A pipe lighter gives some information as to the correct way to light a pipe. Most of these lighters contains some attachments which are used in the tamping and cleaning process. Properly packing and cleaning the pipe before and after use is vital to the best smoking experience.

The small cleaning attachments should be used on the pipe first. Clean any old tobacco out of the bowl, a bit will tend to stick when it is tapped out. Check the pipe to make sure there’s no resistance when it’s not packed. Now comes the packing process. This is a bit complex but knowing how to pack the pipe makes all the difference.

There will be two stages of packing the pipe. After the tobacco is cleaned, making certain there are no clumps or impurities in the tobacco, fill up the bowl halfway and tamp it down. Draw through the unlit pipe to make certain that there’s no resistance. Pack the bowl the rest of the way and tamp down the tobacco until it is level with the top of the bowl. Before the final smoking light, the tobacco needs to be properly dried.

Lighting the pipe is much different than is lighting a cigar or a cigarette. First, one must eliminate any moisture from the tobacco. Hold the flame above the tobacco and draw it down by puffing lightly. Get the tobacco smoking but don’t light it. The tobacco will puff up and take on a shaggy appearance. Tamp it back into the bowl and level it out again.

The first lighting is to eliminate any moisture. Don’t set the tobacco burning, just puff a few times until the tobacco fluffs up. After the bowl is tamped down again and tested for an easy draw, hold the lighter above the tobacco and puff a few times until the tobacco achieves a nice, cool burn. When the pipe is properly-lit, the tobacco can burn for a long time and the smoke will be cool and mellow. Fluid-filled lighters can provide years of service and many of them come with attachments specifically for tamping and cleaning the pipe.