Cake… Is it worth it?

[tzinc]

I was just going start a thread on this lol. I love the taste of my new pipes especially Castellos when they are fresh and some posters mentioned they never let carbon cake build up (I know if I let carbon cake build up in my pipe that taste will be gone). So now I am cleaning thoroughly after each smoke so no carbon cake builds up. The pipes I started with that I let carbon cake build up on all taste pretty nasty now.

It seems the logic of cake is to prevent your pipe walls from burning, but in the first smokes before the cake forms your walls do not burn so why should they ever burn it doesn't seem like you need cake for that reason.

 

[jpmcwjr]

I was just going start a thread on this lol. I love the taste of my new pipes especially Castellos when they are fresh and some posters mentioned they never let carbon cake build up (I know if I let carbon cake build up in my pipe that taste will be gone). So now I am cleaning thoroughly after each smoke so no carbon cake builds up. The pipes I started with that I let carbon cake build up on all taste pretty nasty now.

It seems the logic of cake is to prevent your pipe walls from burning, but in the first smokes before the cake forms your walls do not burn so why should they ever burn it doesn't seem like you need cake for that reason.

The nasty taste you note should be able to be cured via cleaning.

Cake happens, even if it's the thinnest coating of carbon on the chamber walls.

While most pipes don't burn out/through in the first smoke, cake does provide a bit of barrier against later burnouts. One reason we say to smoke the first bowl carefully!

 

[tzinc]

The nasty taste you note should be able to be cured via cleaning.

Cake happens, even if it's the thinnest coating of carbon on the chamber walls.

While most pipes don't burn out/through in the first smoke, cake does provide a bit of barrier against later burnouts. One reason we say to smoke the first bowl carefully!

Thanks at this point I have so many fresh pipes and I don't smoke much I just might move on rather then put in all the work these are all bargain pipes. I am seriously thinking of reaming after 10 or smokes. Also thinking about marrying 1 pipe to 1 type of blend say VaBur, Latakia, and DEFINITELY Lakeland lol.

 

[bullet08]

When someone says no cake, it's not actually "true". Most do not ream out to bare wood after each smoke. And some of them will clean out the chamber in a way it will build very thin hard cake. So, in a sense, there is a very thin cake that won't occupy unnecessary space that can be used by fresh tobacco. I'm not certain how much that will attribute to the taste of different blends. I haven't noticed. Enjoying smoke too much to try and notice things I don't taste.

 

[sandollars]

 

[sandollars]

When someone says no cake, it's not actually "true". Most do not ream out to bare wood after each smoke. And some of them will clean out the chamber in a way it will build very thin hard cake. So, in a sense, there is a very thin cake that won't occupy unnecessary space that can be used by fresh tobacco. I'm not certain how much that will attribute to the taste of different blends. I haven't noticed. Enjoying smoke too much to try and notice things I don't taste.

This is what I do. Very hard, very thin glazing from smoking. I Don't try to make a group 6 into a Group 2 by neglecting my pipes....

 

[Jef]

I like to have a thin layer of cake in my pipes. I feel it protects the walls of the bowl from heat. I smoke 1Q most of the time. I find the flavor of my tobacco is a little richer since the cake developed in my pipe is from my favorite blend.

Jef

 

[North of the Border Piper]

Smoke, wipe, repeat.

 

[ZetoMegisti]

My prefrence: a good deal of cake, lets say circa 2mm. This provides a surface for casings and oils to cling to, giving a little terrior to the bowl. The thin column of tobacco is easier to keep lit and is insulated by the carbon build up. Also, some moisture is being absorbed into the cake.

 

[Searock Fan]

Haven't read this entire thread, but want to remind everone that "cake" tends to expand more that briar when it's hot. Too thick a cake has been known to cause a bowl to crack.

 

[frozenchurchwarden]

After all the talk of break in a few weeks ago I decided to give a few pipes a small "break in bowl" of Le Petit Robin, followed with using the tobacco ash to mud the bottom of the pipe.
While applying the coating be sure to scrape off any thick spots of mud at the very bottom to ensure uniformity, and also brush out the draft hole to avoid restricting airflow.

This pipe was fresh raw briar before tonight's smoke, the coating is thin enough you can still see all the machining marks from the factory lathe.

 

[anotherbob]

I was just going start a thread on this lol. I love the taste of my new pipes especially Castellos when they are fresh and some posters mentioned they never let carbon cake build up (I know if I let carbon cake build up in my pipe that taste will be gone). So now I am cleaning thoroughly after each smoke so no carbon cake builds up. The pipes I started with that I let carbon cake build up on all taste pretty nasty now.

It seems the logic of cake is to prevent your pipe walls from burning, but in the first smokes before the cake forms your walls do not burn so why should they ever burn it doesn't seem like you need cake for that reason.

I would venture it's several reasons. One is if the wood gets mechanically damaged in some way it will burn easier. The other is that burn out seems to be caused easiest in pipes with hidden pits and such. Which the one time I experienced that in a cheap pipe it was shocking how easily it burnt out. I think the biggest long term reasons would be that heat causes expansion if the wood has differing densities or is heated unevenly it can stress the wood and over time that can cause fissures and breaks. Or at least these are the reasons I've heard. I have to add that one thing I've noticed with pipes and pipe advice in general is it's often over stated accurate but not as hard and fast as people state.