Does better grain equal better taste?

[sablebrush52]

Does better grain equal better taste?

I know that pipe makers reserve the best briar grain for their stained pipes and use the less consistent briar for rusticated finishes. Does this translate into better taste for natural grain bowls vs. rusticated?

Reason I ask is I have two pipes (A Peterson 05 Dublin Filter and an Amadeus, both 9mm) with beautiful grain that smoke miles ahead of my other pipes, all of which are rusticated or super dark finish. As much as I love my Peterson System Heritage 303, it still has some elbows and knees in the smoke.

Let me know what your think, o men of experience.

Flat out, no. You can't smoke grain. Also, your supposition regarding rusticated and/or sandblasted pipes being made from blocks with inferior grain is also incorrect. Sometimes a beautifully grained block that has some pits will get sandblasted or ruticated, sometimes the carver decides that the pipe would be more interesting if it were given a sandblast. Those pipes with exquisite ring grain blasts are created from very fine straight grain.

Taste has zip nothing to do with the quality of the grain, but has everything to do with the quality and processing of the block as well as the internals, the chamber, airway, etc.

 

[Doctor Chopper]

The tightness of the grain may make a subtle difference.

 

[sasquatch]

Ignore this guy ^^^^ this time of year.

Weather-induced isolation in the far north where he lives creates a confused state of mind by May.

In another month he'll start to feel better, and he'll actually be OK for a few weeks. Ask him again then. He KNOWS grain affects taste.

Don't wait too long, though. Winter returns in September.

Oh it TASTES different, just doesn't SMOKE different. Keep it straight.

 

[sasquatch]

The tightness of the grain may make a subtle difference.

Down in the very deepest bowels of pipe making hell, this might be right. The trouble is, every time you think you're on to something, a pipe comes along and blows it up. For awhile I thought tighter grain, most particularly tighter rings (eg the distance between rings) made a difference in the thermal coefficients of the wood. And then I got a really wide-grained blasted Castello that smoked every bit as good as my tight-grained blasted Peterson, so I scrapped the project. I sought for years, literally years, to correlate smoking characteristics and briar's physical qualities. And it just doesn't go. Mostly.

 

[mortonbriar]

I find there is a familiarity to each individual pipe in a sense, but the list of things that make up that specific pipe and the way it smokes is, for me anyway, to do with this list:

Bowl/stem material
stem bend
button shape
draw hole size
chamber width/depth

grain on a briar? No.

 

[Doctor Chopper]

The tightness of the grain may make a subtle difference.

I find there is a familiarity to each individual pipe in a sense, but the list of things that make up that specific pipe and the way it smokes is, for me anyway, to do with this list:

Bowl/stem material
stem bend
button shape
draw hole size
chamber width/depth

grain on a briar? No.

Agree with your list, all those factors are double digit factors. Grain is not a ‘no’ in my book, but may be a.005% factor.

 

[Hillcrest]

Grain only effects appearance not taste or smoking. However, two of my pipes have areas of very very fine dark grain that is porous and gets very hot to the touch.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Grain doesn't affect much, but the density, conductivity, looks (other than grain) and weight of briar can vary enough to make a difference to some pretty discerning smokers.

 

[LeafErikson]

I’m in the ‘grain doesn’t effect smoking characteristics’ camp. I only regularly use a handful of briars though.

 

[sablebrush52]

People convince themselves of all manner of beliefs. It's no secret that most people ascribe superior character traits to good looking people for no more reason than their looks. And the crap that goes out over social media that people subscribe to makes human intelligence seem theoretical at best.
If I had to give up all of my pipes except for 5, one of those 5 would be a nondescript Brebbia endowed with truly mediocre mixed grain, which happens to satisfy me better than all but a few of my pipes.

 

[mingc]

People convince themselves of all manner of beliefs. It's no secret that most people ascribe superior character traits to good looking people for no more reason than their looks. And the crap that goes out over social media that people subscribe to makes human intelligence seem theoretical at best.
If I had to give up all of my pipes except for 5, one of those 5 would be a nondescript Brebbia endowed with truly mediocre mixed grain, which happens to satisfy me better than all but a few of my pipes.

And my prettiest pipe always gurgles. Will I give it up if I can only keep 5? Never! Heh.

 

[tobakenist]

A good bit of briar is a good bit of briar, a bad bit of briar is a bad bit of briar, no matter what the grain is.

 

[Doctor Chopper]

Grain only effects appearance not taste or smoking. However, two of my pipes have areas of very very fine dark grain that is porous and gets very hot to the touch.

Do you think the grain affects heat distribution? If so, why does that not affect the smoke?

 

[Chasing Embers]

Do you think the grain affects heat distribution? If so, why does that not affect the smoke?

Because you're drawing the smoke directly off of the ember. The cadence affects it, bur nor the container it's burning in. Heat distribution only affects the outer temperature of the pipe.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Do you think the grain affects heat distribution? If so, why does that not affect the smoke?

No it doesn't. But other characteristics can, such as heat conductivity, weight, and porosity.

 

[Hillcrest]

Do you think the grain affects heat distribution? If so, why does that not affect the smoke?

It only effects the smoke the same way overpuffing does. I researched heat distribution of wood. The chinese have extensive research on it because they are trying to preserve national treasure old buildings. My Summary (and my sole conclusions right or wrong) of what I read (no science background): fire and heat travel fastest along vertical wood grain until the charring occurs which acts like an insulator. They travel second fastest up and along cross grain.
But in a burning building the difference is about 32 seconds along a wall. That's why you sometimes see planking in old buildings with horizontal grain....it slows fire spread a few seconds. (Enough to get out ???) Heat does disburse through the grain to the outside until the charring happens then slower on wooden buildings.

Translating that to pipes.... until the carbon build up occurs...heat travels through vertical grain upwards faster then cross grain slightly slower. It makes sense because thats how the water travels through the living root as well. Most pipes are fine. I just happen to have two with very porous spots. Most on this site would say throw them out and get another but I paid alot of money (to me) for one of them and was trying to save it so I did all the recommendations: remove varnish; add pipe mud lining; smoke slower; etc. I was able to reduce the heat transfer about 75-80% but not completely. Sorry to ramble but you asked and its an issue on two pipes for me. Hope this helps in some way.

 

[Doctor Chopper]

It only effects the smoke the same way overpuffing does. I researched heat distribution of wood. The chinese have extensive research on it because they are trying to preserve national treasure old buildings. My Summary (and my sole conclusions right or wrong) of what I read (no science background): fire and heat travel fastest along vertical wood grain until the charring occurs which acts like an insulator. They travel second fastest up and along cross grain.
But in a burning building the difference is about 32 seconds along a wall. That's why you sometimes see planking in old buildings with horizontal grain....it slows fire spread a few seconds. (Enough to get out ???) Heat does disburse through the grain to the outside until the charring happens then slower on wooden buildings.

Translating that to pipes.... until the carbon build up occurs...heat travels through vertical grain upwards faster then cross grain slightly slower. It makes sense because thats how the water travels through the living root as well. Most pipes are fine. I just happen to have two with very porous spots. Most on this site would say throw them out and get another but I paid alot of money (to me) for one of them and was trying to save it so I did all the recommendations: remove varnish; add pipe mud lining; smoke slower; etc. I was able to reduce the heat transfer about 75-80% but not completely. Sorry to ramble but you asked and its an issue on two pipes for me. Hope this helps in some way.

I love detailed scientific explanations that make sense. I know we are parsing minutia, but it is interesting non the less.

 

[Hillcrest]

I love detailed scientific explanations that make sense. I know we are parsing minutia, but it is interesting non the less.

I can be OCD on topics of interest to me. I want to know everything there is to know and more until I get an answer that fits my question/resolves my issue. My knowledge on this is only amateurish or hobbyist...there are true experts on this site who can explain it much better. As I said 98& of pipes are fine we're only talking about those rarities that have porous spots. On my pipe the porous area is like an open window directly to the ember. I would have tossed it but for the facts that it is hand made, beautiful grain, and cost me a few bucks more than usual and has sterling silver spigot ends (?).

The porous area is the dark wing like area:

 

[sasquatch]

I'm not totally sure, I've made a few pipes where the briar acted differently in one spot and I can't really relate it to any particular grain structure or orientation - that pipe looks like it has an area of heartwood right there, maybe it's acting a bit different. You say "porous", is it leaking juice or something? Or does it simply feel hotter?