Yesterday I broke in a brand new Missouri Meerschaum Freehand and was sort of surprised it got extra hot during break in like a briar usually does. There was a whiff of charring dowel rod at the bottom but not much change from a slightly sweetish cob flavor the pipe will have for life.
When a pipe gets extra hot during break in something is cooking in there.
There’s a certain per cent of water in the cellular structure of the walls. That might boil and evaporate.
But the cellular structure isn’t solid. There are tannins, resins, saps in the wood or cob.
They have to cook, and afterwards the pipe is a better heat insulator and it tastes differently, usually and hopefully better.
In long course of time the pipe may turn sour, from tars or resins from burning tobacco.
You can sometimes remove the stink but I believe that also depletes the resins that flavor the smoke just a little.
Evebtually a pipe tastes bland, and it’s worn out, good for a decorator on the desk. Don’t hold your breath until that happens.![Smile :) :)](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
It takes thousands and thousands of smokes.
When a pipe gets extra hot during break in something is cooking in there.
There’s a certain per cent of water in the cellular structure of the walls. That might boil and evaporate.
But the cellular structure isn’t solid. There are tannins, resins, saps in the wood or cob.
They have to cook, and afterwards the pipe is a better heat insulator and it tastes differently, usually and hopefully better.
In long course of time the pipe may turn sour, from tars or resins from burning tobacco.
You can sometimes remove the stink but I believe that also depletes the resins that flavor the smoke just a little.
Evebtually a pipe tastes bland, and it’s worn out, good for a decorator on the desk. Don’t hold your breath until that happens.
It takes thousands and thousands of smokes.