Different Pipes for Different Blends

[OzPiper]

Do you have different pipes for different tobaccos, or do you use the same pipe for all tobaccos? I know some have dedicated pipes to just one blend or type, such as aromatics or English. It seems others don't. Personally, I have my favorite pipes that I smoke all my blends in. I might not get a pure taste from the tobaccos and if the pipe is ghosted it will impart a taste from another but to me that just adds to the experience.
So, what do you guys do?.

It depends on how sensitive your senses of smell and taste are.
If, as you say, you don't mind if your pipe is ghosted from a previous smoke, or you find that it adds something to a subsequent smoke, then by all means carry on doing as you have been.

I find English/Oriental and aromatic blends ghost and diminish/detract from subsequent smokes.
I don't have specific pipes for a specific tobacco.
But I have pipes for English/Oriental blends and pipes for aromatics.

Of course it is much easier to dedicate pipes to specific genre of blends if you have lots of pipes.
But I wouldn't encourage an attack of PAD just to justify that

 

[jaytex1969]

I took the advice of the forum "elders" when I began and designated pipes for genres.

Latakia blends are restricted to 2 or 3 pipes. One or two are for Virginias only.

Since most of my smoking is nonaromatic, I can mix and match some pipes with little interference.

Since most aro's are light on nicotine, I have a huge billiard I use for aro's. Sometimes I mix in a higher nic blend with aromatics for my own satisfaction.

One or two pipes are dedicated to favorite blends.

I'll mix it up some times. I'll smoke a lighter blend in a pipe designated for heavier flavors, but not the other way around.

Finally, I usually have a "wild card" pipe that I will put anything in, usually a beater pipe.

 

[judcole]

I have genre pipes and blend specific pipes.

Likewise.

 

[monty55]

Yes, absolutely. I definitely have my favorite pipes for blend types, but only a few pipes do I have designated for a particular blend. Those were singled out only because they really sing with one particular blend, not for any other reason.

 

[sablebrush52]

Depends what you want out of pipe smoking. If it's primarily getting a nicotine buzz, then smoke anything in anything. If it's also about flavors, or mostly about flavors, then you dedicate pipes to a specific genre, or, better, a specific blend.

 

[scloyd]

When I started this journey four years ago, I dedicated certain pipes to certain genre. Not anymore, I'll smoke any blend in any pipe. The only exception is SG Black Forest gets smoked in a specific Chacom with a honey colored stem.

 

[Mrs. Pickles]

Any benefits are hit or miss. Some shapes reputedly showcase Virginias or say, Latkias, etc....but you might find briars that march to the beat of different blend than the shape reputedly showcases.
It's all part of the fun.
I wouldn't worry about it. Smoke what you prefer in whichever pipe you prefer.

I'm interested in hearing more about this. Granted that it all comes down to personal preference, but what are the common ideas regarding which shape/sizes/materials suit certain types of blends?

So far I've seen members here suggest wide bowls (e.g. pot shape) give the best taste to blends with lots of components as you've got a better shot at evenly burning all that different leaf. Someone also mentioned narrow bowls benefit the flavor of flake tobacco somehow. Any other takes on this from the experts?

 

[Chasing Embers]

I'm interested in hearing more about this. Granted that it all comes down to personal preference, but what are the common ideas regarding which shape/sizes/materials suit certain types of blends?

So far I've seen members here suggest wide bowls (e.g. pot shape) give the best taste to blends with lots of components as you've got a better shot at evenly burning all that different leaf. Someone also mentioned narrow bowls benefit the flavor of flake tobacco somehow. Any other takes on this from the experts?

It's more about the dimensions of the chamber than the shape of the bowl though other than smoke duration, I've not noticed much if any difference.

 

[eljimmy]

I dedicated pipes to my favorite blends.

 

[simong]

Hells Bells Jimmy!!! You're definitely a man with a plan, dedication with a capital D!!?

 

[Hillcrest]

I don't understand the term 'genre' in this context. I smoke all tobaccos in all my pipes. If one gets ghosted I clean it thoroughly. I do find however that some tobaccos smoke better in certain size and shape pipes so I will tend to smoke those tobaccos in those pipes. For example, Country Squire Green Dragon smokes best in my Savinelli Erica Fiamma 128 Billiard so if I want to smoke that tobacco my tendency is to use that pipe; A strong flavorful english tends to smoke best in one of my larger pipes so Peterson or the Savinelli 2614KS and so on, but I'm not insistent on anything.

 

[jaytex1969]

Genre, as in groupings or "classes" of blends.

When I use the word, I'm thinking Virginias, VaPers, VaOrs, VaBurs, English blends, Dark Fired heavy blends, Lakeland blends and aromatics.

I'm sure I missed one or two, like Burley blends, "Crossover" blends, OTC blends. Everyone's take on "categories" can vary per individual.

Just group them as makes sense to you. Some, for instance, consider English and Balkan blends to form one genre, while others consider them 2 separate categories.

 

[justscience]

Whenever a bowl of anything in any pipe works wonderfully, I use that pipe for that blend after that. But I may smoke other blends in it as well. One would think that pipe would be superior for everything else, but that doesn't happen at all. I can never accurately predict good matches. A pipe good with one Virginia flake may fail with a very similar one. Cobs are somewhat picky as well. Pipes are like cats, I guess.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I dedicate pipes to blend genres. I can’t imagine doing otherwise. If you start mixing a bunch of colors, you end up with something resembling mud. That’s how I see smoking all blends types in the same pipe.

 

[Andriko]

I've ended up dedicated to genre, more by mistake and rotation habit than anything. The only tobacco that I found ghosts anything is Latakia, so if I ever wanted to go back to it I'd get a separate pipe.

 

[Honkytonk Man]

I dedicated pipes to my favorite blends.

View attachment 159239
View attachment 159240

Now that IS dedication!

 

[Honkytonk Man]

I'm easy. I smoke either Vapers or Virginias, so genre for me.
Still can't get back into English blends. Must try harder!

 

[Chasing Embers]

Still can't get back into English blends. Must try harder

A normal occurrence. Some get it back, some don't. I smoked them nearly exclusively for 25 years and then overnight they all tasted exactly the same. The latakia overpowered everything in the blend.

 

[Andriko]

A normal occurrence. Some get it back, some don't. I smoked them nearly exclusively for 25 years and then overnight they all tasted exactly the same. The latakia overpowered everything in the blend.

It happened to me in about 6 months. I think I was lucky because I never bought tonnes of the stuff. Just got about a dozen tins lying about. It was quite a phenomenon though, when I started I could taste all these interesting tobaccos and kept wondering where this latakia flavour everyone kept talking about was. Then all of a sudden the latakia is all I could taste.

 

[eljimmy]

Hells Bells Jimmy!!! You're definitely a man with a plan, dedication with a capital D!!?

Hahaha! Kinda crazy but its too late now.