Hey guys! First post here. I just started with Pipes a few weeks ago. At this moment I have three pipes...a Savinelli and two Missouri Meerchaums. I love the MM cobs. The Savinelli is an estate pipe that I picked up from a local BM. It has a taste to it no matter what tobacco I put in it. Kind of a sweet taste. I know it’s the pipe. The MMS were new when I bought them and they don’t have that taste. What can I do to get rid of it? I think it’s in the tip honestly. But I’m not sure. Any help appreciated!
New to Pipes with Some Questions
- Thread starter smokeymcsmokerson
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There are a lot of answers to this so I would start by giving it a deep clean with some good bristled pipe cleaners and your chosen cleaning fluid. Some prefer whiskey, some rum, others everclear so use whatever you prefer. I tend to use the Denicotea cleaning fluid. Once clean then dry with some good absorbent cleaners and let the pipe rest for a day or two and then just smoke it. Keep smoking your favourite blend through it and run a normal cleaner through it after every smoke until the pipe cleaner comes out white and deep clean as above fairly regularly. In my experience, the ghost goes away by doing this. It may take a while or it may happen quickly but it will likely leave eventually.
Also, what's the stem made from? Acrylic or vulcanite? Vulcanite oxidises and can cause some odd and nasty flavours. Taste the smoke without the stem in and see if it still tastes the same. Another thought, is there any cake in the pipe? If there is get rid of it. If you have never done that before it's worth looking up but it's not rocket surgery.
Just out of curiosity, could you describe the offending taste a little better?
Also, what's the stem made from? Acrylic or vulcanite? Vulcanite oxidises and can cause some odd and nasty flavours. Taste the smoke without the stem in and see if it still tastes the same. Another thought, is there any cake in the pipe? If there is get rid of it. If you have never done that before it's worth looking up but it's not rocket surgery.
Just out of curiosity, could you describe the offending taste a little better?
Before doing anything extensive to the briar, try cleaning the stem really well. A few drops of a high proof alcohol down the stem, and then fasten a churchwarden pipe cleaner to a knob, doorknob, cabinet, or something, and then dip the cleaner in the high proof alcohol and just work that stem back and forth down that pipecleaner. I like to fasten the one side to something stable, and then just work the stem back and forth. I can get more aggressive this way. But, the idea is to remove the oxides and such from inside the stem.
If the flavor you are getting persists, then try doing the salt and alcohol treatment on the briar.
If the flavor you are getting persists, then try doing the salt and alcohol treatment on the briar.
I would think a good shop that sells estate pipes would be very diligent in cleaning all pipes before selling them, that includes a thorough clean with everclear or the like, as well as a good ream to remove any cake.
Do you have any pictures for us?
Do you have any pictures for us?
Pictures, good!
The poor taste may be coming from the outside of the bit. Scrubbing with a sponge with the scrubbing pad on one side, rinsing and drying may help.
Once your photos are on a photo hosting site (such as Imgur.com;Photobucket; Postimage; Dropbox, etc.), or on virtually any site, select the full image, then Control-click (Mac) or Right-click (Windows) on the image itself, then choose copy image location. Now paste that URL (the full web address, which should end in .jpg) into the IMG box in the reply window of the thread you're posting to.
The site's album is also a good choice.
The poor taste may be coming from the outside of the bit. Scrubbing with a sponge with the scrubbing pad on one side, rinsing and drying may help.
Once your photos are on a photo hosting site (such as Imgur.com;
The site's album is also a good choice.
Thanks guys. I’ll try to get some pics up tonight. The taste? It’s almost a chemical taste. Like lighter fluid. With a sweetness to it. It’s weird. The shop I bought it from is very reputable and sells a lot of pipes and tobacco as well as cigars.
It could also be the cleaner the shop used. Some have a chemical taste to them. Photos would be great.
It could just be that the pipe was heavily ghosted with an aromatic tobacco which is giving you that sweet taste during your smoke. A good salt treatment could help with that. I believe the video link posted earlier will cover the salt treatment cleaning.
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