Greetings. I have been smoking a pipe for about a year and a half after switching from smoking cigarettes on and off for years. I started with a MM cob and have since accumulated a few other cob and briar pipes but MM cobs are still generally what I reach for when I smoke. I usually smoke 3-4 bowls a day and have found the most success with cobs. I smoke a few basket briars with their brands being a no name, Stanwell, and a Morgan Bones pipe. I have been wiping out my briars after I smoke them nor do I smoke them as often as my cobs. None of them have a thick cake by any stretch, although they have at least some layer of carbon. I find that more frequently than not when I smoke any of my briars (other than my Morgan Bones pipe) I get a gurgle mid-smoke that requires a pipe cleaner to be passed for me to continue. This is something I have almost never had to do with my cobs. I wouldn’t describe myself as a freight train puffer or one who only exhales wisps of smoke but somewhere in between. Would a thick carbon cake on my briars help me with the gurgle or is this just something that some briar pipes do? Maybe it could be because the cheaper pipes I have aren’t drilled super accurately? I do find it interesting that it almost never happens to me when I smoke my Morgan Bones pipe. I generally smoke burley blends but sometimes enjoy a Virginia/vaper and think I have a good idea of what optimal tobacco moisture content looks like. As a long time lurker and first time poster, I extend my sincerest thank you to all of the active members on this forum! You indirectly answered many of my questions early on in my pipe smoking journey when I had nobody in the flesh to turn to for answers. I figured I should return the favor for someone else out there seeking answers like I was and still am. Happy smokes!
