Caking

[indyraider]

I have been hearing the word, "caking", used when talking about breaking in a new pipe. This might be the dumbest question in the history of this forum, but I am wondering about this. What is caking exactly? Why is it important? How do you make sure that this is being accomplished? How do you know if it is happening?
indyraider

 

[jgriff]

There always seems to be too much worrying about this in my opinion. In the most basic terms, a cake is buildup of carbon that insulates the wood of the pipe. Basically, the pipe is a little blast furnace and the cake helps contain the heat in the center of the pipe, insuring the wood itself doesn't burn/scorch. In the end, it gives you a more pleasant/cooler smoke (and saves your pipe from damage).
There are a number of ways that people try to build up cake faster or "better" (i.e. coating the bowl with honey, smoking 1/3 a bowl first, etc.) but really the best way I've found is to simply smoke the pipe all the way to bottom repeatedly and it will build an even cake eventually. Smoking the pipe enough will take care of the cake.

 

[werdna]

Welcome to the forum, indyraider.
Be aware that cake is good, but too much cake is not good. I just restored an estate pipe that had so much carbon buildup it cut the capacity of tobacco in half. The carbon was thicker than the briar wall of the pipe.
I allow only a thin layer of cake in my pipes, and I don't see a need for more. At the end of the day, I clean my pipe and swab out the bowl with a paper towel to remove excess cake. Thin is In.

 

[indyraider]

This is very helpful. Thank you for the feedback!
indyraider

 

[pipeherman]

I build up cake by just filling half the bowl up with tobacco and smoking it down carfully. One doesn't need to worry about the top so much due to the tobacco in the early stages of smoking not being to hot, and being tampered down quickly. The most dangerous section I believe is the bottom of the bowl by the canal to the shank. I have always ensured the break in smokes are really carful just so that I don't end up smoking/burning the wood in that area. Cake prevents the burning/smoking of the wood - so cake is good. Bare in mind thickness as others have mentioned.

 

[txbeerboy]

I have been smoking a dunhill cumberland 5120 sense March of 2013 and it has no cake in it . Do these people with cake that is real thick not whip out their pipe after smoking it ?

 

[txbeerboy]

Okay it is dark in side the Dunhill but there is not thick cake. I just whip it with a clean white cloth by forcing my little finger in the bowl. I have never scraped it and I don't see much happening as far as cake .

 

[zekest]

Think of cake as using your frying pan but never cleaning it. It's the accumulated build up of past burnt and unburnt stuff that adds flavor what otherwise might have almost none. To an aromatic smoker, cake is not important. On the other hand that is why cake is paramount to Virginia smokers.

 

[txbeerboy]

Thank you so much for the help. I do the same but with a soft cotton cloth and pipe cleaner. I haven't seen any thing getting thick I was wondering how any pipe got so crusty that it would be tough to ream out.

 

[cigrmaster]

If a pipe is to perform at it's optimum level, a nice hard cake is crucial in my opinion. A pipe with a nice cake will definitely smoke cooler and drier and it will make the flavor of your tobacco taste better. Va flakes build cake the quickest in my experience. I have always filled every new pipe of mine to the top and smoked it to the bottom, this allows me to get a nice even cake and I have never had burnout or problem with any pipe doing it this way. When I am done with a pipe, I let it cool over night so the cake can harden, I then take 2 pipe cleaners doubled over and wipe the inside of the pipe gently to get any loose tobacco or ash. I then blow through the shank making sure nothing is left behind. I can build a nice hard cake within a dozen or so bowls using this method. I prefer to keep my cake to a dime's worth and about once every year or 2 will need to ream a pipe.

 

[dragonslayer]

I think that about covers it all. The only point I'd like to add is using designated pipes. You can go as far as blend specific but at the very least keep it in a food group. You don't want to build up a nice cake with a VaPer only to buff some Latakia or aromatic through it. If you have a nice cake of straight VA and start smoking a VaPer though it you'll end up getting a small amount of Perique in the taste. There are many opinions on ghosting in pipes, IMO at least have a pipe for aromatics, VaPer, VA, Burley and Latakia. Also it's a good ideal to have a couple cheap corncobs around for samples and something you're not sure which of your pipes you want to smoke it in.
Craig