it or leave it. I certainly don't mind letting the pipe sit for a long time, but I don't do it on purpose. Typically I'll start working on something in the garage, put the pipe down and forget about it. Sometimes I don't get back it for a few days.

My guess is your problem was probably not the tobacco but the pipe. I find that it is important to run a pipe cleaner through the pipe after its been sitting for a while (even a short while). Folks who intentionally let their pipes sit will also run a cleaner through right away, then again when the come back to it.

Yep, good point. Who knows what the moisture does to the pipe if not cleaned out right away. I've had a pipe go sour on me and I ran a pipe cleaner in it, then it tasted fine as I finished it.

Missed these replies for some reason. I was out and about without any pipe cleaners when this happened, so that's probably what it is. Of course, I now have a pack of cleaners stashed in my truck so that won't be an issue again, but it's good to know that it should be ok if I just do the right prep work. I was smoking Presbyterian when this happened, so it's not a case of an aromatic turning funky or anything. I was really enjoying the smoke, too, so I was kind of bummed when I tried to start it back up and it was gross.

I did go through and give my pipes a good, thorough cleaning recently so I may try this again just to see how it goes. Thanks for the information guys.

 

[LilBastage]

I've not had good luck with this practice. I'm all for being frugal, but honestly if I can't finish a pipe I just dump what's left. I'm never smoking something so expensive that it would disappoint me to dump it unless I know 100% I'll have time to finish the pipe.

 

[rbbrock]

I've not had good luck with this practice. I'm all for being frugal, but honestly if I can't finish a pipe I just dump what's left. I'm never smoking something so expensive that it would disappoint me to dump it unless I know 100% I'll have time to finish the pipe.

If it doesn't work out for me the next time, this is where I'll end up as well. It's not nearly as bad as leaving half a $10+ cigar, after all.