I do NOT like my new Nording...

[bogie]

Ok i saved for a while and bought a new eric nording freehand back on january first. Well it had a very strange and strong odor in the bowl that i just assumed was the BETTER part of the briar since this was my first expensive pipe. I also assumed that it would go away.
ITs not going away lol. I cant taste the tobacco or enjoy the smoke. No matter what baccy i put in the pipe it all tastes the same. Same as the bowl itself. IT is a New pipe.
Do i just have to keep smoking it and the eventually the flavor of the baccy will come through? Any tips im missing out on?

 

[bootlegbonvivant]

If it's that bad, I'd suggest a salt & alcohol treatment.

 

[cortezattic]

I don't quite understand what you mean by:

i just assumed was the BETTER part of the briar since this was my first expensive pipe

Did the interior of the bowl have varnish or stain? Or was it pre-carbonized?

If it's as bad as you described I think I'd look into returning the pipe.
Both of my Nordings have always tasted normal; and after the break-in, they smoke like champs. Maybe the burl from which your pipe was made, unbeknownst to the manufacturer, got soaked in dog piss, or something. 8O

 

[bogie]

Well cortezattic, it was an unfinished pipe and the inside of the bowl looked like it had a layer of carbon on it like it was BURNED once but the color of the wood was still coming through in spots. Im a new pipe smoker and just thought it was like this because it was an expensive pipe. Its not a dog piss smell lol but more of a pungent wood type odor.

 

[pstlpkr]

Hey Bogie,
That is just strange. Have you a good picture of the interior of the bowl you can post?

I don't remember my Nordings coming with a pre-carbonized bowl. It seems counterintuitive that an "unfinished" pipe would be pre-carbonized. (While some do, I'm sure.)

It may be yours was returned by some idiot that tried to smoke something other than tobacco in it and found it didn't suit his purposes and may have burned the bowl. And the retailer was trying to re-sell it as new. Did you purchase it at a reputable B&M?

Sorry for the disparaging tone. But, what you describe is very disconcerting.

 

[bogie]

I bought it at a tinder box at memphis.

 

[pstlpkr]

I'd take it back to them and discuss the situation with them.

I too bought both of my Nordings from a Tinder Box.

They have since gone independent and have maintained an outstanding reputation for years.

Yeah... I'd take it back and discuss your options with them (to your satisfaction) and maybe discover the cause of this bad taste.

 

[igloo]

The bowl on your signiture was precarbonized .Until you break it in , it will taste like new briar . After ten or so bowls it should go away . Hope this helps .

 

[cortezattic]

the inside of the bowl looked like it had a layer of carbon on it like it was BURNED once but the color of the wood was still coming through in spots

This makes me think it was not a precarbonized bowl, and that, as Lawrence suspects, it was smoked one time with just a half bowl of tobacco.

Yet I have no doubt that Igloo is right about the "signatures" being pre-carbonized. So I'm thinking that a prior owner removed the carbon layer of the new pipe so he could coat it with something like peanut or walnut oil. When it was fired-up it became vile tasting and he returned the pipe he had just ruined.

Well, it may not be completely ruined, because the awful taste will eventually dissipate, but you shouldn't have to pay top dollar for the pipe.

Maybe you can discuss this scenario with the B&M and get some satisfaction.

 

[mlaug]

igloo has it. Nordings are precarbonized. How many bowls do you have through it bogie?

 

[fatman]

I had 2 'bent' blk grain..almost marble looking from this maker. bought them simply because they had one helluvan unusual look, but couldn't enjoy them at all. Seemed, like yours, to almost fight against getting broken in.

 

[admin]

I have two Nordings that both have always smoked fine.
Aside from the advice of returning it to the store, you could also try this.
Put a dab of honey, or real maple syrup on your little finger and very lightly coat the interior of the bowl. Let it rest for a couple of minutes, then load it up with a nice English blend, preferably Maltese Falcon. Smoke it slow.
If you decide to try it, let me know how it works out.
I just had an amazing experience doing this with a new pipe with no coating, just bare wood in the bowl, and the first smoke was Maltese Falcon with the interior coated with maple syrup.
It was unbelievably awesome tasting and helped to start a nice cake to form in a bare wood bowl.

 

[echopipe]

Hey Kevin

can you do the honey thing with a pre carbonized bowl? sorry to change the subject.

 

[admin]

@echopipe

can you do the honey thing with a pre carbonized bowl?

Hmmm ... good question. I guess you could. Give it a shot.

 

[schmitzbitz]

I've done a maple-syrup coating on both my pre-carbonized Medico, and my coated Brigham with no detrimental effect that I can discern. I figure it's always better to be safe than sorry, and I recognize that my technique isn't refined enough to safely smoke past a flaw, but the syrup or honey seems to provide some protection until cake builds up, as well as speed up the building thereof.
I also like to paint the end of my cob shanks with it before the first bowl, I find it helps cut down the burning wood flavour, and kills the new cob taste almost completely.

 

[piper]

hi bogie,

I bought two Nording signature pipes and they were both pre-carbonized. They broke in just fine. The only complaint I have is they heat up to quick and it gets difficult to hold. I've since switched to thicker walled pipes. When I do smoke them I don't draw on them as much making them a little easier to hold.

 

[lestrout]

Bogie - how did your Nording experience finally turn out? I've had nothing but great experiences with my Nording Hunter and Signature.
hp

les

 

[bogie]

Wow i forgot about this post. The pipe has turned out great. One of the other problems i had was the stem was very loose. It got to the point that i couldnt smoke it, the bowl just wouldnt stay on the stem so the thing just sat till about a month or so ago.
I watched a video on youtube showing a method of tightening up the stem and it worked perfectly. This pipe now gets smoked every other day. Its becoming one of my favorites. I still have no clue at all what that god awful taste was in the pipe, but i smoked a bowl or two of Prince Albert and then dedicated this pipe to my aro's. Now one of my favorites is to load this up with some Autumn Evening and have a cup of coffee.

 

[igloo]

Glad that all worked out . Those big bowls lend themselves to ARO blends .

 

[lestrout]

bogie - excellent! Your early experience was so atypical and out of character with Nording that I had to find out how things turned out. How did you go about tightening the stem? Sometimes just puffing and loving the pipe will automatically tighten up the shank when the wood stabilizes its humidity.
hp

les