Blowing smoke rings is often the number one request a pipe smoker may get at a social gathering. It's an impressive-looking talent and the better you get at it, the more smoke rings you can set up at once. It may take some time to learn, but nearly anyone can make smoke rings and, like riding a bike or using gum to blow bubbles, once you learn you don't tend to forget.

Blowing smoke rings with tobacco pipes of any kind does come with more challenges than attempting to blow smoke rings while using a hookah or smoking a cigar. This is due to the quantity of smoke and the smoking action required with these other methods. Below are several tips and methods you can use to blow the best smoke rings possible while smoking a pipe.

Choose the Right Tobacco

The first step to blowing the best smoke rings is choosing the right tobacco to work with. It is possible to make smoke rings with any type of tobacco. However, for beginners, choosing a tobacco that produces dense, thick smoke can make it easier to perfect the shape of the “O” and see exactly where you might be going wrong.

Choose the Right Tobacco Pipe

In order to blow smoke rings or do any sort of trick with smoke, you will need to take a longer drag from the pipe than you may be used to. If you're not careful, this can lead to a pipe heating up quicker and more severely than it should and lead to bite or burns.

There are many types of tobacco pipes to choose from, and not all of them have the same benefits. Meerschaum pipes, in particular, heat up more slowly and withstand hotter temperatures than other types of tobacco pipes. This makes a meerschaum pipe easier for a beginner to control when attempting a trick like making smoke rings. However, you can still use any type of tobacco pipe to successfully blow a smoke ring with enough patience.

Choose a Calm Environment

Smoke rings are delicate. Getting smoke rings to appear is almost impossible on a breezy day, no matter how good your technique is. Choosing the right tobacco will help, but smoke rings are best made and practiced indoors or in a calm space with no breeze and little airflow.

Get Your Form Right

The easiest way to get into the form of making a smoke ring is to think of the word “doughnut.” Try and say the word with just a little exaggeration and stop as you get to the end of “dough.” Your mouth should now be in an “O” shape with your tongue in just the right position it needs to be in to start a smoke ring.

From this shape, press your tongue straight out as if you are pushing the air out of your mouth. Practice this a few times until you can go straight into this routine after taking a drag from your tobacco pipe. Many people describe the best way to gather this much smoke as taking a long, smooth sip. You do not need to inhale the smoke but, rather, you need to keep the smoke inside of your mouth.

If you have trouble keeping enough smoke in your mouth, you may need to practice using your tongue to block off your throat so you do not inhale smoke further than it needs to go.

Improving the Shape

To improve the shape of your rings, it's important to remember a few things. First, always open your mouth slowly. Keep your lips against your teeth and move your jaw in order to open your mouth and create an “O” shape. Making smoke rings requires more space than most people realize.

Push, Don't Blow

Exhaling when trying to blow a smoke ring may be the most common mistake. “Blowing” smoke rings is a bit of a misnomer. When creating a smoke ring, it won't matter what tools you're using if you keep trying to “blow” the rings out of your mouth.

The action would be better described as a gentle push. Ideally, once you have trapped enough smoke in your mouth, you only need to open up into that “O” shape and very gently push the smoke out with your tongue. No exhale should be required, the smoke should naturally flow out of your mouth, with your tongue shaping the hole in the center of the ring.

Keep Practicing and Go Slow

Blowing smoke rings isn't something most people learn to do in a few minutes. It can take several hours of concentrated effort to get the form down and create a perfect smoke ring, even if you have the perfect tobacco and a selection of meerschaum pipes to choose from.

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The calmer you are while practicing, the easier it will be to keep the smoke in your mouth and the less likely you will be to exhale too quickly. While they are impressive, it can be helpful to remember that blowing smoke rings is a leisure activity.

Blowing the best smoke rings is a combination of equipment, knowledge, and time. After you get the hang of it, you can make smoke rings with anything from a simple briar pipe to the most intricate meerschaum pipes filled with whichever tobacco you please.