Dedicating Pipes for Types of Tobacco?

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captpat

Lifer
Dec 16, 2014
2,389
12,422
North Carolina
My tastebuds are not discerning enough to derive any benefit from dedicating a pipe to a particular blend. I do tend to smoke VA, VA/PER in narrower bowls, latakias in broader bowls, and burley in whatever fits the mood. I don't smoke aromatics or Kendal blends so I don't worry about ghosting a pipe.
 
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StPaulPiper

Might Stick Around
Dec 18, 2021
67
351
St Paul, MN
Long story short: some smokers like to dedicate certain pipes to aromatics and others to English (latakia) blends, as they are very different, and don't necessarily play well together.

Longer story shorter: you probably don't need to worry about that yet. Until you get into some very English or eastern blends (earthy, cigar-like), it won't be of much, if any, benefit.

Also, in my experience, smoking (for instance) Lane Limited 1Q aromatic in a pipe that previously had Old Dark Fired in it isn't unpleasant, just not as aromatic-tasting as it should be, and the second and subsequent bowls are better and better. It depends quite a bit on how often you smoke, and how persnickety you are too. I only have one pipe (of 70) dedicated to English blends, as it's the one I smoke the earthiest, most English of my tobaccos, on those occasions where I want a latakia and/or perique fix.

I, like many others, started on the mass-market aromatics, like Captain Black Gold. That's my advice - try some fairly mild aromatics to start. They taste good and smell good. The more you smoke, the more you'll try and your tastes will evolve.
 

cigrmaster

Lifer
May 26, 2012
20,248
57,309
66
Sarasota Florida
Wow you are way way ahead. You are a pro and I am still in kindergarten.
Old Newby, this is not a race to see who can get their cellar done first. One thing I will say is that when you get an amazing smoke, pay attention to what you did to get it. I would also not go to heavy cellaring English/Balkans and aromatics. You may lose your taste for those blends as the longer you smoke the more your tastes change. I used to be a big Dunhill fan and also a big GL Pease fan. Now I only smoke one GL Pease blend and I only have maybe 10 tins of Dark Flake.

If you are thinking of adding a blend to your cellar you need to give it a good testing. Some blends you know right away you will love it for a long time, others you may have to find the right pipe and that can take time and with the limits they put on everything it is a pain. I was lucky that the limits only started because I was buying 25-100 tins at a time and people complained they couldn't get their favorites. I am sorry about that but I had no reason to wait if I saw something I liked.
 
Old Newby, this is not a race to see who can get their cellar done first. One thing I will say is that when you get an amazing smoke, pay attention to what you did to get it. I would also not go to heavy cellaring English/Balkans and aromatics. You may lose your taste for those blends as the longer you smoke the more your tastes change. I used to be a big Dunhill fan and also a big GL Pease fan. Now I only smoke one GL Pease blend and I only have maybe 10 tins of Dark Flake.

If you are thinking of adding a blend to your cellar you need to give it a good testing. Some blends you know right away you will love it for a long time, others you may have to find the right pipe and that can take time and with the limits they put on everything it is a pain. I was lucky that the limits only started because I was buying 25-100 tins at a time and people complained they couldn't get their favorites. I am sorry about that but I had no reason to wait if I saw something I liked.
You know, just because you lost your taste for those does not mean that everyone will. Greg Pease still cellars Latakias and burleys, and he’s been at this for much longer than you.

I take breaks from latakia in the warmer months, but I wouldn’t stop cellaring them. Actually, you might find that you prefer aged latakia and burleys over the fresh.
 

FLDRD

Lifer
Oct 13, 2021
2,236
9,051
Arkansas
I am going to look up that company and email them. If ebony it’s out. If pear I can consider it for something like a chocolate if I ever try it.
I started with pear pipes not knowing any "better" then, but have no specific complaints about them. Other than I was also only smoking aromatics at the time - which gave me lots of challenges and frustrations. I haven't gone back to aromatics yet but I've picked up my pear pipes from time to time.
 

Chris81

Starting to Get Obsessed
Oct 11, 2021
153
966
43
Malaga, Spain
Personally I don't have any pipe dedicated to a certain blend.
After I smoke Latakia in it, the pipe doesn't smell to me like Latakia. Same for the aromatics I smoke.

The only ghost effect I've seen so far is the pipe I use to finish some cigars. In that case it's very clear that the pipe now smells like a cigar.
 
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PipeIT

Lifer
Nov 14, 2020
5,141
30,427
Hawaii
Some people dedicate, some don’t, there’s no right or wrong, it’s all about you.

Now when it comes to a blend that might Ghost a pipe, and let’s say your poor as an example, only own a few pipes, so when you dry them, and have one to smoke, you can’t afford to dedicate, based on this sort of idea, of pipe rotation.

So, don’t smoke a lot of the same blend in a pipe that will Ghost it. If you get any Ghosting, you can clean the pipe, people have their various methods, but typically smoking a non Ghosting blends, like Burley or Latakia, you can eventually smoke it out.

I can’t afford to dedicate and anything that might Ghost my pipes, I might only smoke once or twice, then I smoke some other blends until it’s smoked out, which doesn’t take but typically a few bowls.
 
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leonardbill1

Lifer
May 21, 2017
1,360
5,748
Denver, CO
I have a couple of pipes for aromatics, one that is strictly for HH Vintage Syrian, a few that are Virginias only and one for "weird shit" (at least to my taste). Other than that nothing dedicated.
 

JKoD

Part of the Furniture Now
May 9, 2021
810
8,627
IN
I wouldn’t worry about it at this point. Learning to pack and smoke is probably more important for you at this point.

Just enjoy it and ask questions later when you run into a problem. Watch you tube videos - MuttonChop Piper is a good starting point. He will likely answer a majority if your questions if you watch the videos. Try that route and watch quite a few - or look for the title that answers a question you seek…probably learn more than just your Q. I think quite a few folks might have learned some things about pipes from him. Good for when first starting for sure.