Off Taste - Reduce Draw - Reline Pipe

[throbinson]

Shopping cart post here. :D

So, few weeks back I cleaned my pipes and dried my tobacco. In another thread I mentioned I kept the mosture discs in my jars and was told not to. Found out what the moisture levels should be so laid my tobacco out on paper towels to dry out and put back into jars. All now around 55-60% down from 80%.

I don't smoke much. I bought a few lots of pipes years back, restored them all and sold about 60, keeping 5. I'm in Canada so, none of that grain alcohol I see mentioned (Everclear?) so I used Vodka and cotton balls. Lightly packed the bowls, added vodka, waited until dry and pulled the cotton out. Used my reamer to clean the bowls and when done I used fluffy pipe cleaners soaked in dark rum to give everything a final cleaning.

Can't put my finger on "how" it's different but, everything tastes different now. Just, flavour is "off".

So, question I guess is... why?

Is it normal after cleaning and just needs a few bowls to get rid of the vodka? is it because I dried out my tobacco?

I read somewhere that you can re-line the bowls of pipes with charcoal and sour cream? I never tried that, not sure if will help or worsen... whould I be doing that regardless?

Unrelated as well... I have a nice little Brigham 2dot which I like but I want to reduce the draw on it, like, make the hole smaller or something. I prefer a bit more resistance. Any suggestions? It takes those hollow maple filter tubes, maybe slip something in there?

 

[Chasing Embers]

Is it normal after cleaning and just needs a few bowls to get rid of the vodka?

You used a couple of different flavors of liquor so probably some temporary flavor going on.

is it because I dried out my tobacco?

Moisture content or lack thereof can change the tobacco's taste.

I read somewhere that you can re-line the bowls of pipes with charcoal and sour cream?

That's just for a chamber coating. Completely unnecessary.

 

[throbinson]

@Chasing Embers ya, I read somewhere on here years ago, someone else did that... used the Everclear to clean, and rum to add back some better flavour. Kinda like Clean & Cure I guess? Never used it but apparently cleans and sweetens the pipe. This is the first cleaning in probably more than 5yrs since the first cleaning... like full cleaning. Usually I use pipe cleaners with the stiff bristles to clean with and I use rum.

Hmm... so drier tastes different. Almost regret now drying it out. I bought some tobacco last week, still waiting for it to arrive. First order in years. 2 blends are the Hobbits Weed and Old Dublin, my two fav's... I'll be able to do a side-by-side with those when they arrive. Also Captain Black's White... never tried it before.

 

[anotherbob]

I sometimes clean my pipes with whiskey or brandy because I like the flavor it imparts on the next few bowls. I think that is the thing.
Drier changes the taste in a positive way in my opinion but the best part is you really can let it burn it's self with little encouragement needed. The down side is you make it easier to smoke too fast

 

[throbinson]

@anotherbob ya, I'm used to the dark rum... I bought one of those 50ml mini bottles of Kraken, at the counter of the LCBO. Lasted for years and still going.

Maybe the issue is the Vodka? People say Vodka has no taste... sure, if an alcoholic or have no tongue then that's probably true... but for us who rarely drink, it tastes like @$$.

I'll give it another quick clean with rum and see if that helps.

Any ideas about the Brigham? Old school tricks or reduce the draw?

I have a few packs of Medico paper tube filters coming in for my cob pipe. I was thinking of taking one, cutiing it lengthwise into toothpick sized strips and sliding a strip up into the maple filter. Help reduce draw, increase filter, and maybe help against the occasional bit of tobacco sucking up and landing on my tongue. Bleck!

I have a couple of pipes, the Brigham with that tube filter, and a really beautiful one (forget the name) with no filter, that I may end up selling. I need a filter and hate getting bits of baccy on my tongue.

 

[anotherbob]

@anotherbob ya, I'm used to the dark rum... I bought one of those 50ml mini bottles of Kraken, at the counter of the LCBO. Lasted for years and still going.

Maybe the issue is the Vodka? People say Vodka has no taste... sure, if an alcoholic or have no tongue then that's probably true... but for us who rarely drink, it tastes like @$$.

Yeah it doesn't have a distinct flavor. And the flavor it has isn't necessarily what you want to taste.

I'll give it another quick clean with rum and see if that helps.

Any ideas about the Brigham?

Old school tricks or reduce the draw?

Pack tighter. Get a pipe with a smaller draft hole.

I have a few packs of Medico paper tube filters coming in for my cob pipe. I was thinking of taking one, cutiing it lengthwise into toothpick sized strips and sliding a strip up into the maple filter. Help reduce draw, increase filter, and maybe help against the occasional bit of tobacco sucking up and landing on my tongue. Bleck!

I have a couple of pipes, the Brigham with that tube filter, and a really beautiful one (forget the name) with no filter, that I may end up selling. I need a filter and hate getting bits of baccy on my tongue.

 

[didimauw]

You should try the Savinelli balsa filters in the Brigham. May tighten things up a bit for you, and stop 100% of tobacco bits from coming through. Also stops all moisture at the same time.

 

[throbinson]

You should try the Savinelli balsa filters in the Brigham. May tighten things up a bit for you, and stop 100% of tobacco bits from coming through. Also stops all moisture at the same time.

I just got those for the corn cob pipe, fit was a bit tight though and bits got though so when I bought tobacco I grabbed the Medico to try. Normally I have Dr Grabow. I'll give that a try in the Brigham if it fits.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Hmm... so drier tastes different. Almost regret now drying it out.

Sometimes better. Imagine a drink with ice in it. When the ice melts it dilutes the flavor of the drink.

 

[ThermionicScott]

Kraken and other spiced rums are the aromatics of the rum world.

 

[HRPufnstuf]

Kraken and other spiced rums are the aromatics of the rum world.

True but Kraken is a shortcut to great eggnog, X-mas is coming!

 

[andrew]

I'm in Canada too. I've always asked for the 99% isopropyl thats behind the counter in drugstores for cleaning.

 

[throbinson]

I'm in Canada too. I've always asked for the 99% isopropyl thats behind the counter in drugstores for cleaning.

Years ago when I got the pipes for cleaning and wondered what to use, I saw so many posts about using Isoprpyl, both for and against, so I opted to just use Vodka.

I use the Iso 99% stuff all the time, for cleaning guitar parts and 3D print table cleanup.

 

[andrew]

Years ago when I got the pipes for cleaning and wondered what to use, I saw so many posts about using Isoprpyl, both for and against, so I opted to just use Vodka.

I use the Iso 99% stuff all the time, for cleaning guitar parts and 3D print table cleanup.

Never had a problem. I don't do it often but it works. Vodka isn't high enough proof for proper cleaning which is why everclear is used

 

[throbinson]

Never had a problem. I don't do it often but it works. Vodka isn't high enough proof for proper cleaning which is why everclear is used

Ecerclear isn't legal here so only options are stuff like Vodka, or Isopropyl which is strong but unsafe to drink and suspect tastes worse than Vodka so I never used it.

That said, Vodka evaportates, the cottonballs are a dirty dark brown colour, it's cleaner than when I started. :D

 

[woodrow]

Cotton balls and iso alcohol. Repeat a few times.

 

[Briar Lee]

All useable Mediterranean briar is porous and pre 54 Algerian grade the most porous.

Somehow, a briar pipe “works” by reason of this miraculous ability to absorb smoke into the briar walls, which imparts a pleasant taste to the smoke stream.

Pure ethanol alcohol (Everclear is as close as we can get) has the ability to penetrate briar and then circulate back into the bowl with nasty tars the briar has accumulated. Vodka is about half water, and less effective. Vodka takes longer for the water to evaporate.

If I have a good, sweet smoking pipe (which today is the only kind I bother to smoke) I keep the cake down to a black tarry resin and regularly use Everclear on a paper towel to keep the cake down, I rotate and rest my pipes, and even so, I think every pipe has a certain lifespan. On a Dr Grabow smoked seven times a day, it might last three thousand smokes, and a pampered and babied pipe may see ten thousand, but some day they get saturated and no longer “breathe” and they need to go on the wall as decorators.

Right or wrong, it gives me an excuse to buy more pipes.

 

[Grangerous]

I use hot running water and a drop of dish soap on my finger, followed up with a twist of papertowel and a pipe cleaner and let dry.

Never alcohol.

What sense is there to create a nasty tasting sludge inside of a pipe and not rinse it away?

Water will not harm your pipe. Briar is a dense wood. And if you are concerned about absorption into the wood, why let it absorb a foul mixture of sludge?

Search this site for Water Rinsing. You can rinse as often as you like to maintain a clean pipe. You can smoke it immediately after a rinse too. No harm. That pipe will likely outlive all of us.

Here’s a test. Take a pipe that you’ve “cleaned” and rinse it. If the water runs yellowish to brown… it’s still dirty. The water should run clear.

 

[Briar Lee]

I use hot running water and a drop of dish soap on my finger, followed up with a twist of papertowel and a pipe cleaner and let dry.

Never alcohol.

What sense is there to create a nasty tasting sludge inside of a pipe and not rinse it away?

Water will not harm your pipe. Briar is a dense wood. And if you are concerned about absorption into the wood, why let it absorb a foul mixture of sludge?

Search this site for Water Rinsing. You can rinse as often as you like to maintain a clean pipe. You can smoke it immediately after a rinse too. No harm. That pipe will likely outlive all of us.

Here’s a test. Take a pipe that you’ve “cleaned” and rinse it. If the water runs yellowish to brown… it’s still dirty. The water should run clear.

I’m going to try that.

I have used toothpaste and a toothbrush to scrub extremely dirty old pipes before, under a sink.

Why couldn’t I boil the dirty pipe in water?

Or better yet, why not sugar saturated water?