Pipe Cleaning With Warm Water

[SmokerTruckBeast]

well read the threads on cleaning with warm water - what a downer.
bought a nice butz chacom used - was black- used a whole packet of pipe cleaners till they came clean & reamed the thick cake to slight wood appearance - smoked nice - then ran the pipe without stem under hot water to test hot water method -
ruined the pipe - now no taste - have smoked it about dozen times with a nice burley to reestablish some cake.
no flavour -
hope it reflavours itself -
its a nice pipe high bowl, nice grain on one side BUT a great birds eye on the other side - would be a real bummer if she is toast
no water water - not even in the bathtub or shower

 

[seldom]

Huh. Personally I prefer to taste the flavor of the tobacco rather than the flavor of the pipe. To each their own.

I may not fully understand what you are communicating here. I certainly don't understand this:

no water water - not even in the bathtub or shower

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I have no idea how any of that could happen. The cake should not be contributing that much to the taste. And, on meerschaums and clay pipes, you aren't even supposed to allow them to cake. Many of my briars have no cake at all, and I can taste very subtle nuances. In fact, keeping my pipes cleaned with water has helped me taste more, not less.

 

[logs]

I doubt it was the water cleaning. More likely your tongue, method of lighting, packing, etc...

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

in my experience occasional flushing with warm water does not do any harm to the pipe

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

Did you smoke the pipe before you reamed and cleaned it? If not, then you obviously cannot know if the ream/clean had any affect. I've broken in 200 or so pipes and never had one that allows no flavor when smoked. Perhaps you should try a different blend aside from Burley. To me, most Burleys have little flavor.

I have been flushing/cleaning all my briar pipes for over a year now with HOT tap water and have had no problems to date.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

If by Burley, you mean Carter Hall... then you are lucky.

 

[mso489]

I think it will come around, but I can't say why the taste changed. It's been pointed out that water is used in carving pipes, so though you don't want to soak briar, a dousing shouldn't have much effect once you let it dry. I trust you have, or can get, a back-up briar and/or cob or two.

 

[krizzose]

This is baffling. Maybe the OP is suggesting he ghosted his pipe with the overpowering flavor of water

 

[sablebrush52]

I resisted flushing my pipes with warm water for a year before giving it a try, and boy, was I glad that I did. The biggest difference was how fresh and vibrant the flavors were after the pipe had been cleaned in this way. I've had no bad experiences with this technique. I don't doubt your story, but have no explanation for it as I've not experienced any negative effects.

 

[fjc623]

Sable brush you ran warm water thru a briar pipe
How long did you dry it out.

I was to understand water swells the briar and can ruin the pipe.

 

[cortezattic]

This would be a good time to use that pipe to explore the nuances of a good Virginia blend. Mac Baren HH Pure Virginia and Capstan come to mind.

 

[tbradsim1]

They did a test way back and weighed briar before, put it in a water bath for a while, weighed it and the absorbion was very minimal. Briar is super hard, the flushing time is nothing , so don't be afraid, it works, I was skeptical too.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I would never use water on a pipe myself, but it shouldn't have caused anything like what the OP is describing.

 

[brian64]

I may not fully understand what you are communicating here. I certainly don't understand this:

no water water - not even in the bathtub or shower

Isn't that from Cat in the Hat?

 

[didimauw]

I religiously ( every couple weeks or so) do the warm water flush, and dry it out overnight. Seems to be fine in the morning.

 

[weezell]

Isn't that from Cat in the Hat?

What would make you say that? Perhaps you are you are playing tit for tat? The shower may make it smell like a flower, and no longer nasty and sour...

 

[didimauw]

I refused to try the water treatment for years, untill one day I couldn't take the taste of my pipe and gave it a shot. Never went back since.

 

[peregrinus]

bought a nice butz chacom used - was black- used a whole packet of pipe cleaners till they came clean & reamed the thick cake to slight wood appearance - smoked nice - then ran the pipe without stem under hot water to test hot water method -
ruined the pipe - now no taste

A guess would be that, in your well advised thorough cleaning of an estate pipe, you removed whatever residual oils and ghosted flavors the pipe retained from the tobaccos the previous owner had smoked.
In essence, you reset it back to a more neutral flavor. Kinda like cleaning an old coffee pot.
What are the flavors you’re missing? There are many knowledgeable people here that may be able to help you find the tobaccos with the flavors you unintentionally exercised.

 

[cshubhra]

I am intrigued. This cannot happen!