Did I Just Ghost My New Pipe?

[americaman]

I bought a new pipe and I loaded it up with half a bowl of Erinmore a friend had gifted me. I wanted to dedicate this pipe to Virginias, so why not?

I was absolutely loving the blend, and the pipe is magical, yet halfway through my half a bowl I noticed that there was a unique taste to the tobacco. Worried that I was smoking a blend I knew nothing about besides being a Virginia, I stopped. I wanted to prevent any potential of a ghost. I then went on tobaccoreviews.com and the second review said that this can ghost a pipe.

Dang it! So I’ve smoked about a quarter of a bowl in this new pipe, and it definitely left a funky smell in the pipe. Is all hope lost, or can I clean out the possibility of a ghost? This pipe is phenomenal and I would not want to be stuck smoking Erinmore, even though it is an incredible blend.

 

[seanv]

Ghosting is overrated in my opinion. Smoke a few bowls if something else and it is gone most likely. Don't let the internet make your rules

 

[mikefu]

Yes. Yes you did. Use the hot water cleaning method and then run some neutral burley through it for 3-6 bowls and you should be pretty good and un-ghosted though.

 

[saintpeter]

There is an old, old thread about this that might be worth your while to read. No, I am not trying to ressurect a zombie thread.

Ghosting One's Mouth :: General Pipe Smoking Discussion

I am becoming acquainted with Erinmore Flake, and quite like it. However - tonight everything I have smoked thereafter has that Erinmore taste! My favorite Escudo? bit of Erinmore taste. Angler's Dream, good neutral burley? Erinmore taste. Different pipes, mind you? Omg. Anyone experience this...

pipesmagazine.com

 

[shanez]

I have one particular pipe I abuse on a regular basis. I've smoked so much different stuff in it the ghosts all ran for their lives.

I suppose if I were really into a particular blend type I might dedicate a pipe to it but I've got 40-ish blends in my rotation so I don't worry about it.

 

[oldgeezersmoker]

The version of Erinmore made in recent decades is no where near, either in casings, toppings or strength of the underlying tobaccos, what it used to be. In the early 80’s, it was the premier example of at least a very difficult ghost to exorcise. I took a 15 year hiatus from pipe smoking, returning in 2016. If you asked me to list what changes have been most noteworthy to me that occurred in my absence, the Internet paranoia about ghosting pipes would be number one.

 

[raybrown55]

A couple years ago I've smoked a full tin of Erinmore in a pipe that I normally dedicate to Virginias and I've had no problem in reusing it with Virginia tobaccos after Erinmore, so don't worry...

 

[tradition]

Forgetaboutit

 

[danimalia]

I'm kind of with some of the fellas above in that I have not found ghosting to be a very big deal. I rarely detect them, and when I do, they tend to go away after a few bowls. Mind you, I normally smoke non-aros, but I do smoke plenty of blends with an added flavoring, including a tin of Erinmore in my VA pipe. I'd at least wait for a problem to assert itself before starting to worry about it. Especially since you enjoy Erinmore!

 

[olkofri]

halfway through my half a bowl I noticed that there was a unique taste to the tobacco

Could you have been tasting bowl coating? Did you say that was a new pipe?

 

[mso489]

I can't tell you how you taste things, but I doubt you have done anything much to your new pipe. First, you haven't built any cake, which is a prime carrier of ghosts. You don't have to build cake in your pipe at all, but that's another subject. Smoke something neutral like a fairly plain unflavored burley or a Virginia, whatever you prefer. The current one-bowl ghost will soon be gone, if it was ever there. If you are one of these folks with very sensitive taste buds, you might want to designate all your pipes to specific blends or genres, but most of us don't have that sensitive taste and smell functions, even if we taste quite well. Relax. Everyone gets a little hyped and irrational with a fine new pipe. It wouldn't be fun if we didn't.

 

[anotherbob]

Ghosting is overrated in my opinion. Smoke a few bowls if something else and it is gone most likely. Don't let the internet make your rules

going to second this.

 

[olkofri]

There are two main things I ponder/wonder about ghosting: one, that it is indeed overrated; two, if it happens more to pipes with cake. I don't build cake in my pipes, so I cannot test the latter; but I've wondered many times if my thorough and sometimes a bit intense wiping with paper towel afer every smoke in order to keep the chambers smooth clean has helped prevent ghosting.

Can't recall the thread, but I think Cosmic at one time pointed out the order in which he would smoke blend genres in a given pipe in order to avoid ghosting. Virginias, then latakias, then aros... can't remember. I wrote it down on a piece of paper, but that one went missing years ago.

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

I do smoke Erinmore flake quite often in various briar pipes,and haven't noticed ghosting issues with this tobacco, whereas after continuous bowls of St Brunos I may be able to trace light floral side nuance, doesn't bother me and after some bowls of plain burley tobacco that floral note usually evaporates away

 

[americaman]

Thanks for the input, everyone. I’m going to run some straight Virginia though it. After all, that’s what I plan on smoking in it.

Could you have been tasting bowl coating? Did you say that was a new pipe?

It could be, but what I meant by the unique taste of Erinmore is that it didn’t taste like a straight Virginia should. I thought that Erinmore was a straight Virginia when I loaded up my pipe, but now I have learned that it is not.

 

[python]

Don't over think it. Over thinking smoking a pipe removes a lot of the enjoyment of it. In my experience, most ghosts can be smoked out.

 

[perdurabo]

Haunted Bookshop and OJK just became your BestFriends

 

[renfield]

I’ve found that Erinmore can leave a light ghost, but nothing a bowl or two won’t exorcise.

If you find the ghosts of previous bowls becoming objectionable then make a change. Otherwise, don’t worry about it. Sometimes ghosts are even pleasant so let your own experience guide you.

 

[upnorth1]

going to second this.

I'll third this!

 

[rdoss16]

i smoked some vision of celephais in one of my pipes recently and boy did it ghost. I could smell the grape bubble gum scent in the pipe when it was just sitting on my desk. i ran some other blends through the pipe maybe 2-3 bowls and smell/taste is gone. i think ghosting is overrated and something people use to convince themselves they need more pipes