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
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