As some of you know, I'm a big fan of dedicating pipes to specific genres of blends and, in many cases, to a certain, specific blend. I'm astonished by those who share pipes between genres of blends but, hey, to each his own! This is a hobby of personal taste. Regarding a pipe, however, it's my belief that if you smoke a given pipe through enough blends, you'll find that perfect combination. And that's it. Stop. Marry them. Smoke them together, exclusively, in blissful perpetuity.
I purchased an estate pipe a few years ago. I won't mention the reputable vendor, with whom I would gladly do business again, because I don't want anyone to misunderstand this as a crtiticism --- it's not! This was all about personal taste and how one relates to a pipe.
So this pipe is lovely. Not an elite pipe, but certainly among the group of mid-grade pipes that would be recognized as a "good" pipe. I tried this pipe through a number of blends - all VaPers, given the bowl shape and what it was previously used to smoke. I even tried it once, out of desperation, with an English blend. This pipe bit me. Like a rabid dog. And it gurgled. And it needed a pipe cleaner mid-bowl. And it smoked HOT. And did I mention it bit me?
But I would not yield to this pipe. I gave it no quarter.
I continued to suffer through bowl after bowl of various tobaccos. Then, suddenly, for no particular reason, it occured to me to load up a bowl of one of my favorties: McConnell Scottish Cake - a blend I typically reserve for a couple of other pipes, which is probably why I never thought to run it through this one.
And a funny thing happend: I enjoyed a blissful smoke. No bite. No heat. No gurgle. No moisture.
And no science. For whatever reason, this otherwise challenging, ornary, asshole of a pipe decided it loved Scottish Cake. And it smoked just fine. In fact, I would go as far as to say it did the blend justice.
I don't know why it works this way --- this is part of the alchemy of pipe smoking that makes it so attractive to me. And if someone does have "the answer", honestly, I would rather not know. I prefer the alchemy to the science. I would prefer it remain a mystery.
All I know is that it just "worked".
And that, my friends, is a wonderful thing.
