Do Pipes Get Better?

[mso489]

After they're broken in, do pipes get better? I tend to think many do, however good (or not) they may be early after they are broken in, I tend to think they improve. We do learn to smoke them better, learn what blends go best in particular pipes, and how to get the best out of them otherwise. But I also think they improve in themselves. In my case, this doesn't relate to cake; I am one of those who keeps the carbon layer thin over time, wiping out the bowl after scooping out the ash, so the bowl stays essentially the same size over time. Some pipes improve on a steady curve, and others seem to go up in steps. I have a slightly bent Peterson rusticated author that was slow to break in, and slow to improve, but has taken at least two steps up since then. It made me realize that other pipes follow this process, though in a more subtle way. How about your pipes? Do you notice they advance over time? A Ben Wade of recent manufacture was a little slow to flavor up but now smokes quite well; the future looks bright.

 

[seacaptain]

I keep mine with a thin layer of cake also. I think they smoke best that way.

 

[thesmokindragon]

I have noticed the same with Peterson models mso, but others IMHO like Castello, Radice, Stanwell, and many others seem to just jump into that perfect burn but I also agree that we learn which pipe to blend works best, how we pack and smoke them also comes into play.

 

[lawmax3]

mso, I think so, but it has been hit or miss for me.

I have picked up a few estates that had heavy cake buildup. After a thorough cleaning and cake removal most of them smoked very well. Some of them seemed to improve more with further smoking. Some of them not so much.

 

[Strike Anywhere]

In general, yes. I think the key is keeping them clean (the shank and stem more than the bowl). I think "when" they become good or better smokers is a function of the quality of briar and how well cured it is (even more than general mechanics...at least if you know how to modify your puffing cadence and force based on the draw of a pipe).
As others have mentioned already, I've had many Peterson pipes that were simply awful out of the gate and never turned the corner, although most have. It seems to take anywhere from 20-60 bowls for a Peterson to really come into its own. I don't know if this is the type of briar or the curing, but they just don't smoke that great for me when new.
Stanwell pipes tend to be pretty good within 5-30 smokes, but I've had a few smoke well out of the gate.
Almost all of my Savinelli pipes have smoked well from the first bowl...getting even better once broken in.
Most of my handmade Italian and American artisan pipes have been great smokers from bowl 1 as well with the occasional, rare, dud.
Funny enough, I've had many French pipes that have been great smokers. French made Comoy's, Chacom, and others...briar finished in London but essentially made in France. The briar may not have the best grain or some of the stems needed a little modifying by me, but I can't really think of any French pipes I've had that were just complete duds.
I think most pipes will "turn the corner" sooner or later, it's just a matter of how persistent a smoker wants to be. Personally, I haven't purchased a Peterson in many years, and I don't see myself buying any more unless there is a series I just love. They take too long to start smoking well, and even then, they don't smoke as dry/clean/sweet as my Stanwells and other pipes.

 

[johnsteam86]

I think they do. Take my MM Ozarks at first they are horrible when not broken in since you still have the virgin wood and stem but after about a dozen bowls they really shine and make a perfect working pipe.

 

[cigrmaster]

My pipes all get better once I get a dimes worth of cake in them. They can be great smokers right out of the gate, but to hit their peak, the cake is what makes the magic for me. I dedicate all of my pipes either into categories i.e Va, Vaper and Vabur flakes and then I have some dedicated to specific blends. All of my pipes smoke cooler with the cake and it is quite noticeable when comparing it to a new pipe.
I recently got a brand new Meer and my first bowl was some 2007 Stonehaven. The tobaccos tasted nice, but there were depths of flavor that were lost when I compared it to my pipes I have dedicated to Stonehaven. I have also noticed that the Meer does not smoke as cool as my briar pipes with cake. I have to be really careful not to heat it up and sometimes I don't feel like being careful so I choose a briar over the Meer. I have some pipes that I also dedicate to the few aromatics I smoke. I don't want to taste cherry or caramel when I am smoking a nice Va flake.
I recently got a few estate pipes where a few were ghosted with Lakeland sauce and a couple that were ghosted with Latakia. Trying to smoke through a ghost like those would be torture to me and waste perfectly good tobacco, so I sent them for ozone treatments. When a blender has worked his butt off to come up with certain flavors and nuances, I try to get the most out of those blends by choosing certain pipes that work well with each blend. I have found the cooler my pipes smoke, the more flavors I get. When I pack a pipe I am very anal about how much resistance there is before I light up. I know some pipes have larger airways so I adjust my packing for those pipes. I will test the draw two to three times before lighting up.
So to answer the original question, yes my pipes get much better the longer I smoke them.

 

[aldecaker]

I think it's less about cake and more about seasoning. Once they get some nice oily, oozy tar all throughout the stummel they seem to be a lot better natured. Just one man's opinion, though.

 

[davek]

I think many cobs get better too. Don't really know why. Maybe they char the inside of the bowl and then build cake and your left with an absorbent layer there. I have a cob which burnt the inside to the point of cracks which I then filled with honey and coated with ash. After a few smokes it is a great tasting pipe.

 

[mso489]

Definitely cobs! They're good starting out, but after a few years of steady rotation, they are about perfect. We do get mushy about our cobs, but they are as good as we say. That's why they are not disposable pipes.

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

in my experience Petersons are needing longer period to break in.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Very few of my pipes aren't fantastic on the initial lighting of the first bowl. However, I have had a few that I was afraid would be "stinkers" but, they seemed to grow on me in time, maybe a combination of my learning how to smoke it and it getting broken in (whatever that means). I have a Nording bulldog that took me a long time to enjoy smoking, and a little GBD billiard that I just had to find the perfect blend that made it sing, and it's now my Condor Pipe.
I've also had a couple that I was enamored with in the beginning, and then it just stopped performing well for me. A Bjarne dublin with a beautiful plateau, it just seemed to start gathering water at the mortise after a while and seems to go out more frequently than my other pipes. I'm not sure if this would classify it as a "wet smoker," but it has definitely moved to the back to the rack.
I think each pipe has it's story, good to bad, bad to good. But, much of this is probably just the smoker's fault. Besides, it's just a tool, do we blame the hammer for not striking the nail on the head?

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Petersons are needing longer period to break in.

And, some come pre-broken from the factory... sorry, sorry, cheap shot, I couldn't resist, ha ha.

 

[midwestpipesmoker70]

My pipes seem to be getting better and better. I keep my cake to a minimum just enough to give a nice cool and dry smoke. I am in general consensus here with Petersons vs say Savinelli. I can't even pass a pipe cleaner through any of my bent petersons. But my savinelli 320s smoked great from the get go. The exception is my Peterson bent St. Patrick's day 2017...it smoked perfectly right away.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Yes!!!

 

[badbeard]

This makes me think of an old Nording Classic Apple I had(but was sadly stolen out of my car). It was a good smoker to begin with, but after about 20 bowls, it became one of the best and easiest smoking pipes I've ever encountered. Other pipes I've had(Dr. G, Kaywoodies, Rossi, Vauen, Falcon) have also been good smokers to begin with, but never really seemed to evolve in the same way as the Nording.

I can only hope that it has been loyal to me, and has burned a hole in the tongue of it's captor.

 

[warren]

Better? Maybe. Do I get more comfortable with some as the years go by? Yes! The right teeth marks on an old bit certainly improve the experience. I love it, in the evening, when a bit slips comfortably into the righ position so that it rests, barely noticed, when I read or watch a movie.

 

[civalwar]

Yes!!!