Ask G. L. Pease December 2012 (Volume 20)
-
Kevin Godbee - Jan 8, 2013
- 10 min read
G. L. Pease
Happy New Year. I know. You don’t have to tell me. This is late. Very late. It should have been out in the middle of last month, but it wasn’t. Though I’m sure no one is really interested in my excuses, I’ll tender them anyway, just to make myself feel better.
December was a zany month. Coupled with the weeks of my kid being off school, resulting in long days of Daddy Day Care, it was decided, not by me, mind you, that we at chez Pease should do more entertaining. This, of course, means my being enlisted to do the catering. Brunches, dinners, casual gatherings. For a while, it almost seemed as though I was cultivating something akin to an actual social life. I’m not complaining. I’m actually at my happiest creating menus, shopping for ingredients, prepping and cooking, selecting wines, and enjoying the company of friends and family, not to mention arranging a couple gatherings of a few comrades in briar with the commensurate puffing and puffery, plenty of music, libation and bench-racing. But, enough already!
My resolution for 2013 is to do more of this, though, hopefully, spread out somewhat, rather than having an entire year’s worth of socializing packed into a few short weeks. Now that we seem to have survived the holidays, and the zombie apocalypse, I hope everyone had a wonderful December, filled with life and light and love, and is refreshed and ready for a fabulous year to come. On to the questions.
John asks: I picked up an estate pipe a while ago, excellent condition, looks like it may never have been smoked. It was not expensive at all, probably not great quality – Aldo Velani – but it is beautiful. I can’t get a decent draw out of this thing. The stem is not clogged, as cleaners run through it easily enough. It seems like there is just not enough draft if that is the right word – like the stem was drilled too narrow or something? Ever come across this? Do you think it possible or worthwhile to have it looked at or try any home remedy? Thanks for any thoughts you may share.
A: A great question, John. Some pipes are simply made with small, tight airways. Rarely is it the shank itself; most often, it’s a constriction in the stem. In order to have a thin, comfortable bite-region, with sufficient material thickness to be durable, the hole drilled at this end can be quite small, even if it’s much larger at the tenon end. In order to present a more acceptable draught, this small diameter hole is funneled into an oblong shape, ideally maintaining close to the same cross-sectional area as the larger diameter part of the airway. If you imagine a soda straw, round at one end, but squeezed flatter at the other, you’d have an ideal airway, and this is more or less what most high-grade pipe makers try to accomplish. This is, of course, very time-consuming, and isn’t usually done in less-expensive pipes, especially those with molded, machine-made stems. The solution to the problem is to either have a new stem made, or have the original stem “opened” by a pipesmith. You can do the job yourself, if you’re up to it. There are articles on the net that describe the process in some detail. It’s not neurosurgery, but it does require an intimate knowledge of your tools, an understanding of the materials, and a steady hand, so if you’re not confident in your skills, it’s probably best to send it to a pro.
One of the seemingly infinite number of Kevins that read this column asks: The first 2/3 of the bowl always tastes great to me, but sometimes that final third gets kind of nasty. What’s up with that? I keep my pipes clean, and pack them carefully, but the nastiness still occurs. Is this just how it is?
A: There’s no law mandating that you have to smoke the whole bowl or have your pipe-smoker’s license revoked, and many veteran pipemen I’ve known do dump out that last bit before things go pear shaped. There’s no point in suffering through a nasty, acrid experience just to burn up that last little crumbs of dottle. In fact, I knew a guy who smoked nothing but vintage, well-aged Three Nuns, but only really enjoyed the first half of the bowl. Being a relatively rare and spendy commodity, he’d fill the bottom half with newly made stuff, then fill the top half with his vintage leaf, allowing him to enjoy the old, and dump the new. It was a bizarre approach, but it worked for him.
I do generally smoke to the bottom of the bowl, but am certainly not averse to dumping out the last bit if it begins to go afoul. Of course, ideally we do want to build an even cake to the bottom, and the only way to accomplish this is to smoke to the end. It’s a noble goal, but presents something of a bootstrapping problem, since a well caked pipe will tend to smoke better at the bottom, and if we keep dumping the last bit when it gets nasty, that cake will never develop. So, how do we get there?
Conventional wisdom tells us to break in our pipes from the bottom up, smoking third bowls until the cake begins to form, then 2/3 bowls, and, finally, full ones. Though it certainly makes some sense, it seems a bit fiddly and fussy to me, and those one-third-bowls never taste as good as a the first third of a full bowl, so, in a way, we’re still suffering a similar ill—smoking something we’re not enjoying as much as we should. Since I smoke for pleasure, and don’t want anything interfering with that, at least if I can avoid it, I tend break in my pipes the way I want to smoke them, filling them to the top, and smoking carefully until they’re done. From my own hedonistic perspective, it’s a more workable approach, and I actually enjoy breaking in new pipes.
One thing that has helped me derive more pleasure from the last of the bowl, even in new pipes, is to reduce how often and how hard I tamp the ash. Like most smokers, I began by using the tamper too often, and with too much pressure, resulting in an increasingly dense, damp, hard-to-light plug of mundungus at the bottom of the bowl. I’ve learned to only tamp when necessary before relighting, and to only just touch the ash; the weight of the tamper is sufficient to do the job, and helps to keep things from being overpacked.
Ideally, it would seem that the tobacco towards the bottom of a properly filled pipe should be the loosest, which is hard to achieve with a “three-pinch” method, since the pressure used in each layer will increase the density of the tobacco below it. Further, as the tobacco burns, moisture will be produced, and this, especially in combination with heat causes the leaf to swell, so a pipe that’s packed “just right” initially can become too tight, making it harder to keep lit, and, worse, harder to relight when it goes out. I’ve taken the heretical approach of filling the bowl very loosely to the top, tapping the bowl to settle things down, then topping it up with tobacco mounded over the top and pressing it down just enough to get the right draw – a sort of “two-pinch" method. The draw still inevitably becomes somewhat more restricted as the smoke progresses, but on those rare occasions when I get it just right, the whole bowl goes relatively smoothly.
That said, some tobaccos, especially stronger ones, just don’t taste as good when they’ve “loaded up” with the moisture and distillates from the burning tobacco above, while others seem to get richer and more flavorful as the bowl progresses. The same thing is true in cigars, where some smoke wonderfully to the very nub, whilst others begin to get harsh and acrid in the final stretch. So, it may simply be the tobacco you’re smoking, and no amount of technique will fix it. The pipe never ceases to be a source of unsolved mysteries…
Another Kevin (I’m beginning to suspect some sort of conspiracy) writes: What’s the rule on pipe rotations and cleaning? I was given conflicting advice. One source implied that you should clean the pipe with pipe cleaners and let it sit for at least 24 hours after smoking one bowl. Another said you can keep re-filling the pipe all day, and then it has to be cleaned and rested for 24 hours. I usually follow the former, but have also done the latter with up to 3 – 4 re-fills with no problem. Does it depend on the pipe, tobacco, or how you smoke?
A: The answer is probably D: All of the above. I have pipes that are more tolerant of being smoked constantly than others, and some that will punish me if I smoke them twice without a fortnight’s rest between bowls. My general rule has been to smoke a pipe once, maybe twice, and then clean it well and rack it for a while, and I have always found the well rested pipes deliver the cleanest, sweetest smoke. But, I was talking with Larry Roush one day, and he insisted that I could smoke his pipes all day without problems, so I gave it a go, smoking my Pokerhawk a couple times a day for several days. I will say that it didn’t suffer much for this mistreatment, but the first bowl was definitely the best one.
Wet smokers will probably find their pipes souring faster than dry smokers, and, by extension, wet-smoking tobaccos will foul things faster than dry-smoking ones, so the type of tobacco smoked has a significant role to play in this equation. Personal preference must also be taken into consideration. I know guys who will smoke the same pipe day in and day out, and never seem to suffer any ills from it. Could be they know something I don’t… In any event, keep it clean and let it cool between smokes, and beyond that, whatever—works for you is right. Have I mentioned that the pipe never ceases to be a source of unsolved mysteries? Wait. I did. In response to another Kevin. It is a conspiracy!
Greg (no, it’s not me—I do ask myself questions, but rarely in public) asks: Can things like age or processing of the leaf increase its nicotine content? I’ve read several times that the nicotine content can be higher in aged tobaccos, but that just doesn’t make sense.
A: You’re right; it doesn’t make sense, because it’s just plain wrong. The tobacco plants synthesize nicotine within their root structures, which is then transported to and stored in the stalk and leaves. Once the plant is harvested and cured, its metabolic processes cease, onaccounta it’s dead. Expecting more nicotine, or any other metabolite, to be miraculously generated after the leaf is dead is like expecting a chicken to get up and dance, or lay eggs after it’s been spatchcocked and roasted. It’s not going to happen. In fact, since nicotine is somewhat volatile, any processing that takes place after the harvest is likely to reduce nicotine percentage, especially if heat is involved.
One possible explanation for the apparent increase in nicotine in aged leaf would be the result of an increase in pH due to chemical changes over time. The higher the pH (more alkaline), the more readily available nicotine in the smoke stream can be absorbed. If the aging of the leaf reduces sugars, the pH of the smoke will likely rise, increasing the bioavailability of Vitamin-N. But, this doesn’t always seem to be the case. I’ve often found aged tobaccos to be milder in effect, possibly the result of nicotine degradation over time. I’ve never had aged tobaccos sent out for analysis, so I’m only speculating there. Something for further research!
Yet another Kevin wrote: Is the pipe a phallic symbol?
A: Only if you want it to be. Sometimes, a pipe is just a pipe. Some of those ludicrously large cigars that are being made these days, on the other hand…
That’s it for this edition. Keep your cards and letters coming, as long as your name isn’t Kevin.
-glp
 Since 1999, Gregory L. Pease has been the principal alchemist behind the blends of G.L. Pease Artisanal Tobaccos. He’s been a passionate pipeman since his university days, having cut his pipe teeth at the now extinct Drucquer & Sons Tobacconist in Berkeley, California. Greg is also author of The Briar & Leaf Chronicles, a photographer, recovering computer scientist, sometimes chef, and creator of The Epicure’s Asylum. See our interview with G. L. Pease here. |
Written by Kevin Godbee
4 Responses
Recent Posts
His grandfather came to the US with a $50 gold coin in his shoe, opened up a cigar shop, and his most famous customer was Babe Ruth. He holds the record for the longest slow smoke in the world at over 24 hours, and he is the only man who stopped Chuck Norris from round-house kicking the Nording Pipe Statue. The most interesting man in the world, Jonathan Goldsmith, stopped by the Chicago Pipe Show this year to get kissed on the cheek by Neal Osborn. Wait, what? OK, I kid. Jonathan came to honor his friend and fishing buddy Steve Norse of Vermont Freehand at the annual Doctors and Masters of Pipes award dinner. Steve was one of the two recipients of the Masters of Pipes award and asked Johnathan to show up and add some color to his acceptance speech. Slightly overshadowed but no less important! Jay Furman was also honored as this year’s hobbyist Master of Pipes, joining me and a pipe-star-studded list of great contributors to the hobby and profession of pipes. Jay is a character in his own right. While I don’t know him as well as I would like, I’ve learned that he’s a kind-hearted collector who started the Artisan Pipe Makers Club, a place where new artisans learn, grow, and are challenged. There are around 60 artisans who participate, collaborate, and learn. Jay and Mike Bishop also started the Long Island Pipe Club, which has around 50 members and meets twice a month on different sides of the island. What is not featured here are pictures of the Doctors of Pipes. Both recipients were unable to attend: Marco Parascenzo – Doctor of Pipes, Trade/Industry Regis MacCafferty – Doctor of Pipes, Hobby Please join us in congratulating these newly inducted Doctors and Masters of Pipes. It is a great honor, and each of these men embodies what our hobby and industry strive to do: grow, educate, and cultivate its future. I encourage everyone to attend the dinner next year as it’s always illuminating. And now, on with the show. Sort of. You may be wondering what the most interesting pipe smoker in the world smokes…. I didn’t miss the opportunity to chat with this incredibly nice man, whom Brian Levine and I also remembered from one of our favorite TV shows, the A-Team. He was also in many other shows from the 80s, such as Magnum PI, Murder She Wrote, Dallas, and MacGyver, just to name a few. Jonathan: I actually enjoy simple and readily available tobacco like Captain Black or some black cavendish from my local cigar and pipe shop in Vermont. What about your first pipe? Jonathan: I picked up my first pipe; I think it was a billiard when I was in London many years ago at a place called James Fox. How often do you smoke? Jonathan: Almost every day. I enjoy a pipe in the morning and a cigar in the afternoon. I want to thank Jonathan Goldsmith for taking a few minutes to sit down with me and being gracious enough to snap pictures with many of us at the show; it was a ton of fun and made this year’s show even more memorable! This year, the Chicago Pipe Show kicked it up a notch with a new location, new signage, new pre-registration and payment system, new show executive staff, and lots of new surprises. Now, Tim Garrity, President of the Chicagoland Pipe Club, tells me that over 400 attendees were at the show, but they are still tabulating the numbers too, so this is subject to getting updated and expanded. We do have our dates for next year at this same location – the first weekend of May at the Hyatt Regency, Chicago O’Hare. Of course, like any good Chicago show, there was plenty of room hopping and the announcement board. The signage this year was super helpful in knowing where to go when to go, and what tables our favorite vendors were at. While the show was jam-packed, the spacing of the tables allowed everyone to move around freely and didn’t feel over-crowded as the tables and isles were spaced out to allow room for vendors and collectors to stretch out. The smoking tent was hopping all the time, but luckily, air flow and some great air purifiers by Lake Air kept it fresh. As usual, there was a great sample table with tons of things to try in the tent, and on your way to the tent, there was a conveniently placed cash bar. This year the tent was 25% bigger than last year, although you wouldn’t notice because there were more people at the show! Kaywoodie is under new Management. At the show, I chatted with Nathan “Greywoodie” Davis about how he came to take over the 173-year-old company. Tell me how this happened. Nathan: This month is my 5th anniversary of Greywoodie opening. I was friends with Bill and had a huge collection of Kaywoodies – I approached him about having them available outside of brick and mortar. He had no online presence and didn’t sell direct. He said if I wanted them to be more available, the best thing I could do was quit my job and sell them myself. He was mostly kidding because I had a really good job in the legal profession, but I wasn’t happy so one day I did give him a call and said “hey whats your minimum order,” and he said “You didn’t just quit your job because I was joking?” I did and I started out that way as an online retailer. So, in working with him, we did exclusives, and I learned about pipe making from him, both production and hand-made. We brought back some historical lines as well, and soon enough, I was helping to make the pipes I was buying from him. It was great for him to get my labor […]
Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 605. Our featured interview tonight is with Pete Prevost. Pete is a pipe maker and the President of the BriarWorks pipe factory in Columbia Tennessee. BriarWorks is a a pipe maker co-op with several other pipe makers, including Todd Johnson, who co-founded it with Pete. Brian and Pete will be talking about what’s new at BriarWorks, and how they are getting ready to attend the Chicago pipe show. (This was recorded before the show that took place last weekend.) At the top of the show, Brian will give his report of his travels and what happened at the Chicago show.
When I first started with the pipe as a quirky and precocious teen, the only tutelage I had at my disposal were scenes from old movies in which a well dressed chap would stick his pipe into a pouch, scoop tobacco into the bowl and press it down unceremoniously with his thumb. Then, with great flourish, he’d strike a match and light the thing with all manner of cinematic excess, puffing up vast clouds of smoke falling just short of completely obscuring his visage. While it may look good on film, it’s a terrible approach to actually enjoying the thing. Somehow, though, this “technique” seems to have survived in the contemporary vernacular, at least to some extent, even with bit-loads of information handily at our fingertips that should dissuade us from the practice. But, at the time, this misguided approach was all I had; it’s no wonder my early days of puffing were fraught with difficult lighting, harsh, bitter smokes and tongue bite, all culminating in a fireproof mass of ye old soggy dottle in the bottom of the bowl. Ultimately, the resulting frustration made me give up the pipe, at least for a while. While the idea of it was still very appealing, the practice of it was not. It wasn’t until a few years later when, still full of curiosity and romantic notions of pipe smoking, I wandered into a real tobacconist’s shop, and learned my “method” was a long way from the techniques that would bring me to any sort of pipe smoking bliss. So, after my poor start, and under the guidance of someone who actually seemed to know how to do it right, I was given the opportunity to approach the process anew, this time with much greater success. It was only because I was both perseverent, and fortunate to have a local shop staffed with knowledgeable people, that I’ve been able to enjoy the experience ever since. At least mostly… How many fledgeling pipe smokers have simply given up on an enjoyable pastime because of similar early mis-starts? Fortunately, today, it’s not hard to find helpful guidance at the press of a key or ten. But, at the same time, not all roads lead to Valhalla, and sometimes the advice offered might well be labeled with, “Here be dragons.” The other day, I came across a short video on-line in which a well-meaning tobacconist suggested packing a bowl of an “English” mixture “nice and tight.” Perhaps somewhat ironically, I was smoking, or trying to smoke a bowl that I’d filled on auto-pilot, packed too tightly, and not only was having the devil of a time trying to keep it lit, I really wasn’t enjoying the acrid smoke the tobacco issued during the brief periods in which it was actually burning. “No, no, NO!” I found myself muttering at my pipe, and at the figure on the screen, my protests joined by the guttural growling noises that sometimes accompany my discontent. Defiantly, I grabbed a pipe nail, shoveled out the dense, asbestos-like clog from the bowl, swabbed out the shank with a pipe cleaner, more out of habit than need since I hadn’t actually smoked enough of the mass to foul the shank, and started over, this time paying proper attention to what I was doing. (For as long as I’ve been doing this, I still screw it all up sometimes.) Much better. This got me thinking about a couple things that are so important to the maximal enjoyment of our pipes, yet not often enough discussed, namely how different tobaccos respond to variations in filling density, and moisture content; two separate but related parameters. Once I’d been shown the proper way to fill the bowl, or at least a proper way, everything had changed for me. I also began drying my tobacco down as a matter of course. Suddenly, there was greater cooperation between leaf and flame, the smoke was rich and flavorful, and it burned mostly to the bottom of the bowl with few relights. Given that, at the time, I smoked latakia mixtures almost exclusively, there didn’t seem to be a reason to explore beyond my “new” approach. It wasn’t until my attention turned in the direction of Virginia blends that I had to look a bit deeper. The same technique that worked so well for me with latakia mixtures resulted in bland, and often harsh smokes with Virginias. I attributed this to the tobaccos, convincing myself that I just didn’t like the stuff. At one of our pipe club meetings, I was talking with a friend who smoked Three Nuns exclusively. When he offered me a bowl. I thanked him, and told him that I just didn’t seem to get along well with Virginias, that they weren’t for me. “Maybe it’s the way you pack them. Here, let me fill your pipe for you.” I watched as he rubbed out a few coins to fine ribbons, moister than I was then accustomed to, and filled the bowl carefully in stages, pressing it tighter than I would have. Prepared for a nightmare, I was instead treated to a pipe dream. The tobacco smoldered slowly and almost continuously, delivering a rich, cool, sweet and delicious smoke. After that, I spent some time exploring the impact of these two variables, moisture content and packing density, on different mixtures and blends, always with similar results. Latakia mixtures, and to a lesser extent, those with a high percentage of oriental leaf, taste and smoke better when they’re on the dry side and the bowl is filled loosely, while Virginia blends tend to work best with a little more moisture and a denser fill. Burleys seem to work best somewhere in between, except for cube-cuts, which don’t like to be packed with much pressure at all. (Gravity fill, tap the bowl to settle the cubes. Repeat until full.) For such a simple act, pipe smoking is filled with undefined complexities! The point behind all this? Often […]
Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 604. Our featured interview tonight is with Jon David Cole. JD is the Owner/Tobacconist at The Country Squire in Jackson, MS, and he is the former co-host of the podcast, Country Squire Radio, which ended their 10-year run last year. We’ll have JD with the “From the Country Squire” segment talking about all the new things happening at the store and in the business in general. At the top of the show, we’ll continue our audio tour of Brian’s pipe collection.
Before we begin, I should tell you: this tobacco review is being written by an A.I. Not the fancy new GPTs or their ilk; no, this is last century’s meat-and-bone, all-organic model. To be fair, a large part of what we call knowledge is merely the accumulated perceptions and impressions gathered from a life wandered through, synthesized into a spongy mass of what-it-is-that-we-think-that-we-know. The algorithm for this prompt is simple enough: pump thousands of bowls of smoldering plant matter into a gaping maw, cross-reference the chemical sensations with all other matter previously ingested or inhaled, sieve it all through the diffuse and fractal twin lens of memory and emotion, and churn out a panoply of adjectives that attempts to convey the sensations to someone who hasn’t experienced it yet. Odds are that a diligently trained monkey could succeed half the time; if this reviewer nears fifty-one percent then that would qualify as an unrivaled success. There must have been some similar musings perambulating through the mind of Per Jensen when he began his mad scientist routine at Sutliff with the Pipe Force project, which brings us to the current mixture under the microscope—Sutliff’s Pipe Force: Episode I. Here again are the unusual ingredients that engendered the series, with the stoved Rustica being the defining voice in this composition. From the tin: The Latakia-forward English mixture offers plenty of smoky flavor from the fire-cured leaf, which is artfully harmonized with floral, earthy Stoved Rustica. A mixture of high-grade Virginias imparts a natural sweetness. Katerini, the sole Oriental component, offers herb and spice notes bringing complexity and nuance to the flavor profile. It’s certainly Latakia-forward, with the stoved Rustica doubling up on the rhythm section like a second bassist. A first whiff from the tin releases the aromas of shoe leather and hide glue in a base of clay soil with a campfire wafted over it like last night’s beach party. Once it’s been accustomed to oxygen again, subtle hints of sweetness poke through from the Virginias: lemon rind, light milk chocolate, the dregs of a peaty Scotch, and muddled cherry. Old regulars like fresh-sawn oak and tilled earth are there, of course, with distinct notes of truffle, creosote, damp peat, and pine bark mulch. As an aside, I’ve been re-potting my camellias and the similarity of aroma to the ericaceous soil mix is notable; the Katerini really brings the unique depth of its vegetal complexion when supported by the Rustica and afforded more voice in the mix. The smoky Cyprian Latakia, in turn, is backed by equal earthiness from the Rustica, which overall exhibits a profile similar to dark-fired Kentucky; it leans more toward the woody and vegetal end of that spectrum, echoing and amplifying those traits of the other constituents. The tobacco is presented pressed and cut into a couple of thick, hearty flakes in the tin, lightly moist and easily crumbled to prepare—I prefer mine with a bit of drying time. The out-of-this-world tin art for this episode in the series is Major O’Meara smoking a cavalier. In the absence of confirmation, I’m going to hazard a guess he’s of the Ithklur species. The first taste from the light is sweet, with hints of that milk chocolate dancing around the edges. The Virginia leads the smoke through the top of the bowl, and orchestrates it well. Thoroughly smoky with lemony, grassy highlights from the Virginia spectrum, it soon segues into the mid-bowl profile: heartier, smokier, with the flavor leaning to the mildly acrid and tangy tinge that is the campfire-esque signature of English blends. Caution advised, it can turn overly bitter if pushed—this is where one’s sipping technique is required to maintain the fullness of flavor through to the heel. I did tend toward a lot of relights, though it may have as much to do with technique as with the blend. Pacing is also important as the nicotine starts to manifest; though the Rustica’s contribution has been tempered well by the stoving, it can certainly upend an empty stomach. At the end of every bowl, the mouthfeel somehow gets better. The balance of sugars in the tobaccos would seem to be spot-on in this regard. I started out my tasting in cobs, then cut short an unpleasant bowl in a meer, and finally landed on my best instrument with the lovely Dunhill 4427 pictured, a quaint group 4 shell briar with a gentle curve and Cumberland stem supporting a perfectly executed acorn bowl. It surprised me here, as I’ve learned through the years that I generally have the best experience with English blends in large, wide bowls. With this blend it seems that to get the best out of the Katerini’s somewhat diaphanous influence the smaller bowl fared much better. Room note is very English, so the company you keep will either love it or hate it, and it doesn’t linger too much. I find it paired best with a strong coffee; Sumatran beans complement the flavors well, as do Ethiopian if a lighter brew is preferred. Overall impressions of the blend are that it’s a curiously interesting take on the English genre, almost a reductive reconstruction of the theme using the unique components. This blend, if nothing else, expanded my vocabulary of sense perceptions with the uniquely treated leaf. While the average human can distinguish approximately one trillion (1,000,000,000,000!) different aromas, multiplied by seven basic tastes, and wholly dependent on variables from body chemistry to atmospheric conditions, our overworked and underpaid simian brains can’t effectively catalog them all. Our pet adding machines are exceedingly good at this, however, and someday soon they’ll be the ultimate and unequivocal authority on what something tastes, smells, looks, or even feels like. Until that time, friends, revel in the moments that can be stolen to savor over a bowl of Pipe Force: Episode I.
Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 603. Our featured interview tonight is with Rick Newcombe. Rick is a well-known author of several pipe books, and he is currently working on his third book. He is a prominent collector of Danish pipes, and vintage tobaccos. He has traveled the world visiting pipe makers, and learning their different techniques. He is also the founder and chairman of Creators Syndicate, which currently represents more than 200 writers and artists. At the top of the show we’ll have a Pipe Smoking 101 segment discussing best pipe shapes and sizes that are best suited to certain types of tobacco.
Thanks for another great read Greg, as always it was informative and humorous. It is nice to know that you break your pipes in the same way I do. I never saw the sense in doing it half way or in thirds because the top of the bowl will not develop a cake as quickly as the bottom. I have easily broken in over 100 pipes in my years of smoking them, and everyone has had a nice even cake built up using my method. I also enjoy breaking in new pipes, love the briar flavor at the end of the bowl.
I almost always smoke all the way to the bottom, maybe it is the blends I smoke(Virginia and Virginia/Perique Flakes) or the fact that I dump out ash a few times each bowl, but I find the flavors get more intense and better the lower I go. At least a couple of times a week I will suck in ash trying to get the last little bit of flavor. You would think I would learn not to do that after all these years, but I am a greedy bastard when it comes to flavor.
My experience with resting pipes is that at least one day for every bowl smoked in it. I generally rest them longer,but when I am breaking in a new pipe, I will smoke one bowl every other day for at least 3 weeks and the pipe gets broken in fairly quickly. I have never considered it a chore to break in a pipe, and I do like the taste of briar in the first however many bowls the flavor lasts.
Great article as usual. It should also be posted somewhere for newbie advice as it covers two common issues- how long to smoke a bowl, and how often to rotate.
Thanks!
Regarding the filling method, I’ve never had much luck with ‘three pinches’. One big pinch, loosely inserted. A few more scraps to build a top. Some fusiness with crumbs to make a surface. And as far as tamping is concerned, the best smokes are at the kitchen sink doing the dishes, when I cannot tamp.
Naturally my apartment mate is pleased with that last part.
Great article – well worth the wait & glad Greg had such an enjoyable change of pace over the holidays – lucky guests.
I have sometimes experienced some negative smoking characteristics during the latter part of a smoke with bowls that narrow at the base which tend to magnify anything from insufficient cleaning, ghosting and any negative tendencies the tobacco smoked has late on. Also when I smoke a bit too fast and hot (sadly all too frequently) this too can accentuate the negative qualities of a tobacco as the smoke draws towards its close.
I too had a problem with draw in the stem of a recently bought pipe. In this case the problem seemed to be with a distortion in the airway where it was bent as a pipe cleaner passed through it met resistance at the tenon end. Very fortunately another pipe I bought at the same time by the same maker came with two stems and one of those fitted the problem pipe perfectly – I suspect the maker had realised the bad stem was defective and made a replacement but somehow still sent off the defective stem and he, or the pipe shop, then mixed up the stems.