New to the fourms with a newbie question about flavor

[oldsalt]

Hello forum users, I'm glad to be here. After watching one too many "Dude You're Screwed" episodes with Terry Schappert pulling away on some beautiful pipes, I decided I would give pipe smoking a "real" try. Having no experience other than a handful of times with a Barontini (which I know nothing about) that had been my dads (not sure why he had it because he didn't smoke) and some Captain Black, and not knowing any pipe smokers, I was fortunate enough to stumble upon this forum. I've been lurking here for a couple of weeks and many thanks to all the forum users, the information and advice has been amazing. I purchased my first pipe, a Brigham Voyaguer #147 and a small sampling of tobacco from P&C based on what I read here.
On to the question. Does breaking in a pipe improve the flavor? In my limited experience, the first third to a half of a bowl has been mostly enjoyable, but anything further down seems to be lacking at best and somewhat harsh at worst. Any help or advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[texmexpipe]

It really helps to know what you are smoking. And yes breaking in a pipe will help the flavor most of the time. But it may a blend issue not a pipe one.

 

[mephistopheles]

Hello and welcome to the forum!
More experienced smokers than I have indeed stated that breaking in a pipe improves the overall flavor of a blend. As carbon builds up it insulates and shields the material that your pipe is made out of. This process helps to remove whatever flavor is being imparted in the first several bowls. Look up "building a cake" and you can learn all about that process.
You will find that different tobaccos will grant very different experiences. Some are "bland" or less flavorful at the top and improve toward the bottom and some are the exact opposite. I've read several times that the size of the bowl you use matters as well but I can't speak to that.
A pro tip on getting the best flavor would be to sip your pipe very slowly and gently - like a straw. I would also experiment with drying out your tobacco. There are lots of posts on that subject as well. While I'm still very new to pipe smoking I've found that those two tips have been tremendously helpful in increasing my enjoyment of the hobby as well as improving my perception of the various flavors. I hope I've helped.

 

[ravkesef]

All the advice so far has been good. After 20 or so bowls, the pipe is mostly broken in and will smoke about as well as it's likely to. Keep in mind that you will need to built=d up a collection of pipes because a common mistake made by many new smokers is to over-smoke a pipe. A pipe needs to rest a whie after it has been smoked--a common rule of thumb is to let itrest a day for every bowl that you smoke in it. Here's a bit of advice I give to all new smokers:

1. The tobacco should be much drier than you think it should be.

2. The tobacco should be packed much looser than you think it should be.

3. The pipe should be smoked much slower than you think it should be. A common rule is to sip, not puff. The bowl should be pleasantly warm, not hot. Of course, a pipe that hasn't yet been broken in will tend to be a bit hotter at first.
And most of all--welcome to the forum--this is certainly the best place to go for information of all sorts about pipes, tobaccos, techniques, etc. Please don't hesitate to ask any questions at all--we'll try and respond quickly and with good information.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Mostly what a new pipe will do to the flavor is lesson the flavor, because the oils from the smoke are filling in the pores of the inner parts of the pipe (Greg Pease has an article on the home page about this). However, if your tobacco choice taste less desirable as you progress, that may not be the pipe. It may be the tobacco choice.
Choosing the right tobacco or genre of tobaccos for yourself is more important than the pipe, IMO. Most of us on the forums are what I would call "explorers of tobaccos," as we tend to enjoy the explorations of new and different blends. However, there are some who have their one blend that they stick with. Me, I'm in the explorer category. I enjoy perusing the vast tobaccos available, and some I will revisit frequently, some not so much.
But, all in all, have fun. Welcome to the forums.

 

[oldsalt]

Thanks for all of your quick responses and the great advice. So far this is what I have been smoking based on suggestions I found here:
Lane 1Q

MacBaren 7 Seas Regular

MacBaren 7 Seas Gold

Mcclelland No. 5100 Red Cake

Peter Stokkebye 17 English Luxury
Went heavier with the aromatics because I thought they would be more familiar since my only experience has been with Captain Black and so far they've been okay, but man I can't wait to try some more English!

 

[Perique]

Welcome to the forums. To answer your question, yes - a broken-in pipe will provide a better smoke. Some makers coat their bowls with a nasty substance that will taint the tobacco until burned off and covered with cake. Then you're off to the races.