Dedicating Pipes To Particular Tobaccos.

[romeowood]

I always dedicate pipes to a single genre once I discover which genre comes alive in it

Like sinistertopiary I vaguely follow this method--I've spent some time trying to learn and get a feel for the process of the thermodynamics of pipe smoking as well as being very conscious in my approach to the different blends that become part of my regular rotation; based on this I can make an educated guess about what a new pipe will smoke well, but in the end it's just that--only a guess--and there is as much magic, unpredictability and temperamental nature in pipes as there is in women. I don't adhere to it very strictly--in fact I enjoy the heretical acts of mixing aromatics in with my vapers in my home-blending experiments, not to mention the occasional bowl of straight perique--but generally when a pipe presents itself as a good chamber for vapers, english, etc., I tend toward genre dedication. The bottom line for me is that I'm *not* always looking for a pristine, repeatable experience. I run into this a lot in the coffee world too--some folks get really bound up by the vagaries of dose, grind, pressure profile, et cetera, and forget that for the vast majority of consumption you're just looking for a cup of joe. That being said, when I try a new blend that I want to invest some time in, or I'm working on a review, I gravitate toward the meer and the clay before exploring other pipes precisely for the clarity of smoke and absence of cross-flavoring, as well as smoking one blend exclusively through a few ounces and under different conditions. In this way I try to define the empirical nature of the blend, isolate the constituent flavor profile, and then go exploring its particular strengths and weaknesses with regard to pipes. In reviews I likewise find that a general directions toward chamber size and shape is the best one can do to point to a blend's best pairing; e.g., CAO Cherry Bomb really stands out in a smaller, slightly conical billiard whereas Eileen's Dream only fully develops in a group 4 straight-sided, rounded-bottomed, preferably with a bent stem. IMHO. :D

 

[clanobucklin]

I never dedicate pipes. How will your pipe discover nirvana if you keep putting the same type of tobacco in it? You may think you have it perfectly worked out as to what will smoke great in what pipe - but surprise! You may be wrong. To prevent ghosting I thoroughly clean my pipes after every smoke with Everclear and lots of pipe cleaners also I let them rest. Sooo I have noticed very little ghosting over the 20+ years I have been smoking a pipe.

 

[python]

Here is an article that I wrote about this subject:
Dedicating Tobacco Pipes to Pipe Tobacco Blends

 

[python]

How many of you use both "salt and Everclear" and how many just use Everclear?

Salt is only used when deep cleaning the smoking chamber of the pipe, not for routine cleaning.

 

[lordnoble]

I have 1 pipe that I have dedicated to W.O. Larsen Signature because that blend is so nuanced that I found a pipe used for other blends doesn't smoke it as well. That said, I'm seriously considering dedicating my Grabow Royal Duke to the Villiger 1888 Mid Day blend because it is an excellent smoke EVERY time in it. Maybe the W.O. Larsen-dedicated pipe is the same way, I just never tried anything else in it.
-Jason

 

[clanobucklin]

I use salt and everclear on pipes I get off Ebay that need a very good cleaning. I pour salt into the bowl and shank (Kosher salt) and add Everclear. Let it sit for a couple of days - you would be surprised at the amount of crap this treatment pulls out of the vintage pipe.
Ps while I never dedicate pipes - I would like to add that I can see the logic of it - if one is smoking a very heavily cased tobacco. I one time got a pipe from a friend and for the life of me could not get the smell and taste of this cheap tobacco he smoked out of it. No matter what I smoked that funk just lingered.

 

[funn]

I've "catagorized" my pipes to the different catagories of tobaccdos I smoke. And I smoke everything, English, Virginias,Burly,Aromatics,Crossovers, Crossunders. I have a few pipes dedicated to a specific blend. I find that I can get a real taste, I guess, of the tobacco not being "ghosted' by something else. I have ocassionally smoked Pa in an english pipe as a crossover taste.

 

[matchstickman]

Heres my take on the subject: If I dont like a blend, it never has enough time in my pipe to ghost it. So when I smoke a blend all the way to the bottom in a pipe, it means I like the flavor, and if I happen to put a different blend in that same pipe and smoke it, then I get the taste of the burning tobacco that I like, plus the taste of the ghosted tobacco that I like as well. In my experience, the mixing blends in a pipe actually makes it a little more interesting to me. If I smoke a straight Virginia out of a pipe that had a heavy latakia blend in it, then, to me, the flavor becomes a little more complex and adds something new. If I want to taste a tobacco as it should be smoked, without frills, it goes in a cob or a meer. This is usually my first smoke with a new blend, and then I go from there. To me, its almost like a chemistry experiment. What flavors will mix well with other flavors? Guess Im the odd one out here :puffpipe:

 

[sjpipesmoker]

I only dedicate pipes for English and Aromatic...but sometimes I forget and the tobaco really taste different

 

[joejumps4fun]

Hey guys, I've only been a pipe smoker for 3 months and I own about 4 pipes already...as well as 4 blends. Lane 1Q was my first blend ever, but I finished that ounce a few nights ago. I have been using all my pipes for various blends just to get myself acquainted with the varieties and types of tobacco blends. Well, once I figure out my favorite kinds and I want to start dedicating one pipe per blend, how can I prepare the pipe for this? Should I clean it out completely and start anew, re-breaking in my cleaned estate pipes? (I only buy estate pipes). I guess I should dedicate my cheap tobacco shop no-name pipe for "utility" use in trying out new blends....but how should I begin preparing a pipe for a lifetime of a single blend? I feel bad that I started this enjoyable hobby doing it all wrong, using more than one blend per pipe (but not in the same smoking session). Advice is appreciated

 

[pawpaw]

joe ya aint doing it wrong cuz there is no stinkin rule book and when ya find a pipe and a blend you want to dedicate just do it by the 5th bowl you will never know it had seen any other blend and at the 50th bowl it sould be a real treat

 

[tiltjlp]

While I do dedicate some pipes, mostly cobs, to specific blends, I've found that I tend to dedicate most of them based on bowl size. Some blend types will smoke nicely in any size bowl, but others thrive either on larger or smaller bowls. I find it interesting that only one of my 3 briars is dedicated, while about 75% of the 45 cobs in use are dedicated.

 

[judcole]

I am of the dedicated rotation school. I have a latakia rotation, and I have a Virginia/burley rotation. I don't smoke aros much, so I only have one pipe for that. I only have one completely dedicated pipe, and that's dedicated to McCranie Murdock's Pipe. It smokes that blend so beautifully, I decided that's all I would smoke in it. I tend to smoke "codger burleys" in a cob - they just seem to go together.
And Joe, you aren't doing it wrong. This topic is one that is endlessly discussed amongst pipe smokers. You have to explore and find out what's right for you. From what I have read over the years, a majority of smokers are of the "dedicated rotation" school, while a strong minority smoke any sort of blend in any pipe. There are very, very few who say "1 blend per pipe" - mostly 'cause it's too darned expensive! :D Even amongst the dedicated rotation school, there are different opinions on how fine to tune that.

You have to determine how much you notice ghosting before you decide what to do. People that notice it the most tend to notice it when smoking a blend that has subtle flavors - a Virginia, perhaps - in a pipe that has recently had a more robustly flavored blend, like a full Balkan, or a goopy aromatic.

Good luck and have fun.

 

[joejumps4fun]

Thank you ALL for the encouragement and advice. I suppose this journey is half the fun of smoking--to find the right blend and to find the right pipe for that blend you love!

 

[philip]

I feel bad that I started this enjoyable hobby doing it all wrong,

Don't worry, Joe. If you find the hobby enjoyable you are doing it just right.
I have a couple of pipes that I only smoke aromatics in because they just smoke better in those.

I have a couple of others I reserve for English blends.

And I have a couple I smoke anything in.
It just took a little experimenting to find which blends worked best in which pipes.
Have fun!

 

[nmbigfoot02]

Personally, I don't dedicate pipes per se, but I usually start and finish a tin with the same pipe. Once the tin is empty, the pipe gets put onto a different blend. It might be an English for one tin, and then get moved on to an aro. Doing this allows the pipe to "settle in" to the blend without having to dedicate the pipe exclusively to one genre of tobacco.

 

[uberam3rica]

I have my pipe divided by aromatics(which is like 3 out of the 13 I own) and english(which is predominitly what I smoke)

 

[lordnoble]

I only have one pipe which I dedicated to a particular blend for the same reason as Jud with his Murdock's Pipe, except it's W.O. Larsen Signature: Vintage Mixture for me.
-Jason