Can You Re-dedicate a Perique Bomb?

[cynicismandsugar]

I purchased two estate pipes from my local B&M, several months ago. My tobacco shop ships all their estates, repairs, and/or cleanings out to their "guy;" and, having sent my own pipes and estate acquisitions off to be cleaned/repaired by their guy, I can vouch for his work. The man is great.
So, the first pipe, a mammoth [Comoy second, maybe] freehand, was heavily ghosted with perique -- and to a lesser degree -- Latakia. Even after cleaning, it was still a pepper bomb! I eventually dedicated the pipe to Early Morning Pipe -- as the robust kick adding a bit of needed boldness to the blend, and my personal taste buds.
The second pipe, a Winsløw Crown 300 freehand, sat on the rack for several months, until this evening. It has dimensions that I prefer for flake Virginia -- so I loaded some broken flakes of McClelland Christmas Cheer 2015 into my bowl, and lit up. ... And -- holy cow -- is the Ghost of St. Perique potent! I can't tast the subtle Virginia at all through the mace (spray). It appears that the same gentleman that previously owned the mammoth smoker, also owned the Winsløw Crown.
My question to everyone: Is trying to smoke my way through this spicy ghost, in order to re-dedicate this pipe to Virginia flake, a lost cause? Is Virginia just too mild to undertake such a task? Thank you, in advance, for any insight.

 

[tinsel]

At the risk of over-simplifying the issue ...
Have you considered simply running a dozen bowls of CH through it? CH has magical, legendary de-ghosting abilities. I've exorcised a few estate pipe ghosts with it, and it works like a charm.
With the ghost disposed of, you will be free to experiment with different blends and find out what works best in the pipe, dedicating it accordingly, without worrying about what gets along best with the ghost.

 

[Chasing Embers]

+1 on the Carter Hall.

 

[rfernand]

Prince Albert does wonders!

 

[cynicismandsugar]

[taking notes]
Thanks, guys! I will try to get my hands on some Carter Hall (maybe Prince Albert), and give it a go.

 

[buroak]

You can always send it to Mike at Walker Pipe Repair for a spa treatment in his ozone chamber. That thing has done wonders for some of my ghosted pipes, and it costs $5 ($2 for additional pipes).

 

[mothernaturewilleatusallforbreakfast]

You've already found your answer... call the doctor; Carter Hall.

 

[cynicismandsugar]

Carter Hall worked like a charm! So well, in fact, I'm using it to 'clean' out another pipe. Thanks again, to everyone, for all the help!

 

[perdurabo]

Damn, that was a perfect opportunity for a Rum/per dedication!

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I don't think I've ever heard of a perique "ghost." Ghosting to me is when a flavor never leaves the pipe no matter how many times you smoke it. I have pipes that I constantly switch between Virginias and VaPers, and virginias usually reveal any residual flavors. But, I'll concede that anything is possible.

You could use a retort, alcahol and salt, put the stummel in the oven (GLP has a blog post on this), send it off to be professionally ionized, or just use it for your heavy latakia blends.
Sending good vibes for you on getting this cleared up.

 

[seadogontheland]

Definitely can! As you might have guessed, you will have some flavor characteristics from the perique remain if you don't ream or clean very, very well. Since this condiment tobacco is more fully flavored than fully aromatic, might have success as opposed to it being heavily ladened with latakia. And if you like peppery perique in your tobaccos already, or wish to try, then it will be an easy transition since the ghost will show you the way.

 

[matchstickman]

I broke in a few pipes with some Old Joe Krantz some months back. After a few bowls of that blend I swear my pipes tasted like mustard. True story.
But to answer your question, retorts generally do a pretty good job of getting a ghost out of a pipe. If you know someone who has one it might be worth a shot.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I picked up retort from eBay for just a few dollars. It works great, but if you're scared of fire, boiling alcohol, or clumsy, you might want to send it to a pro or use the salt treatment. Retorts are not for the faint if heart.