Breaking-in Briar Pipes

[stanlaurel]

I have not been smoking for even 3 months yet and I'm finding that I just can't rush experience.
I read posts about break-in periods for briar pipes and I also read about people who sand out the bowl to remove stain and also see complaints about how Peterson stains the insides of the bowls.
I am smoking Virginias, Burleys and VaPers. Also different types of Latakia blends too. I figure I need to try everything and pay my dues to gain knowledge. But if I can barely even differentiate between these types of tobacco yet, I certainly can't tell if there is an effect of my pipe not being broken-in or if there is too much stain in the bowl. Finally, I saw a post that said that Burleys taste great in cobs and that maybe only very well broken-in briars would do as well with Burleys.
I'm thinking that since I am still waiting for that light-bulb to go on when I start tasting things more, that I will give my briars a rest and just smoke cobs and meers for a while. Is this a good idea?
I know that I just need to keep plugging along but I thought that if I eliminated one factor that might be confusing my tastebuds it might help.

 

[Chasing Embers]

First try retrohaling. Taking smoke into your mouth, and breath it out of your nose. Really opens the tobacco flavors. Second, burn the meers and cobs to your heart's content! Not a thing wrong with that. Cobs and meers have that flavor neutral quality that doesn't interfere with a blend's flavor. Smoke on brother, and you will get there!
Happy Smoking

Duane

 

[wcannoy]

Cobs and meers have that flavor neutral quality that doesn't interfere with a blend's flavor

With respect, I have to disagree with you here.
First of all, I would like everyone to take a moment to get over the shock of knowing that I smoke cobs. Yes, I do.
Cobs definitely have a flavor to them. Is not unlike, say, a burning corn cob. :lol: That's what makes them such a joy to smoke a burley from. The flavor of the burning cob compliments burley quite well. For me, a cob has reached the end of its useful life when it no longer (for whatever reason) contributes that extra flavor to the smoke!

 

[Chasing Embers]

That's intetesting considering that some blenders use virgin cobs to test new blends....hmmmm. :?

 

[phil67]

I also smoke cobs (and briars of course)and I've only noticed a sleight corn/cob taste with a new cob for only the first few smokes. After the bowl becomes charred and gets a wee bit of cake I no longer find any discernible cob taste.

 

[bcharles123]

I think that, in part, people like cobs for new blends because they are inexpensive enough that you can use a brand new pipe.

 

[antbauers]

I very much agree about the Burleys and cobs being a great combination. But I haven't had an issue with a cob losing its flavor and I have some very old and new cobs. The flavor might not be present like a new one but nonetheless still there. I just ream and clean with alcohol. They pretty much get the same treatment as my briars and have yet to get rid of one.

 

[settersbrace]

See the other thread on " break in", it'll shed some light and hopefully allow you to focus on what's really important. The big thing to prevent as a new smoker is overheating the bowl due to aggressive puffing. Pipe smoking is and should be a slow and relaxed process as there's no rush or time limit to reach the bottom of the bowl. The goal is to get there all the while enjoying what's stuffed inside. Cobs are great smokers and they also are great for developing good smoking habits without risking damage to a more expensive pipe.

 

[jah76]

I don't smoke as much as some folks, but honestly it took me a long time to actually build up cake in my bowls. It isn't an overnight process. I haven't actually even reamed a one.
Stan I've only been smoking about three years but I still haven't figured this hobby out. One day a pipe and tobacco taste meh, and a few days later the same pipe and same tobacco taste exceptional.
I don't smoke burleys but I LOVE VaPers in a cob.

 

[mso489]

Let me be the contrarian here. I think retrohaling is not a good idea, just like inhaling. More tissue exposed to more combustion products. Maybe no effect, but why increase the potential hazard? Second, along with a few other ancient pipers on Forums, I do not subscribe to cake building. I wipe out a pipe after every smoke (paper towel, tissue, paper napkins from take-out restaurants) to maintain just a thin carbon layer in each bowl. Some of my pipes bought nearly forty years ago really appreciate it, and not getting reamed, ever. And finally, to really amaze and distress my fellow pipers, I have to say that most pipe break-ins have not had any bad effect on flavor or enjoyment. Most of my pipes, I've just enjoyed each smoke and not been annoyed at all with some deficiency. Most pipes start out fine and continue accordingly. The best have no finish in the bowl, but even heavily coated ones have done fine, immediately or very soon. I do start with some partial bowls, and with some standard cut burley tobacco, but it is all so routine as to barely be noticed. If I buy a pipe from my local independent shop, I accept a drop of honey to be rubbed inside the bowl, but that's ceremony, not chemistry. I enjoy the ritual.

 

[stanlaurel]

Thanks jah76. If you are still having issues with tobacco taste after 3 years, I won't worry that I can't taste things after only 3 months.

 

[mjzerby]

I've only been smoking a few months now and not very frequently at that. I have a briar that I love and I honestly have no idea if it's broken in.
Here's what i've learned so far. Relax, take your time (the more the merrier), and don't be concerned about all this technical crap you read. You may relight a new pipe more than you think you aught to, but that could just be inexperience at packing and puffing. Just enjoy each smoke and ALWAYS learn something new each time.
In regards to taste: you'll know a bad tasting tobacco when you smoke it. When you do, and you will, you will appreciate and be able to decipher a good taste.

 

[saltedplug]

For the first several years after I started pipe smoking I indefatigably analyzed everything about the experience. I haunted a forum and posed endless questions about what I had experienced, and I offered others my observations. And yes, the many tobacco combinations, tobacco types, packing, smoking cadence, as well as the world of pipes, what makes them good, their styles, all seem to have endless complexity, requiring many hours of study.
The truth of it, I think, is that all of this knowledge comes in time and is a function both of the intensity of one's desire to learn and many, many smokes. Along the way it's quite natural to ask questions about the details, but if I had to do it over again I would have relaxed more and enjoyed myself more.
The question asked about breaking in pipes, by type, would seem to be an example of overthinking of the type I did when I was learning. If you want to break a pipe in, load it and smoke it. Although I'm sure there are many of you who can taste the difference between cob and briar pipes, I can't, and in any case I believe it is so small as to be easily overlooked and disregarded.

 

[stanlaurel]

Thanks all for the great advice.