Best No Nonsense Way to Pack and Break in a Pipe

[tbradsim1]

 

[Mortar0341]

Lots of ways to do it, but here’s my method.

Take a tiny dab of honey, just enough to coat the chamber.

Use a mild tobacco like Carter Hall or Prince Albert.

Pack loosely. Tamp often.

Smoke it slowly all the way down to the air hole.

Smoke a package (1 1/2 ounces) of tobacco slowly to fully break one in.

I only have 5 briar pipes, but I've used the honey method on a few of them and I feel it does work a lot better to build up that cake. It screws with the taste of the first few bowls but nothing bad. I'll probably continue to do this to my pipes as I aquire more.

 

[frozenchurchwarden]

If you have a raw uncoated bowl I love to give it an ash-mud coating.
Smoke a 1/4-1/2 bowl of Five Brothers (or something else extremely dry and fast burning, but you're not going to get a faster burning tobacco than Five Brothers shag cut Burley), when the last of the tobacco is burned drip a few drops of water in the bowl and mix the ash until you have a nice black slurry.

Pure ash gives the most beautiful thin matte black carbon coating I've ever seen.

 

[Auxsender]

Other then the three layer method, what would be the best no nonsense way to pack a pipe?

I also have a new pipe on the way and was curious if anyone new a good no nonsense way to break it in?

No nonsense? No problem.

1) Apply white makeup to face.
2) Apply red makeup in the shape of an oval to the outside of mouth.
3) Add diamond shapes to eyes using black makeup.
4) Apply red curly wig to head.
5) Apply red foam sphere to end of nose.
6) Grab your new pipe.
7) Pack new pipe with the tobacco you want to smoke.
8) Apply flame to tobacco inside of pipe chamber.
9) Gently smoke tobacco til its ash. Re-light as needed.
10) Enjoy!

 

[Sigmund]

Well, Im doing a study on this. Maybe I will write a book. As a result I will be required to continue buying new pipes as test subjects. Its a tough job and a real sacrifice but one Im prepared to make.

 

[woodsroad]

I hav never done anything special to “break in” a pipe.