Dedicating Pipes

[rrhill]

Greetings to all.
The good folks at VegasSmokes.com make this declaration:
"A pipe that is used to smoke many different types and blends of tobacco will eventually become very bland tasting. If you have the luxury of several pipes it would be a good idea to dedicate a pipe or two to each type of tobacco to avoid tainting your smoking experience."
I trust I understand the logic here but would like more discussion about the practicality of this advice.
Best wishes,
Robert R. Hill

 

[smokingtoport]

I have found that to always make sense.Ghosting in a briar is a fact,and not always a bad thing.Still,even when you love two strong flavors,the combination might not be to your liking---ex liver & apple pie.It does not have to get expensive either ,as the corn cob is a really good pipe choice ,especially for trying new tobaccos and ones you are only in the mood for ---every so often.

"Love what you Smoke"

 

[daveleitz]

Being a rather new pipe smoker, I haven't tried many different blends yet, and I only own one briar. After seven or eight months of smoking that pipe with every blend I have tried so far, I discovered the blend that it likes the most.
So, do other pipe smokers arbitrarily assign pipes to particular blends? Or do they let the pipe "decide"?

 

[chuckw]

Lets say you have smoked a strongly flavored aromatic blend like Middleton's Cherry Blend in a pipe. Now you want to try a mild Virginia like McCelland's Black Shag. You won't get the true flavor of the Black Shag because of the left over cherry flavor. I realize it can be quit expensive to dedicate pipes, but over time, you can do it. Over the last 10 or 12 years that I've been a dedicated pipe smoker, I've amassed more than 100 pipes (thank God for E-Bay)and have dedicated them to the various types of tobacco I smoke, some to latikia blends, some to Va's, some to black ropes and a few cobs to my OTC's.

Something you might consider is picking up a few cob's. They are inexpensive, darned good smokers and will give you the true flavor of the tobacco you are trying. Later, after you've settled into a few tobaccos you really like, you can pick up good brairs and dedicate them if you like.

 

[cortezattic]

In my experience, over time I've noticed that a particular blend tastes best in a particular pipe; so they sort of "find each other." Rather arbitrarily assigning a pipe to a particular tobacco genre, OTOH, can be helpful to prevent the taste crossover that Chuckw described.
Bob's article on dedicating pipes organizes the options and practices pretty nicely.
My only suggestion would be to take Paul Szabady's advice and smoke Virginia flake tobaccos in English/UK made pipes. According to Szabady the two evolved together -- and I think he's right about the pairing.

 

[python]

I do not agree with what VegasSmokes says. As long as you keep your pipes cleaned, you should have no problems. I don't see how they would eventually taste bland if you don't dedicate them.
Although I do choose to dedicate my pipes by genres, there are a lot of people that don't dedicate at all and they have no problems with it. It sounds, to me, like a business ploy to get people to buy more pipes.
Dedicating is a personal choice just like buying pipes is a personal choice. If you want to dedicate, do it. If you want to buy more pipes, do it. But don't feel forced into buying more pipes because someone says that is the "right" thing to do.
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Cortezattic Said: My only suggestion would be to take Paul Szabady's advice and smoke Virginia flake tobaccos in English/UK made pipes. According to Szabady the two evolved together -- and I think he's right about the pairing.

OK, just because I like thought provoking discussions (and sometimes stirring the pot, lol) I would like to comment on this. But I will start a different thread because I don't want to hi-jack this one.
Here is the thread to continue this discussion:

Virginia Tobaccos and English/UK Made Pipes

 

[admin]

I dedicate my pipes to pipe tobacco and they always taste great to me.

 

[smokingtoport]

Fair enough,you certainly can't go wrong with that strategy.

 

[ohin3]

I'm certainly not strict about it, but I do dedicate when the situation warrants it. I have bought pipes and just by aesthetic alone assumed that they looked like a va pipe or a latakia pipe. Many times I have been very wrong as the pipe itself dictates what smokes best in it. Some pipes just do well with certain types of tobacco. I don't dedicate one pipe to one tobacco, but I do dedicate pipes to types of tobacco based on how they smoke certain tobaccos.

 

[igloo]

Small bowls for flake , after that I just keep them clean . Exception a pipe for Escudo .