Best Tobacco for Making Cake?

[nyamuk]

I will be getting my first briar soon and was wondering if there was a tobacco that you guys recommend for building a cake in the bowl? I have read articles that explained what it is and I understand that the cake can affect the flavor but I didn't know if there was a specific blend or something that would help make it more durable or if it would even matter if you did it the recommended way

 

[scrapyardape]

I'd say don't worry about it. Smoke what you like and just let the cake happen in its own time.

 

[cortezattic]

Most guys swear that Burley tobaccos build a nice cake, and quickly too!

IMO, Virginia, with its higher sugar content should carbonize the bowl quicker.

Best of all would be to use the blend that you enjoy the most. Smoking slowly is the most important thing.

 

[billypm]

There are those who think that Virginia tobaccos produce the hardest most durable cake, and they may well be right. But I've always had great luck with Carter Hall-- quick burning but cool, tasty but mild, pretty quick at forming a good neutral cake. After a dozen or so bowls of that I'll often go to F&T Golden Mixture for a while to just solidify things a bit. Those two baccies build fine cake for me and also provide a pretty great smoke during break-in, which I generally despise.

 

[nyamuk]

I appreciate the info, I've read a lot on here about briars and they seem to be finnicky, does it hurt them to smoke different types of mixtures or do they perform better if you stick to one all the time?

 

[philip]

I'd say don't worry about it. Smoke what you like and just let the cake happen in its own time.

I agree. Don't waste your time smoking something you don't like just for the sake of making cake. The process does not need to be hurried. If you intend to dedicate that pipe to a particular blend or category, smoke that and enjoy.

 

[Strike Anywhere]

Cake is overrated...grossly overrated. You want/need a minimal amount, so don't worry about building it. Any and every blend will build cake. Once I learned how to properly smoke a pipe, I think I enjoy the taste of virgin pipes better than broken-in pipes.
Smoke what you like, then your cake will be perfectly suited for the blends you like. Why smoke burley blends just for cake if you don't really like burley blends? All blends will build cake.

 

[Strike Anywhere]

In regards to your second question, I think it all depends on you. If you smoke latakia mixtures in a new pipe a few times then switch to aromatics, you will still taste that latakia for a few bowls (faintly). If you switch back to latakia mixtures, you'll faintly taste vanilla/cherry/whatever aromatic you were smoking. VAs and VAPERs will be more susceptible to lingering ghosts (meaning you'll notice that latkia or aromatic flavor more while trying to smoke those). If you like that experience, then jump around with your pipe(s). If you don't like that, then you should try to dedicate pipes to certain types of blends.
For that reason, many of us dedicate pipes to certain types of blends. Pipes for aros, pipes for "natural" blends (VAs, VAPERs, burley, or any combination), and pipes for latakia mixtures.

 

[captainsousie]

Nice info TAB. Never had much of a sensitivity to ghosts but they can sometimes be quite strong and require a bit of work to exorcise. Otherwise, smoke what you want and let the cake take care of itself (until it gets thick that is, then take care of it).

 

[nyamuk]

I'm still in the process of trying to narrow down what flavors/blends that I like the most. My problem is I like everything haha

 

[kashmir]

Yeah, I'd say OTC burleys make for a fine cake. Like Cater Hall and Prince Albert. But really when it comes down to it, just smoke what your favorite brand is and sure enough you'll develop a fine cake. Say, after ten bowls or so, you'll see it developing nicely. When I break in a new pipe I will intentionally give it less attention to cleaning out the bowl, as compared to other pipes with a well developed cake. After I smoke down to the bottom (I don't do thirds, just load her up and go), I'll shake the ash up in the depleted bowl to coat the chamber walls evenly. Clean the draft well. Then rack it. I'll do this for the first half dozen bowls or so. Then I'll begin to give attention to the chamber, by gently swabbing it with a used bent pipe cleaner. After another half dozen bowls or so, then I'll get more aggressive with the chamber and begin wiping it out with a twisted paper towel. Once the cake is nice and good, why, I'll dribble some drops of alcohol into the chamber and insert a bit of paper towel and using a pair of forceps twist it around to REALLY clean out the bowl. Your millage may vary, depending on how retentive your anus is.

 

[dottle]

The best cake maker Ive ever used is Carter Hall. It will cake a pipe fast..

 

[mso489]

Don't build cake. You want the inside of the bowl evenly blackened, and that's about it. That will happen

by itself. Wipe the bowl out after you scoop out and blow out the bowl. Building cake leads to reaming

the bowl, and that leads to breaking down the pipe, or just tearing it up by reaming. A lot of old pipers

never ream their pipes because they don't let much cake build up. Follow their (our) example. For breaking

in your pipe, Carter Hall is fine, or any evenly burning burley and/or Virginia tobacco or blend.

 

[joeval]

Just smoke what you feel like - as long as you're not a complete ruffian, and clean after each bowl, the pipe will take care of itself.
On another note - for some reason, when I first read the title, I thought you were on about the kind of cakes you bake... Confused and more than a little horrified!

 

[kashmir]

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

Be careful with your Dottle, and

You'll be rewarded with cake.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Just smoke it for the enjoyment of whatever leaf you enjoy. Don't worry about the cake, cake just happens. It sort of baffles me that one would smoke a certain tobacco, not for the enjoyment of that blend but just to build a cake, LOL.
Keep it wiped out. Don't fret over it, and enjoy getting to know your new pipe. Soon enough, you'll be fighting back the cake with sandpaper or pocket knife :D

 

[bryanf]

I smoke all day long and have battled cake for the nearly 6 years I've been smoking. Until recently, I always let it just build up until it was 1/4 thick or worse then scraped it out completely. This was just my laziness to maintain my pipes. Then, I started letting it get to 1/8th thick and scraping it all out. That takes me less than a month, easy. Now, thanks to this forum, I bought a pipe knife for $5 and I have been gently scraping my bowl after each smoke and every night reaming with a paper towel. Not much effort really and I enjoy it. My pipe has a nice dime or less thick cake and it's been about a month. Happy guy here because I can actually fit a decent amount of tobacco in my pipe every smoke!
Any thicker than a dime and it doesn't do any benefit to protect or insulate and give flavor. I didn't use to believe this and used to think the thicker the better, but now I know this is not true.

 

[wilson]

Cake happens. Don't fret. My advice, like that of many others here, is to smoke what you like, take your time and try to smoke to the bottom of the bowl. It's gonna be OK.

 

[pstlpkr]

My advice is simple.

Smoke what you want to.

Just don't be in a hurry.

The slower (relatively speaking) you build your cake, the harder and more durable it will be.

IMHO

::

 

[judcole]

Best of all would be to use the blend that you enjoy the most. Smoking slowly is the most important thing.

Yup, yup, yup.