The Dangers of Alternating Tobaccos in a Single Pipe

[hawky454]

There are exceptions though and an example is Revor Plug. I love it and it's a VaBur but is so obnoxious that it has its own pipe but I will happily smoke it in a Latakia pipe. Sometimes I'm convinced that there is actually Latakia in it and I know I'm not alone.

I strongly believe that there is Latakia in Revor Plug! I don’t know if you remember my thread awhile back where I compare Revor Plug and McConnell’s Latakia Flake but they taste remarkably similar. Latakia Flake is a very poor name for that blend however, as just a whisper of it is detectable... just like in Revor Plug.

 

[warren]

I'[m not as discerning as some, I smoke the pipe the pipe and keep it simple. I select a pipe and then a blend, load the pipe and smoke.
The pipe is a piece of dead wood, no reason a bit of water should harm it. Now with respect to cheap dyes or such, there may arise a problem. I wouldn't saturate a pipe but, a quick rinse? I see no problem.

 

[stickframer]

Jn the past, I have dedicated pipes to specific genres,and had one blend-dedicated briar. More recently, I've been smoking any blend in any pipe, more or less.
It's pretty safe because I'm mostly smoking English/Balkan style blends or VA's, nothing too ghosty, and sometimes a bit of mixing is okay, imo. It's a pretty good 'system', for me. :P
I do have a handful of cobs for deer tongue or vanilla or other miscellaneous concoctions, but I'll smoke other blends jn the cobs, too.

 

[anthonyrosenthal74]

I'll dedicate pipes to a certain blend type, but I don't always stick to it. Sometimes I just want to smoke a certain pipe but not the blend type dedicated to it.

 

[weezell]

I smoke the pipe the pipe and keep it simple. I select a pipe and then a blend, load the pipe and smoke.

:clap: :clap: :clap: ...

 

[alan73]

J&J pipes did a great video, filling a pipe with water, letting it sit for hours,cut it clean in half, there was no absorption into the wood....I have used water to rstrore dozens of estate pipes, great way to soften super hard cakes, before scraping out.
Dedicate 3 pipes until you decide what you like and can distinguish flavors. An aero pipe, a Latakia pipe, and a virgnia pipe. Pipes ghost either for a few bowls or longer if you are unlucky. I don't want to ruin a nice bowl of Escudo with lingering flavors of my cinnamon aero tobacco :lol:

 

[leacha]

In the past I've posted a link (unable to locate) with information where some old briar codger pipes were cut open to see the damage done by smoking a pipe day in and day out for years. The damage was non existent.
On another forum a member smoked a cob day in and day out for over a year. No harm! If a cob can survive, a briar definitely can take the abuse (density).
My point? Smoke what you want, when you want without worries. Enjoy the ride!

 

[mso489]

The only ghosting that would prompt me to designate a pipe would be Lakeland aromatics, because the flavoring is oddly distinct (so I've heard) and will not go away. The residual from Latakia blends, or various non-Lakeland aromatic flavorings, or Perique, etc., fade quickly enough and don't bother me, can even be a pleasant plus sometimes. Some people with highly sensitive taste buds and/or noses may find designating pipes to their liking. I have enough little obsessive-compulsive quirks, designating pipes would only tweak that impulse and make pipe smoking less enjoyable, so I leave it alone. Next I'd want to tape little labels designating pipes ... I don't want to think about it.

 

[fitzy]

I generally break my pipes down into two categories. 1 = English or Balkan types 2 = Va/Vaper and light aromatics.
Also I don't smoke lakeland as I find it gross but when I experimented with it I used a cob so I wouldn't worry about mucking up one of my good pipes with something that tastes/smells like my grandmothers floral soaps.

 

[jpmcwjr]

In short, the word "danger" doesn't apply!

 

[mortonbriar]

For me it depends whether I am looking for a smoke in a generic day to day sense, or whether I am sitting down to enjoy a specific blend.
In my cobs and regular rotation briars I will generally smoke anything, and thus end up with latakia or aromatic ghosts which I find just make for a more interesting smoke. In fact my favourite way to enjoy an aromatic is as a ghost in the following bowl of virginia, I am also inclined to watering down orange juice rather than having a glass of something so sweet if that comparison helps.
If I am sitting down for an evening smoke I will pull out a pipe that is either only for english/balkan blends with latakia or a pipe that I only smoke virginia's in, depending on the blend I am smoking.
There are no set rules, but do be prepared for some fairly stubborn ghosts. With the scented lakeland blends I have been surprised by a floral taste in the middle of the bowl many bowls after the blend was actually smoked. This is a pleasant variable in the pipe smoking experience as far as I am concerned.
Isaac.

 

[keith929]

The only rule I set for myself is; no aromatics in my briar pipes. I reserve my meers and cobs for those.

 

[scrumpyjack]

I'm not that particular. I have a couple of briars that I only smoke aros in, but other than that I smoke what I want in what I want. When I first started, I was much more disciplined, but found I was overthinking it. However I have found, particularly with heavy latakia blends, that my larger pipes tend to favor them. That said, it won't stop me from mixing up from time to time.

 

[seagullplayer]

My rule goes something like this; Any pipe anytime any tobacco.
To be fair. I also don't put much if any stock into "resting" my pipes.

I tend to pick one and use it for a week or seven. Until something else catches my eye,

or I just want to change.
Same with a blend, if I like it I may smoke just that one for a few weeks.
I do not smoke everyday. But some days I may smoke "most of the day".
In the history of the world I would guess more people have owned two pipes or less than have owned ten or more.
Some "rules" have kind of become in vogue to justify us owning and collecting lots of pipes.

It's enjoyable and I like to collect pipes but I try to remind myself it is because I want to not because I need to.
I am also not a pro, I get paid nothing for this.

 

[cigrmaster]

I am very particular when it comes to ghosting a pipe. I pay good money for the tobacco I buy and I want to taste it the way the blender intended me to. If I am smoking a nice mild Virginian I want to taste that and not some left over aromatic mixed with my Virginian.
I dedicate all of my pipes to either certain categories or specific blends. For example I have pipes strictly dedicated for a blend such as Esoterica Stonehaven. That is such a unique smoke that I want to taste every bit of it and not have it mixed in with a Vaper or an aromatic. Certain blends like Wessex Brigade Campaign Dark Flake I will smoke in a category specific pipe. A category specific pipe is one where I will smoke something like I mentioned above with something like Astley's no 44 Dark Flake and Astleys no 109. All three are somewhat similar so I don't feel like I am losing out on the flavors I am looking for.
The Vapers I smoke such as Escudo and Dunhill Deluxe Navy Rolls and Solani 633 I will smoke in the same pipes. Vaburs like Mac Baren Dark Strong Kentucky and Peterson Irish flake I will smoke in the same pipes. I have enough pipes ( over 100 ) to be able to be blend specific but that is too much work. I tried that once years ago and I got a freaking headache trying to keep the right tobacco with the right pipe. I feel very comfortable with the system I now use. Once in a while though I will get a pipe that just sings with a certain blend so I will keep them paired together and not think about changing and messing up a good thing.
I don't think you are doing yourself any favors by smoking a mild Virginian in a pipe used for English style blends. The Latakia will totally overpower the Virginian's.

 

[saltedplug]

Some dedication is good, and if you like buying redundant pipes, then all of it is good. But the more tobaccos you smoke the more they tend to overwhelm available pipes, and thus dedication becomes less possible. With the exception of aromatics that will ghost, perhaps permanently, and latakia temporarily, I find dedicating to several large tobacco categories as above, all that I need to do.
I suppose tobacco residue does get into the wood, but the cake obscures it if so. On the other hand careful reaming is your friend if you need to smoke non-latakia blends in a pipe heretofore dedicated to latakia. It's the cake that acts as a temporary ghost; if removed that ghost is busted.

 

[saltedplug]

90% of any carryover for non-aromatic tobaccos is in the cake.

 

[mso489]

You have to do what suits you. I'm not being glib. No one does this just the same way. The only pipe designation I would do is Lakelands aromatics, and since those aren't the aromatics I smoke, I don't designate pipes. Latakia, Perique, various aromatics and other distinctive tobaccos can ghost a pipe for a smoke or two, but often as not, it is a pleasant sort of ghost, and only lasts for a bowl or two. For people with many pipes in rotation, even these tobaccos don't retain much or any taste from the last bowl. So for me, I'd designate a cob for a Lakeland aromatic if I wanted to smoke one, and otherwise I don't bother. However, I am completely respectful and understanding of any other method, including different pipes for each genre of blend. I have enough little obsessive/compulsive ticks that I wouldn't assume another, but that's me. Oh no... not a duplicate but repeating myself from an earlier post. What did I say about obsessive quirks? Maybe it's repetitious, but it's true.

 

[mawnansmiff]

"90% of any carryover for non-aromatic tobaccos is in the cake."
I would say 90% of ghosting from any type of tobacco is in the cake.
Regards,
Jay.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I buy and I want to taste it the way the blender intended me to.

Ha ha, I love this. Welcome back, Harris. But, how do we know that the blender doesn't anticipate that we all have latakia ghosts in our pipes? What if the tobacconist only smoke cherry aromatics, and just assumes that we do too? And he says, "voila! Escudo will go great with Cherry Middleton ghosts." So it is written, so it shall be...

Welcome back!!