Not Cleaning Between Smokes = Nasty Tar Taste?

[cornsnob]

So today I smoked much more then usual which was about 3 times and the last smoke taste awful. I think thins might have to do with the fact i did not clean my pipe between smokes. When i came home and clean it the stem was full of tar, is this normal? and will cleaning between every smoke keep the taste good?

 

[05venturer]

I smoke anywhere from 3 - 12 bowls a day in 1 cob but always run a cleaner at least every other smoke and don't have any troubles.

Depends a lot on the tobacco your smoking too

 

[bryanf]

Yup. Depends on the tobacco and pipe. Some can handle ten bowls, some only one. But yeah, a freshly cleaned pipe usually does taste best. Not that I'm the best role model for this.

 

[05venturer]

But yeah, a freshly cleaned pipe usually does taste best. Not that I'm the best role model for this.

+1 bryan , I am guilty also

 

[cornsnob]

there was sludge build up in the stem, so it was very dirty lol

 

[loneredtree]

Just for info. What are you smoking? How wet is the tobacco? That might tell us what is happening.
:evil: :evil:

 

[shaintiques]

I clean my pipes after every smoke and rotate of course. I carry a four pipe bag with me everywhere I go so I always have a clean pipe, a lighter, tamper and various tobaccos to enjoy. A clean pipe of course tastes best.

 

[allan]

Gentlemen
If Harris reads this thread he may have to call the pipe police on you guys! LOL
Seriously, like everything else in life, a clean tool, utensil, cup, or device works better and certainly tastes better than a dirty sludgey one
I always at the very least use some pipe cleaners between smokes. Otherwise when I'm able, rotate pipes

 

[namuna]

I usually take a couple of puffs on an empty bowl to see if there's any tar taste before filling. Whether the pipe's been cleaned a few days before or it's a pipe I've already used in the day, I don't mind a little residual from a previous smoke, but if it's "off" then it needs to be cleaned.

 

[pylorns]

I always run a cleaner through it before smoking. Sometimes I run a cleaner through the stem/shank with the sweetener. I try to remember to clean post smoke but that usually doesn't happen.

 

[craig94yj]

+1 on the clean after every smoke. To me it is part of the enjoyment. I may pack another bowl in another pipe and clean while I smoke. If my pipe has a filter I toss it after every use. At 10 cents a piece I think I'm worth it. lol

 

[cigrmaster]

If you are properly cleaning your pipes in the first place, smoking 2 bowls back to back should never be an issue, I personally would not do three but that is me. I have smoked two back to back with only a pipe cleaner or two in between and no off tastes were present. Now the pipe used is always clean to begin with meaning after every smoke, the pipe is properly cleaned after it cools over night, 5-7 pipe cleaners are used on it the next day, and then the pipe gets a deep clean every 8-12 bowls or so whether it needs it or not.
Why ruin good pipe tobacco with a dirty pipe, to me it makes no sense. I am personally way to cheap to ever waste tobacco because of my laziness.

 

[kris]

5-7 pipe cleaners after every smoke??? 8O
Does the second one not come out "clean" after using both ends of the first?

 

[erichbaumer]

Really depends on the tobacco and whether the pipe was clean to start.

I can still be pretty lazy about cleaning, but a friend's experience lit a bit more fire under me and helped correct that habit. He smoked nothing but Billy Budd in a Peterson System. He said it tasted off. I took the pipe apart and found 1/8" of sludge and crap on the base of the stem and in the chamber. I nearly hit him over the head with it! "Off" indeed!

 

[judcole]

Does the second one not come out "clean" after using both ends of the first?

Nope. I don't use quite as many as Harris, but 3-5 is not unusual.

 

[dennisfbird]

I'm too embarrassed to post..... I'm a bigger slob than I thought

 

[cigrmaster]

Kris, all of my pipes need for the bristled pipe cleaners I use to clean the shank be doubled and it is good for one use. Some of my pipes need 2 cleaners doubled to be able to scrape out the shanks. One pipe cleaner not doubled would never clean my shanks, my shank dimensions are all around 4mm and larger. I take two fluffy cleaners doubled over and use those to scrape the inside of my bowl. Then depending on the pipe, 2-4 bristle pipe cleaners for the shanks, and then I use two bristle cleaners( at the same time) for the stem followed by two fluffy cleaners( at the same time)for the stem. The bristle cleaners grab loose tobacco out of the stem, and the fluffy's grab tar and moisture. A few of my pipes can only take one pipe cleaner at a time through the stem, but most of mine take two.
Trust me, I am cheap bastard and do not use this many cleaners for my health, they do the job and I do not rack a pipe that is not clean. Now that I think about it I am using more cleaners than I thought, 4 for the stem, 2 for the bowl and either 2-4 for the shank.

 

[pipestud]

A good pipe will smoke back to back bowls with no trouble... IF... you run a pipe cleaner through the stem and shank after each smoke and also twist a paper towel down into the bowl to absorb any goo.
If one runs EverClear 190 proof (or 151 proof in some states) through the shank and stem after every 10th smoke or so, then the pipe will always remain clean.
I'm not the best at taking my own above advice, but I dadgum sure keep my pipes clean to enhance the enjoyment of the smoke without suckin' up gooey spit and dottle.
Best,
Pipestud

 

[andrew]

Yes, I also find it leads to an incredibly nasty ammonia like taste also if you don't clean it enough. I was just having this problem yesterday with my stanwell, I'd smoked a bowl of english Luxus and it got a really nasty taste towards the end, like ammonia like, and then the next day it smoked good after cleaning, then the day after I smoked MM965 and the same thing happened. Keeping your pipes clean is essential and letting them rest at least a day between smokes imo is necessary.

 

[msandoval858]

Between smokes, I always run a pipe cleaner or two down the stem as well as a twisted up paper town in the bowl. This generally keeps my pipes going fine for several smokes between deep cleanings. I would estimate I smoke each pipe probably 6 or so times before actually removing the stem and thoroughly cleaning everything.
I used to be very OCD about cleaning my pipe thoroughly after every smoke but got to the point that I found it unnecessary. I smoke very few aromatics as well, so moisture build up is hardly ever an issue.