How to Rededicate a Pipe Devoted to English Blends

[davidsaulmarshall]

I'm looking to begin smoking Virginia flake in my Castello shape 55 which I dedicated to English blends around 6 months ago when I first bought the pipe. Will this require anything more than a ream-and-clean?

EDIT: Fixed Capitalization in Title - Bob

 

[lightmybriar]

Depending on how deeply you clean your pipe, it may take two or three smokes after the cleaning before any trace of the Latakia is gone, but that would probably be the extent of it. Just make sure to also thoroughly clean inside the shank as well. Lots of stuff hides in there.

 

[davidsaulmarshall]

Depending on how deeply you clean your pipe, it may take two or three smokes after the cleaning before any trace of the Latakia is gone, but that would probably be the extent of it. Just make sure to also thoroughly clean inside the shank as well. Lots of stuff hides in there.

Thanks for the assurance! Isopropyl will do for the shank, correct? And I assume the same goes the other way (Virginia to English).

 

[olkofri]

I'd use vodka or ethanol (not the de-natured kind). I'd not clean my pipe with a liquid I can't drink.

 

[sandollars]

Buy some Briar Fresh (2 bucks on your favorite dot com) and clean your shank and stem. The rest will work itself out in a smoke or 2. No biggie. Higher proof booze works too.....

Aros to Virginia varietals or blends is often another story....

 

[seanv]

Clean it well. Use some alcohol on the stem and shank. After cleaning the bowl I would out some used coffee grounds in there and leave it for a few days. After that you should be good to go

 

[BROBS]

a trick I do with salt that isn't as invasive as using alcohol etc is I clean out the bowl and shank with water after reaming, then fill both up with table salt.. let it sit for a day and it draws the ghost into the salt.

I personally don't use any alcohol on briars.. I feel it "seals" the wood or damages the structure.
I do use alcohol on stems etc... 91% ISO.

 

[lightmybriar]

Thanks for the assurance! Isopropyl will do for the shank, correct? And I assume the same goes the other way (Virginia to English).

There are lots of opinions, and most based on experience and facts, so I can’t say as a rule what to do and not do, but many here would tell you that there’s no need for alcohol, as water does just fine.

I personally will use brandy or vodka in pipes that are new to me, but in my own pipe, I just use water. If it is terribly ghosted, coffee grounds, salt, baking soda etc. are all reliable ways to go.

When going from Virginia to English, you usually don’t have to do anything, in my experience.

 

[writingraav]

Clean it well. Use some alcohol on the stem and shank. After cleaning the bowl I would out some used coffee grounds in there and leave it for a few days. After that you should be good to go

I tried it with used loose tea leaves since I don't drink coffee. Seemed to work just fine.

 

[saintpeter]

I'm looking to begin smoking Virginia flake in my Castello shape 55 which I dedicated to English blends around 6 months ago when I first bought the pipe. Will this require anything more than a ream-and-clean?

Seeing as how I elevate being lazy to new heights. As you were not adverse to the original tobacco if you stuck with it for 6 months, I would just pack it with something new and smoke it until the ghost is exorcised. The only pipe I ever had this did not work for was an ebay pipe that was ghosted with that-which-can't-be-named here.

 

[smokiespipesmoker123]

that-which-can't-be-named here.

Ohhhhhh THAT! .. Lane 1Q....lets not name that.

 

[ray47]

Ream it, clean it and smoke about 5 bowls of Five Brothers. I got rid of Mixture 79 ghosts in some pipes that were dedicated to that blend for years. If you've ever smoked Mixture 79 you know what I mean. It should work for you in getting rid of the Latakia ghost.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

First off, many of those Castello Shape 55 have rather large inner diameters which I've found less than ideal for Virginia Flake but ideal for more complex English blends. With that said, I'm agree with the minimal effort recommendations. I'd ream it pretty good as that is easy enough. Load it up then and start smoking the Virginia Flake. Even if it takes 10 bowls to cover up that Latakia Ghost, not a huge deal as long as it isn't that dish soap Lakeland crap.

 

[hauntedmyst]

I personally don't use any alcohol on briars.. I feel it "seals" the wood or damages the structure.
I do use alcohol on stems etc... 91% ISO.

Where do you get that? People have been using alcohol in briars successfully for years. In fact, without alcohol in the briar, I doubt the salt is leaching much from the briar.

 

[craig61a]

I’ve got pipes that I’ve smoked Latakia in that have sat unused for a couple years that don’t smell like anything...

But as was mentioned, Virginia’s usually perform better in a narrower chamber, that’s been my experience as well.

Alcohol/Salt or cotton usually removes any tars/oils that would interfere with the flavors.

Then smoke away. It’ll probably take a couple bowls...

 

[davidsaulmarshall]

Thanks for the suggestions all! Reamed and cleaned the 55 last night and let it rest before I smoked some Carolina Red Flake (2019) out of it today. No ghost at all. It'll be my flake pipe until I pick up something with a chamber more suited to the pressed stuff.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Everyone has it all wrong. You need a virgin, a chicken, some candles, and a bottle of lube...


Just smoke it till the latakia is gone. I actually enjoy getting residual latakia in my Virginias. I prefer residual latakia to smoking an actual English blend most of the time.

 

[mso489]

It depends how sensitive your taste buds are. For me, a good standard cleaning would probably do it. A few smokes and it would be good, or maybe right away. But if you really hate any slight afterglow of Latakia, extend the cleaning until you feel comfortable. How much did you smoke the pipe? Less smoking takes less cleaning.

 

[saintpeter]

Everyone has it all wrong. You need a virgin, a chicken, some candles, and a bottle of lube...

But...the virgins and lube are in back order!

 

[verporchting]

Glad your ghost seems to have gone away. I’ve found smoking a few bowls of strong burley like Five Brothers resets a pipe without much fuss.