How Often Do You Have to Smoke a New Pipe to Break It In?
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I do not see why smoking a pipe consecutively (daily) as opposed to a smoke every other day, or however often you like, is necessary to break a new pipe in.
In reality, it may be good to let the pipe rest more than just overnight (i.e. take a day off). This will ensure that it is nice and dry, and ready to be smoked again. You don't want to smoke a new pipe (with bare briar and no cake) too often, as you will likely get the pipe too hot or moist and risk buring it out.
Even if you only smoked the pipe once a month, it will still break in, just more slowly. I've heard, similar to your friends method, that in 10 to 12 smokes the pipe is about broken in. That's not to say that a pipe will be completely broken in in only 10 smokes. It will continue to "break in" for quite a while (some report years). Every pipe is different.
In short, take as long as you want to "break it in" and only smoke when you feel like it. If you want to smoke everyday, then go right ahead. As long as you are careful not to puff too hard and overheat the pipe, you shouldn't have any problems.
In reality, it may be good to let the pipe rest more than just overnight (i.e. take a day off). This will ensure that it is nice and dry, and ready to be smoked again. You don't want to smoke a new pipe (with bare briar and no cake) too often, as you will likely get the pipe too hot or moist and risk buring it out.
Even if you only smoked the pipe once a month, it will still break in, just more slowly. I've heard, similar to your friends method, that in 10 to 12 smokes the pipe is about broken in. That's not to say that a pipe will be completely broken in in only 10 smokes. It will continue to "break in" for quite a while (some report years). Every pipe is different.
In short, take as long as you want to "break it in" and only smoke when you feel like it. If you want to smoke everyday, then go right ahead. As long as you are careful not to puff too hard and overheat the pipe, you shouldn't have any problems.
Through experience I have found that smoking a new pipe every other day for a couple or months breaks in my new pipes quite well. They are dry after a day of rest and in most cases after 15-25 bowls the cake has built up nicely and the pipe is broken in. I was just reading my copy of In Search of Pipe Dreams and how Bo Nordh says that he believes a pipe is not broken in properly until about 50 bowls had been smoked in it. Now will a pipe smoker better after 50 bowls than 25, I believe it will, but I do not believe it takes that many to break in a pipe. Although I have heard that some brands, most notably Charatan and Peterson, can take an exorbitant amount of time.
One thing I do know, smoking a brand new pipe everyday is a very bad idea.
One thing I do know, smoking a brand new pipe everyday is a very bad idea.
It's funny, my first pipe (a Peterson bulldog) didn't need to be broken in at all. It's smoked sweet since the very first bowl. Ditto for my Stanwell poker (which I believe, FWIW, is one of the new Italian-made Stanwells).
Meanwhile, I have an Ashton that took over a dozen bowls to "break in," but mainly because it smelled like the leather pipe bag that came with it. Similarly, my Randy Wiley took at least a dozen bowls, but mainly because of the bowl coating. And my newest Peterson is still a work in progress.
Like nsfisher said, it just depends.
Meanwhile, I have an Ashton that took over a dozen bowls to "break in," but mainly because it smelled like the leather pipe bag that came with it. Similarly, my Randy Wiley took at least a dozen bowls, but mainly because of the bowl coating. And my newest Peterson is still a work in progress.
Like nsfisher said, it just depends.
Wow, harsh!!!
Welcome to the site djrags. Not a very good introduction to someone simply asking for opinions. I apologize on behalf of the above remark made. No one here knows your friend nor where he got his advice, but that doesn't matter. As stated already, some take longer than others, depending on different factors, but a new pipe should not be smoked EVERY day to break it in. You will get some opinions here for that is the reason we are here and it shall be up to you to make the best decision possible, built on those opinions. Continue to ask questions and I am sure most members on this site will be more than happy to provide you with decent and polite answers
Welcome aboard djrags!
I will smoke a new pipe every other day at most but that is me. Maybe only twice a week or so to break it in. It depends. I am in no hurry and if it is a pipe I really like then it will be with me a lifetime. I also smoke cool burning tobacco's while breaking in. I smoke them very slowly. Fisher and others will back me up on this but an old codger blend named Carter Hall is fantastic for breaking in a new pipe. Va's are my favorite but burn hotter. You have to be darn careful not to stress a new briar by heating it up too much.
I will smoke a new pipe every other day at most but that is me. Maybe only twice a week or so to break it in. It depends. I am in no hurry and if it is a pipe I really like then it will be with me a lifetime. I also smoke cool burning tobacco's while breaking in. I smoke them very slowly. Fisher and others will back me up on this but an old codger blend named Carter Hall is fantastic for breaking in a new pipe. Va's are my favorite but burn hotter. You have to be darn careful not to stress a new briar by heating it up too much.
Hey y'all. Thanks for the kind words and advice. The friend I got the advice from is fairly new to pipe smoking as well so I take all his advice with a grain of salt. I know he isn't trying to steer me wrong but I'd rather verify info from people such as yourselves who have smoked a bowl or two (or 20,000).
My current pipe is rosewood with an untreated bowl and everything that I've read so far has mentioned that rosewood is inferior to briar. Again, not sure if this is true but if anyone could clue me in and maybe give any specific advice for a rosewood/untreated bowl it'd be greatly appreciated.
My current pipe is rosewood with an untreated bowl and everything that I've read so far has mentioned that rosewood is inferior to briar. Again, not sure if this is true but if anyone could clue me in and maybe give any specific advice for a rosewood/untreated bowl it'd be greatly appreciated.
dj I think you will be happy with the untreated bowl. Sometimes the coating some manufacturers use in a pipe will give you a funky taste which is undesirable. If given a choice I would take a naked bowl over a pre-coated one any day. tbradsim1(aka The Old Cajun) will tell you that smoking a naked bowl is the caviar of pipes. And of course you only get that in the first few smokes of a new uncoated pipe.
I never smoked a rosewood but it should be fine. Some folks here have pearwood and other softer wood pipes and like them a lot. The most important thing is to enjoy your smoking experience.
I never smoked a rosewood but it should be fine. Some folks here have pearwood and other softer wood pipes and like them a lot. The most important thing is to enjoy your smoking experience.
As for rosewood pipes, I had always assumed they were just some cheap, 3rd-world substitute for briar, especially made to be hawked on ebay for a few bucks. That might still be true, but rosewood of some sort (there seem to be different varieties) was being used in the eighteenth century for pipes in the Middle East. In other words, rosewood has been used at least as long as briar, so maybe it's not necessarily inferior. As roth said, it's probably better described as "different," anyway, rather than better or worse. YMMV, of course.
I have always taken my time breaking in a new pipe. I always start with several bowls a quarter full and gradually work my way up to a full bowl. I am a believer in that method as the best way to get a good even cake all the way to the bottom of the bowl and it works that way for me.
I always let the pipe rest for a couple of days between smokes. Don't rush it and smoke slowly.
I see a lot of new smokers asking how long it takes or how many bowlfuls to get a cake. I have never given any thought to how many bowls of tobacco it takes to break in a pipe or how long it takes. How long it takes to build the cake depends on what type of tobacco you are smoking and your smoking habits.
How well the pipe tastes during the first smokes depends on the quality of the briar and how well it has been cured and seasoned before the pipe was made. Some pipes taste good from the onset, others take time.
As for untreated bowls, I always preferred them myself to treated bowls. When breaking in a pipe I have never used any concoctions to coat the bowl before smoking it. I like to let the tobacco do it's natural thing.
I have a rosewood pipe that I bought in the early 1970's. I am pretty sure that mine is Brazilian Rosewood, based on the color and grain pattern and because it was made before the CITES Treaty restrictions on Brazilian Rosewood. Yours is some other variety of rosewood if it is new.
Pictures of some older rosewood pipes I have seen are shaped like a clay pipe with thin walls. Mine is shaped like a regular pipe in a canted egg shape with good wall thickness. The wood is very porous, with large open pores visible on the surface of the wood. The pipe gives a pretty good smoke, but it does live up to rosewood's reputation for smoking hot.
Your pipe may be different than mine, but because of it's porosity and tendency to smoke hot, I would suggest smoking it slowly and giving it plenty of time to rest between smokes. Burleys tend to be cool smoking, so as others have said, you should consider using a burley to break in the pipe.
Enjoy the pipe and show us some pictures of it.
I always let the pipe rest for a couple of days between smokes. Don't rush it and smoke slowly.
I see a lot of new smokers asking how long it takes or how many bowlfuls to get a cake. I have never given any thought to how many bowls of tobacco it takes to break in a pipe or how long it takes. How long it takes to build the cake depends on what type of tobacco you are smoking and your smoking habits.
How well the pipe tastes during the first smokes depends on the quality of the briar and how well it has been cured and seasoned before the pipe was made. Some pipes taste good from the onset, others take time.
As for untreated bowls, I always preferred them myself to treated bowls. When breaking in a pipe I have never used any concoctions to coat the bowl before smoking it. I like to let the tobacco do it's natural thing.
I have a rosewood pipe that I bought in the early 1970's. I am pretty sure that mine is Brazilian Rosewood, based on the color and grain pattern and because it was made before the CITES Treaty restrictions on Brazilian Rosewood. Yours is some other variety of rosewood if it is new.
Pictures of some older rosewood pipes I have seen are shaped like a clay pipe with thin walls. Mine is shaped like a regular pipe in a canted egg shape with good wall thickness. The wood is very porous, with large open pores visible on the surface of the wood. The pipe gives a pretty good smoke, but it does live up to rosewood's reputation for smoking hot.
Your pipe may be different than mine, but because of it's porosity and tendency to smoke hot, I would suggest smoking it slowly and giving it plenty of time to rest between smokes. Burleys tend to be cool smoking, so as others have said, you should consider using a burley to break in the pipe.
Enjoy the pipe and show us some pictures of it.
Fill a new one with charcoal, add lighter fluid, set in front of fan until charcoal is all ash, its all done being seasoned.
Just Kidding, some good advice on here.
All of the pipes I got new were long enough ago to be vintage now, so I never noticed any break in on those older ones
My estate Pete was perfect when I got it, who knows its past life for seasoning
Just Kidding, some good advice on here.
All of the pipes I got new were long enough ago to be vintage now, so I never noticed any break in on those older ones
My estate Pete was perfect when I got it, who knows its past life for seasoning
I will also add that in my experience Virginia and Virginia/Perique flakes build a nice hard cake very quickly. I begin to see cake after the first 3-4 bowls or so and after a good 15 it is nice and hard and uniform. I have always filled my pipes to the top and smoked away. I know that many people like John subscribe to the half bowl theory but I have never seen the need personally. To my mind if you are smoking half bowls, the bottom will always have more cake than the top. I could be totally wrong but it just makes sense this would be the case. I have never had a problem smoking my pipes to the bottom so maybe that is why I have never had an issue with my fill it up approach.
I also hear Carter Hall is great for breaking in new pipe but I have personally never tried it. I only smoke CH on rare occasions so I don't want to have to smoke something just for the sake of breaking in a pipe. I know from personal experience that English blends containing Latakia and Orientals does take significantly longer to break in a pipe than Va and Vaper flakes.
I also hear Carter Hall is great for breaking in new pipe but I have personally never tried it. I only smoke CH on rare occasions so I don't want to have to smoke something just for the sake of breaking in a pipe. I know from personal experience that English blends containing Latakia and Orientals does take significantly longer to break in a pipe than Va and Vaper flakes.
I agree that it depends on the pipe, the baccy being smoked and the person smoking it. Both of my Savinelli's I never did the half bowl break in period. I just filled them up and smoked them, and after about 5-10 bowls the pipe was good to go.
My hand carved poker pipe made of Mimmo Romeo briar I smoked my first 5 bowls as half bowls. I've since smoked about 5 full bowls. I don't think it's broke in yet, but its getting there.
My hand carved poker pipe made of Mimmo Romeo briar I smoked my first 5 bowls as half bowls. I've since smoked about 5 full bowls. I don't think it's broke in yet, but its getting there.
I have observed the half-bowl ritual for breaking in pipes. Maybe I just have uncultivated tastes, but the pipes taste just as good
new as after I have a nice layer of carbon in the bowl. I just want to give the briar its best chance to last for years and years, which
mine have. It has taught me that a large (and very large) bowl sometimes serves as a good platform for a less than full bowl,
a partial bowl with a broad surface, which for some tobacco with larger unbroken pieces of tobacco works well. You usually
think a large bowl needs to be well filled, that that is the point of it. Full bowls of any size, and smaller bowls, all have their
role. It also occurs to me, with pipes that have a treatment already in the bowl, the half and three-quarter bowl fills seem
a redundancy. But I like to take a little care, like driving a new car. It also builds the expectations and makes those first
full bowls all the sweeter. This is mostly an art more than a science, although if some science makes it taste better to you,
go with it.
new as after I have a nice layer of carbon in the bowl. I just want to give the briar its best chance to last for years and years, which
mine have. It has taught me that a large (and very large) bowl sometimes serves as a good platform for a less than full bowl,
a partial bowl with a broad surface, which for some tobacco with larger unbroken pieces of tobacco works well. You usually
think a large bowl needs to be well filled, that that is the point of it. Full bowls of any size, and smaller bowls, all have their
role. It also occurs to me, with pipes that have a treatment already in the bowl, the half and three-quarter bowl fills seem
a redundancy. But I like to take a little care, like driving a new car. It also builds the expectations and makes those first
full bowls all the sweeter. This is mostly an art more than a science, although if some science makes it taste better to you,
go with it.
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