Pipe Break-in and Dedication

[LeafErikson]

I am one who generally dedicates my pipes to blend families. My pipes are either used for burley dominant blends or Virginia dominant blends. Contrary to what many on this forum practice, I have found that I prefer virginias in my cobs and burleys in briars, but that’s a subject for another thread. I tend to break in my pipes nowadays with Sir Walter Raleigh Regular, regardless of which blend family I will later dedicate said pipe to. I do this because I know the blend very well and feel that it’s an easy smoke with which to break in pipes. I was wondering if any of y’all on here break in your Virginia pipes with Virginia tobaccos, burley pipes with burley tobaccos etc, or if y’all have a specific blend that you use to break in all of your pipes regardless of family dedication.

 

[sablebrush52]

Nope. I've never found a need to pick a specific blend to break in a pipe. You build up a thin hard carbon layer, pipe's broken in,

 

[jpmcwjr]

I use any blend that I'm smoking at the time in other pipes.

 

[LeafErikson]

Nope. I've never found a need to pick a specific blend to break in a pipe. You build up a thin hard carbon layer, pipe's broken in,

I smoke so much sir Walter that it just kind’ve happened that way. I tried breaking in a pipe recently (uncoated bowl) with some eight state burley though and it tastes perfect. I’m not super well-versed in breaking in briar so I thought I’d ask. I only have 6 briar pipes and all are broken in. Been doing the wipe-out method to prevent thick cake which has been working so far. ?

 

[huckleberry]

I just stuff whatever tobacco I want to smoke into whichever pipe I want to smoke it in. I've never had an issue with "ghosting", and I guess I'm just not as "Taste Sensitive" as some, or my taste buds have just become adjusted to the technique I have used for years....which actually is no technique at all...lol

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

With rare exceptions, I break in every pipe with straight Virginia blends. That's the most tobacco and IMHO, the most demanding on a pipe. If the pipe smokes great with Virginia, I believe it will smoke great with any other blend. Smoking straight Virginia about 75% of the time is also a factor.

 

[alaskanpiper]

I usually use a shag cut. I just like the idea of a good solid no fuss burn for the first few bowls. No clue if there is any scientific value to that whatsoever, but it feels right so I do it, haha.

Usually Penny Farthing or Dark Birdseye, since I know them well, enjoy them, and have plenty on hand.

But if I feel like smoking something else, whatever the cut, I do. I don’t think it really matters that much as long as your technique is reasonably adequate.

 

[sablebrush52]

I smoke so much sir Walter that it just kind’ve happened that way. I tried breaking in a pipe recently (uncoated bowl) with some eight state burley though and it tastes perfect. I’m not super well-versed in breaking in briar so I thought I’d ask. I only have 6 briar pipes and all are broken in. Been doing the wipe-out method to prevent thick cake which has been working so far. ?

It used to be a practice, not all that long ago, to use Carter Hall for breaking in pipes in the belief that it built up cake faster. With pipe smoking it's whatever works for you.

There are a lot of "rules" that I learned when I got into pipes 50 years ago that I've since unlearned.

 

[alaskanpiper]

It used to be a practice, not all that long ago, to use Carter Hall for breaking in pipes in the belief that it built up cake faster. With pipe smoking it's whatever works for you.

There are a lot of "rules" that I learned when I got into pipes 50 years ago that I've since unlearned.

 

[Searock Fan]

One of the reasons I love high end Italian pipes like Castello, Ser Jacopo, Caminetto etc. is because they don't need any break in. They smoke great from the start.

 

[bullet08]

I don't bother to break in my pipes. I just smoke them and they do fine.

 

[LeafErikson]

One of the reasons I love high end Italian pipes like Castello, Ser Jacopo, Caminetto etc. is because they don't need any break in. They smoke great from the start.

that’s how my two Ropp pipes were. No bowl coating so they tasted great from the start. ?

 

[Chasing Embers]

One of the reasons I love high end Italian pipes like Castello, Ser Jacopo, Caminetto etc. is because they don't need any break in. They smoke great from the start.

A New Castello Provides ZERO Taste... WTF! :: Italian Pipes

So I own a few Castello pipes, and they all have been beautiful smokes. I’m newer to the pipe club and not full of wisdom, but felt Castello was to be a superior pipe in term of smoking qualities. So here’s my dilemma. I never smoked Black House before and was told to give it a try. I cracked...

pipesmagazine.com

if y’all have a specific blend that you use to break in all of your pipes regardless of family dedication.

I break them in with the tobacco they were commissioned for.

 

[username]

I just smoke whatever in it. Only pipe thats dedicated is for lakelands.

 

[alaskanpiper]

I just smoke whatever in it. Only pipe thats dedicated is for lakelands.

Yeah, that one I will agree with. If there was ever a ghost to be found on this earth it’s in a pipe that just roasted some ennerdale. I’ll still smoke a VA in my lakeland pipes from time to time though, just for that little hint.

 

[sablebrush52]

View attachment 140250

Only a couple, Smoke what you like, and like what you smoke.

 

[alaskanpiper]

Only a couple, Smoke what you like, and like what you smoke.

As long as those two are followed, there is really no need for any more!

 

[judcole]

I use a combination of Lane RR, Sutliff Virginia Slices, and Stokkebye Natural Dutch Cavendish. I'm familiar with all of them; my own practice for a while has been to break in a pipe with a blend I am quite familiar with. (This is probably a carryover from my working days in IT - reduce the number of variables to identify the source of a problem.)

 

[PipeIT]

I don’t dedicate pipes, I find and think that smoking different blends in different pipes, allows one to experience differences in the blends, and I’ve never had any pipe, in doing so, yielded a bad result, so I don’t dedicate.

I find all the blends I smoke in all my pipes is nice.

For starting out, I’ll typically go with a light VA or Burely, something fairly straightforward/basic.

There are no rules, do what you prefer, and experiment a lot.

Oh, and when you thought X blend tasted crappy in X pipe, walk away and come back another day, because sometimes, it’s just a mental ghost, you need to smoke out of the brain. LOL ?

 

[Davy Jones]

I break my pipes in with the tobacco genre I think they will agree with. If it turns out that the specific genre does not work (because it does happen), I will use another genre until I feel it works out well.