New guy here. I bought a Barclay Rex basket pipe 20 years ago and smoked it very rarely, and then a savinelli about 6 years ago and smoked it very occasionally and put it aside and didn't touch them for the past 4+ years. Just decided to pick up the hobby again and have learned about the break-in process that I will use with new pipes I buy.
For the older, moderately used pipes, I had cleaned them a number of times using a pipe cleaning solution including in the bowl. The bowls are charred but I don't think there is any cake built up. Should I just start a "break in" process now --basically keep smoking, try to build up some cake, and just clean the stem, or should I essentially go through an entire restoration process with these - start from scratch. I seem to get bitter flavors, especially from the savinelli, but I'm not sure if that is because of what I'm smoking (only aromatics so far) or how I'm smoking or because the pipe itself is somehow "sour".
For the older, moderately used pipes, I had cleaned them a number of times using a pipe cleaning solution including in the bowl. The bowls are charred but I don't think there is any cake built up. Should I just start a "break in" process now --basically keep smoking, try to build up some cake, and just clean the stem, or should I essentially go through an entire restoration process with these - start from scratch. I seem to get bitter flavors, especially from the savinelli, but I'm not sure if that is because of what I'm smoking (only aromatics so far) or how I'm smoking or because the pipe itself is somehow "sour".