Strange Taste at the Bottom of the Bowl

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scooterdoo

Might Stick Around
Jul 18, 2018
64
0
Hi All -
I've been having a lot of fun breaking in my two new briars. However, in trying to make sure I was caking the bottom, I'm concerned I may have done some damage to one of my pipes. I was smoking it earlier, the ash was real close to the bottom, and I lit it again and I got a foul, almost acidic taste.
Is this normal? Did I do damage to my pipe? Has anyone experienced this before?
Thanks!

 

cortezattic

Lifer
Nov 19, 2009
15,147
7,637
Chicago, IL
I thought you said in an earlier post that your briars were estates. If so, you may have discovered what goop-soaked briar tastes like when burned. Well, you almost certainly did not ruin your pipe, but you did discover the limits of how far down you can go.
btw, building a cake lining is much over rated in my book. In fact, I spend more energy on keeping it down to a minimum.

 

scooterdoo

Might Stick Around
Jul 18, 2018
64
0
Yep, they're estates. I guess by "new" I meant new to me.
I had a hunch it might just be burning goop. Thanks for the heads up. :)

 
Jul 15, 2011
2,363
31
In my day, I've owned a lot of pipes and broke my face on a lot of mistakes and mishaps that were due to piss poor technique. Of all the things that I've done and learned, I've never had a pipe that got damaged beyond repair due to hot/poor smoking, so I'm sure that you're doing just fine. Like others have pointed out, I've never been a fan of the whole break in/cake building technique of smoking quarter bowls, then half bowls, then full bowls. I just load it to where I normally load it and stop it where I would normally stop it. If you've got a larger sized chamber and you never smoke it all the way to the bottom, there's no need to have cake at the bottom. That's my experience at least.

 

bnichols23

Lifer
Mar 13, 2018
4,131
9,554
SC Piedmont
Something that will probably help (& *definitely* if the source you bought from didn't sanitize them) is to take some bristle cleaners & rubbing alcohol & repeatedly work it through the stems & down into the bowl until it comes out mostly clear. The alcohol will clean out almost ANY crap left over from a prior user & give you a *much* better smoke.
Unless it comes from a source I know & trust that I know sanitizes pipes, I treat all my estates as if they haven't been. Not a germaphobe by any means, I just like knowing I'm smoking what *I* want as opposed to what someone else did. :)

 

shanez

Lifer
Jul 10, 2018
5,188
24,084
49
Las Vegas
I'm not a fan of smoking a bowl until there is nothing left. It seems I get a pretty nasty flavor, regardless of pipe or blend, if I try. I always have a little tobacco colored dottle left and I'm okay with that.

 

slowroll

Starting to Get Obsessed
Apr 25, 2017
281
3
Sometimes even great pipes and fine tobac occasionally leave a nasty bitter dottle. Just dump it and start over.

 
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