What tobacco/blend do you use for the first few bowls in a NEW pipe?

menuhin · Jan 22, 2015

Hi Forum members,
I acquired a few new and used pipes over the new year break, and I tried starting to use each of them one by one. However, it is now obvious that I am not good at breaking in them nicely.
I know there are various ways to do that, some say smoking the first 8-10 bowls only filled half-full and attempt to smoke to the bottom for each bowl, and then start trying to fill it full for the next 8-10 bowls. Or some will smoke full-bowl in it right away. However, my problem is finishing it to the bottom for the first 8-10 bowls:

- the tobacco that burn in the nicest manner (to the bottom of the bowl turning into only white ash) for me are all English blends, and I do not want to start every pipe in English, especially when I want to dedicate it to another genre;

- I tend to start a pipe with straight Virginia. When I smoke straight Virginia, I put the pipe down when it burns too hot, and then relight it, and I do not get too stubborn about always having to burn the tobacco down to the bottom of the bowl, partly due to the experience I had about 10 years ago that I burnt through the bottom of a Chacom pipe because of such stubbornness. However, it seems to be a problem for new pipes if I always not trying to smoke to the bottom. The straight Virginia blends I tried for starting a new pipe are all flakes hand rubbed by myself, including SG Full Virginia Flake, SG Best Brown Flake, and Captsan Original Navy Cut (mostly straight without Perique or Kentucky or Burley), and they do not burn to just white ash for me as easily as my English blends - mostly really moist even after an hour+ exposure to air, and with lots of dottle and lots of relitting.
I want to know what blends forum members use to start their new (new old-used) pipes.

I am especially looking for suggestions of some blends that that is available in Europe that is:

1. neutral in taste (i.e. not Latakia, etc) and not flavored (i.e. not aromatic);

2. burn really well;

3. still enjoyable;
What blends do you use and how do you do it?

Thanks!
TJ

eightywon · Jan 22, 2015

I think a lot of people break in pipes with Prince Albert/Carter Hall. I think it meets what you're looking for, not sure about the availability in Europe though.

tarheel1 · Jan 22, 2015

Depends on what the pipe will be used for. If it will be a latakia only pipe i will use either Penzance or Quiet Nights. If it will be a va or va per pipe i will use escudo or something like Christmas cheer.

kaboom · Jan 22, 2015

I'm located in Spain and currently smoking mainly Prince albert, which seems to be the break in tobacco of choice for more than a few people. It is indeed unavailable In Europe at least as far as I know, I get mine from 4noggins and with shipping, which I suspect will be the same for you, a 14oz tub comes to around 54$. That is still cheaper than even crappy, cheap ass tobacco in most European countries.

That'll become significantly more expensive if you take a customs hit, but the likelihood of the package getting stopped for inspection and the import duty levied varies between the EU and other European countries.
Worst case scenario, 130 bucks for 14oz of good honest pipe tobacco is still a steal compared to cigarettes or cigars. You can break in quite a few pipes with it, too...

buroak · Jan 22, 2015

I use McClelland 5100 Red Cake whenever possible. When 5100 is not a good choice I use Carter Hall.

cobguy · Jan 22, 2015

Another vote for Carter Hall ... especially for Cobs.

papipeguy · Jan 22, 2015

Been smoking pipes for 44+ years. I load up a new pipe all the way and smoke whatever I'm in the mood for. never had an issue with a new pipe. So, whatever you think will work for you probably will.

I know guys that use the 1/3 at a time method and even a few old timers who use honey to build cake. All seem to work.

ravkesef · Jan 22, 2015

I'm with pipe guy there, just about anything except an aromatic.

freakiefrog · Jan 22, 2015

Escudo. Or some other good easy Buring Va or VaPer.

prndl · Jan 22, 2015

my smaller pipes seem to have trained me into breaking them in with escudo.
however, the larger pipes (especially bents) seem to break in easier with a traditional cut tobacco rather than a flake...usually dunhill's elizabthen mixture, tho there are some great suggestions above.
ymmv.

tbradsim1 · Jan 22, 2015

I am a Nitecap smoker, used to cut it with Carter Hall. One day pondering I said Piss on it loaded my new pipe up with Nitecap and put her in gear. Worked for me.

mcitinner1 · Jan 22, 2015

Never a thought about breaking in a pipe, I just smoke what I want, even with cobs. 8)

cosmicfolklore · Jan 22, 2015

I just pack the new pipe with whatever I intend to smoke in the pipe, as mine are all categorized by genres (Va/VaPers/Balkans/Aros). But, I enjoy those first few smokes in a new unbroken pipe. It gives me an idea of what the briar is going to add to the blends.

I have a buddy that turns a new pipe over to ebay once he has broken it in, saying that the best smokes are always the first few. I'm not that extreme, as I never intend to sale a pipe, but it did give me a new way of looking at those first few smokes. The exception of course are ones that come with a nasty tasting bowl coating. I just suffer through those.

phred · Jan 22, 2015

I bought a tub of Prince Albert for breaking in new pipes, and I've used on about 3 so far. My latest acquisition, though, I picked up on a whim at the B&M, and what I had with me that day was 1-Q or some Frog Morton - so I went with 1-Q.
I think the reason so many people use and recommend Prince Albert is that it's relatively cheap, widely available in the U.S., and smokes easily. If PA is not available in your area, and international shipping makes it prohibitive, look for a medium-bodied Burley or Virginia/Burley blend - if I'm reading the tin description correctly, Holger Danske Daily Mixture might work.

voorhees · Jan 22, 2015

Same as papipeguy. I load and go with what I like.

lochinvar · Jan 22, 2015

I don't have a break in tobacco, I just smoke the tobaccos I always smoke. I dedicate pipes, so what I usually do is start out with a Virginia, and then move on up the scale of other tobaccos to end with the heavy ghosting latakia blends.

mso489 · Jan 22, 2015

I end up in the Brad school of packing whatever I'm smoking and going with it, although that covers a wide range

of blends. Almost entirely non-aromatics, with an occasional first bowl of OTC, Carter Hall or Lanes Burley Without Bite.

I think any non-aro will develop a good carbon layer, and I am of the minority that doesn't go with cake. 965 is fine,

PS Luxury Navy Flake, Five Brothers, Granger, or whatever.

warren · Jan 23, 2015

I guess I'm old school. I break my briar pipes in using the tried and true method. A new pipe usually takes me a few months to achieve the cake I want. The new pipe is smoked in rotation, not every day but, 6 to 8 times on the day I select it and then it sits until cleaned (Yes! On Sunday). There are usually eight or nine days until a pipe comes back up in the rotation. Sometimes less, sometimes more. I'm never in a hurry to "break-in" a new pipe.
edit: No particular blend is used for "breaking in."

rigmedic1 · Jan 23, 2015

I use whatever I have open, lol. Precarbed or coated tobacco chambers do not seem to care. Since I favor VaPer blends, I usually start with those, but not all pipes smoke VaPers well. I do find that the VaPers I use build cake quickly. My suggestion would be to smoke your prefered tobacco for break in of uncoated bowls, so that the cake reflects and enhances your choice of tobaccos, and use dedicated or quasi-dedicated pipes for the other different tobacco's that you enjoy. And buy many pipes!

blueeyedogre · Jan 23, 2015

I'm a big fan of Capstan so I need to know right off the bat how any new pipe handles it. After that I most switch to McClelland broken virginia as it seems to be a good cake builder for me.

What tobacco/blend do you use for the first few bowls in a NEW pipe?

Log in

SmokingPipes.com Updates

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

Site Sponsors

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

Part of the Furniture Now

Part of the Furniture Now

Part of the Furniture Now

Starting to Get Obsessed

Lifer

Lifer

Lifer

Lifer

Part of the Furniture Now

Lifer

Lifer

Lifer

Lifer

Lifer

Lifer

Lifer

Lifer

Lifer

Lifer

Lifer