Pipe rotation

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papajoe

Starting to Get Obsessed
Sep 9, 2014
181
5
Is pipe rotation really necessary? And what am I to do if I have only one pipe and I smoke a bowl or two a day?

I'm going to have soon two pipes and I smoke a bowl or two a day. I have read that it is advisable to let a pipe rest for 2-4 days, and obviously that is something I can't do. So, how do I rotate my pipes? Every other day smoke the other pipe or after every smoke rotate them?

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
The usual answer is pipe rotation is important for letting pipes dry out between smokes, a day or two at least.

For people who have just started with pipes, a few cob pipes (MM or Old Dominion) will provide an instant rotation.

The bag of MM cob seconds will solve the problem with one order. Then you can fill in with briar, Meerschaum or

other pipes over the years. My dad chain smoked Granger for decades using only one pipe at a time. He burnt them

out in a year or two and bought a new one. So it is possible. But it doesn't make for the best smoking for most.

 

phil67

Lifer
Dec 14, 2013
2,052
7
How does one take these questions seriously?
Perhaps by giving a serious answer, or your opinion? After all, at one time we all picked up the pipe for the first time and the ensuing questions/problems could at times be quite disconcerting. I don't know, but it seemed like a logical question to me considering that he is new to pipe smoking and we're all here to help each other as best we can are we not?
As for rotating pipes don't be all the concerned about it at this juncture. I advised you on another thread to pick up some MM cobs (cheap and great burners). Granted, a pipe should be able to rest after smoking a few bowls, but in the interim don't too concerned. After all years ago, and as I remember, my great uncle smoked the hell out of the same two pipes day after day. Yes, you can smoke the same pipe all day, but it certainly is advisable to then give it a rest for a few days. You'll get there... :wink:

 

papajoe

Starting to Get Obsessed
Sep 9, 2014
181
5
Thanks phil67.

I'll take your advice and get some cob in a few days.

thats the second one i owe you.

 

newbroom

Lifer
Jul 11, 2014
6,088
6,413
Florida
These forums have had these discussions over and over and over....there is a search function that even I, a senior citizen, can access. New threads like this serve what purpose? Ok, camaraderie.
The information about pipe rotation can be passively accessed without any new threads about it.
I just think that there has been an awful lot of disingenuous thread starting by so called "Newbies".
The word obtuse comes to mind.

 

layinpipe

Lifer
Feb 28, 2014
1,025
8
Honestly, i often smoke two or 3 bowls in a row, as well as having a bowl and then coming back later on in the same day and having another in the same pipe. I notice no difference in smoke quality and have never had any issues with any of my pipes as a result. That said, i usually rest that pipe for around a week or more after the day i smoke it (whether 1 or 3 times), as i am fortunate to have enough of a rotation to do so.
Quite frankly ____ number of pipes will never really be enough. You're chasing the proverbial dragon, so just enjoy the ride and smoke 'em if you got 'em!

 

layinpipe

Lifer
Feb 28, 2014
1,025
8
Newbroom, on the same token, there have been XXXXXXXX number of posts complaining about the lack of people using the search function. Newbie's are usually behind 99% of the typical beat-the-dead-horse-some-more threads, but i don't see it changing any time soon. I just pass over those threads most of the time, to be honest, because there is just so damn many of them and a lot of the time the newbie who posts and gets responses never returns or responds to the thread a couple of times and then is ghost.
Not an attack by any means on you, as i just indirectly complained about the very same thing in a thread a few days ago, just making a point. 8)

 
:::sigh::: I have enough pipes now that I can smoke a different pipe each time for a week, but it doesn't ever seem like enough. However, I have a neighbor here that smokes just one pipe, one tobacco, day in and day out. I have tried this, and it seems at worst, the pipe just goes sour, and by judging the disposition of my neighbor, so can the smoker. :wink:
As far as asking our first questions, I think mine was something about getting tongue bite and worrying that I would never be able to taste food again, ha ha. However, it introduces ourselves and makes it a tad easier to jump into conversations on other strings.
BTW - welcome to the forum.

 

tppytel

Starting to Get Obsessed
Sep 23, 2014
156
0
The importance of rotation is also going to depend on your choice of tobacco and smoking style, so don't put too much trust in any one comment from someone else. You'll also get more sensitive to flavor changes as your technique improves.
Personally, I smoke mostly straight Virginias or Virginia/Periques in medium to large bowls (and have been for many years). I notice a distinct drop in flavor quality if I smoke a particular pipe more than once in a day. It's not unsmokeable, just not as good. The situation mostly improves after 24 hours, but I can still taste an improvement if I give the pipe 48 hours instead. Beyond that, any difference is very small.
I would say to shoot for owning a number of pipes equal to the number of bowls you'll smoke in a day. If you can manage one or two more than that, it's helpful. But that's always hard when you're starting out and just building up a collection. Cobs, as noted, are a good way to bulk up. Estates can be good too if you have a trusted local tobacconist, but I wouldn't recommend buying them online until you're more knowledgeable.

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
I expect newbies to have newbie questions. If I feel avuncular (uncle-like) I take up the cause and answer

the question in a friendly way. If I'm impatient, I just don't post or don't even open the thread. Hey, we have

some control here. No one is being graded. Don't like the headline? Skip the thread, I think.

 

edwinbaz

Starting to Get Obsessed
Aug 26, 2014
243
1
Houston
I see it this way: if you drive a car without changing the oil it will still get you places but (1) it won't drive as good as it should and (2) it will eventually bust. So, rotate it is.

 

wilson

Part of the Furniture Now
Apr 17, 2013
719
1
As per phil67, rest (time to dry out) is good, but plenty of pipe smokers smoke one, or a few pipes, more or less constantly. Fifty years ago, my Uncle Rod smoked more in a day than I smoke in a week (Mixture 79 -- no need for comments on that!) -- I don't think I ever saw him without his pipe in his mouth -- and I don't think that he ever owned more than two pipes at a time.
I would highly recommend a couple of cobs to expand your rotation. But, if that is not in the cards for you, I would recommend smoking one pipe one day, even a couple of bowls, and then the other pipe the next day, and so forth. My guess, and it is only that, is that allowing a full day of rest will be better than a few hours of rest if you alternate pipes.

 

zekest

Lifer
Apr 1, 2013
1,136
9
At one time, it was a lucky man who had, or could afford, two pipes.
I think the secret is in the type of tobacco you choose to smoke.
Some say never resting your pipe will sour the pipe. But, what if you smoke Middleton's Black Cherry pipe tobacco: how would you know if your pipe soured?
The flavor would get progressively worse over time, but it is all relative, progressively worse when starting with something that is already questionably good...

 

doctorthoss

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 6, 2011
618
9
Glad to see you are going to get yourself some cobs. That's the cheapest and best way to address this issue. You aren't going to sink as much money into it, and cobs are great for guys learning how to smoke a pipe. If you decide it's not for you, no great loss. You can smoke them as often as you want and long as you let them rest an hour or two between smokes they will be fine.

When it comes to briars, I think a lot of guys really over think the whole "rotation" thing. I wouldn't even worry about that right now -- I'd focus on the basics, preferably using something like Prince ALbert or Carter Hall. Then I'd start experimenting with different types of tobacco (burley, virginia, perique, latakia, virginia, etc). Then, and only then, would I start investing in briars for a "rotation."

 
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