Lighting up

Matches and pipe lighters can be used. Special pipe matches are produced from sulphur-free, untreated wood. Most pipe lighters produce a flame that comes from the side of the lighter rather than the top, enabling the user to light the tobacco with ease and precision. Naturally, GERMANUS offers a whole series of pipe lighters.

Rather than apply the flame to a single point, move it around in a circular motion. Flame contact should be brief, meaning 1-3 seconds.
If the wood shows clear signs of charring, the flame contact was obviously too long.

When lighting up, draw gently and evenly on the pipe.

In most cases, the tobacco on the surface will swell up. This is entirely normal.
Most experienced pipe smokers will let their pipe go out after first lighting it, then carefully press down the unravelled tobacco with a pipe tool and light up again. Applying flame is much easier second time around, with the tobacco surface now perfectly even.
Tobacco tampers are one tool in the pipe smoker’s arsenal primarily designed for this purpose. Under no circumstances should a tamper be used to tamp the pipe forcefully in the manner of an old-fashioned muzzle-loader.