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I know that there are tons of opinions on how much cake, how to build cake, when to ream cake...etc
What I'm curious about is: Do any of you other pipesters out there find that you really don't build any significant cake in your pipe?
I've never built up enough cake in any of my pipes to bother reaming them. The only pipes I've ever reamed are estate pipes that I've purchased that weren't already cleaned & reamed prior to buying them.
Bytor, I maybe wrong. But I think it has alot to do with what kind of tobacco you smoke. Some build up more carbon than others. The more experienced smokers here would know more than I.
Bytor,
I have to ream my pipes on occasion. Usually only when the cake becomes a hindrance. It's not something I do every day.
My utilitarian smoke is a blend that my tobacconist calls "Yorkshire".
It's his generic of the TinderBox's "Wilshire". (a slightly aromatic tobacco, just a touch of vanilla and has a good frequently-commented-on room note.)
It will build a cake, but so will a good latakia blend.
I think that the bowl needs to remain dry throughout the smoke to build a good cake.
I have noticed that some aromatics leave the bowl a little oily and damp, therefore a cake won't be deposited as readily.
When that is the case; I stuff a paper towel into the warm bowl and using a twisting motion smooth and dry the bowl's interior, this keeps the bowl from being overwhelmed by the oils and a cake will begin to build. It just takes patience to get it started.
Remember though; a cake that is too thick will make the bowl too small and the ease of smoking can be hindered. (I mean it can be hard to keep lit.)
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I've never had a problem with a build up of cake, other than around my waist line...
I have seen old timers that have had such a build up in their pipe you couldn't stick a pencil in it...
I've never noticed that a cake has taken too long to form.
Hell, it's almost impressive how quick it does build up sometimes, as a newly reamed bowl can seem like it has a respectable cake after just a few smokes.
I don't seem to develop very much cake. But I scrape with the spoon-end of a pipe nail after every smoke, and ream maybe twice a year.
From what I read, there are two kinds of cake. One is soft, almost spongy, and can almost be peeled out of the bowl. The other is rock hard and can chip or crumble if scraped without due care. The theories range from the type of tobacco used, and improper packing of tobacco, to smoking cadence and tamping (or lack thereof.)
I've seen pipes with that outrageously thick cake that Phil describes. I think that's due to negligence or sheer laziness. Why would anyone who is even semi-conscious allow cake build-up to reduce the capacity of their pipes so drastically? Could it be that they know something that we don't -- like, say, it tastes much better? I dunno.
I very rarely ream my pipes. Some of the ones I have gotten on ebay had cake so thick I think they were tamping with a pencil by the time they gave up on them.
"IF I knew you were coming I'd baked a cake, in my easybake", OH, sorry wrong cake.
Hmm...it seems I'm definitely in the minority on this one! Well...I don't know what to chalk it up to, but I certainly won't lose any sleep over it. 
I have never had to ream any of my pipes that I have smoked from the beginning. They all have some cake in the bowl but it is not very thick at all.
The only pipes that I have had to ream are estate pipes that I have purchased.
At long last! I've found a brother who is doing the same thing wrong that I am! LOL
Some tobacco blends will build a cake faster that others. I find a Carter Hall cake will need to be reamed after 50 or so bowls while my McCellands 5110 may go for more than 150 bowls. The quicker the cake builds, the softer it is. I can achieve a really nice looking ream with CH but tend to chip away portions of a 5110 cake if I'm not careful and go slowly.
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