What is the best to use for break in uncoated briar?
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I've used 5 Brothers to break in a pipe. Cakes up a pipe real quick if you can handle the strong nic hit. If you use a straight Virginia to break in a pipe it will take longer but the cake will be harder. C&D's Big & Burley is a good one for pipes you want to dedicate to Latakia and at the same time build a good cake.
McClelland 5100, 5105 and 2010. I prefer a relatively thin, hard cake and these three do the job. I think Sutliff 507 C would be a good candidate, but I have not used it for this purpose.
Just use one of your favorite blends and the cake will follow. I used to try all kinds of fancy things like coating the walls with honey or grape jelly but noticed no difference that would make it worth the extra effort. Nowadays I just lock and load as I usually do with any pipe. As with anything, this can get you to start over analyzing, over thinking things, so I say just smoke the pipe and enjoy it, if you like Carter Hall than by golly smoke some CH in it, if ya like Full Virginia Flake, than you guessed it, fill er up with FVF and enjoy. Just don’t smoke Molto Dolce in it, that stuff will burn a hole right through your newly cherished pipe. 8O I kid, I kid.
I use Virginias but that's because I mostly smoke Virginias. Smoke what you're going to smoke in it. Building up cake isn't a problem other than building up too much of it. Smoke slow as you break it in especially, the cake will build. Don't over think it.
I use Gawith Hogarth Dark Birdseye,only because that is my usual smoke and it cakes reasonably quickly
When I was still buying pipes and tobacco, I would use a pipe purchase as an excuse to buy a new tobacco. That's what I would break the pipe in with.
When I break in a pipe I fill it to the top and smoke to the bottom. I always use a Va,Vaper or Vabur flake. In my opinion nothing builds a nice hard cake faster than a Virginia based flake. I would definitely not smoke something you don't enjoy for the sake of building cake. Cake will form no matter what you smoke so enjoy the process.
For new pipesmokers, getting cake is the first physical benchmark. A lot of importance is placed on that cake. I get that. But, really once you get a nice carbon layer, you spend the rest of your days with a wall full of pipes, carving that crap back to a manageable layer.
It's not that big a deal. You will think that it will make every bowl smoked from there on out magical. Better, maybe, but not exactly magical. So...
Anyways, I just smoke whatever tobacco I would normally smoke in the pipe. I enjoy getting hints of the briar in the first few bowls. It gives me an idea of what the briar aroma is going to be there on out.
But really, just relax, roll with it, don't hurry, and enjoy the whole break in process. Don't be in a hurry to reach that cake benchmark.
It's not that big a deal. You will think that it will make every bowl smoked from there on out magical. Better, maybe, but not exactly magical. So...
Anyways, I just smoke whatever tobacco I would normally smoke in the pipe. I enjoy getting hints of the briar in the first few bowls. It gives me an idea of what the briar aroma is going to be there on out.
But really, just relax, roll with it, don't hurry, and enjoy the whole break in process. Don't be in a hurry to reach that cake benchmark.
+1
I used to care (too much). Now I just start smoking and cake builds on its own. The traditional lore is that Virginia blends burn "too hot" and need to be avoided in bare chamber pipes until it develops cake. Like the others mention above, I find that to be hogwash.
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