Pipe smoking characteristics and dedication

[vink]

So the 2 pipes I smoked the most are a Tinsky christmas pipe 2012 (bent rhodesian) and a Blatter hand made I just bought ( bent eggish). Not sure both have been break in because I don't know what it feels like. I smoked the Blatter about 30 times and the Tinsky probably near 80 times but I rarely smoked the tinsky to the end of the bowl, so I'm working on that.
I smoked a lot of ODF in the tinsky for a while and now it seems that if I smoke something else, let's say Silver flake (yeah I like that stuff a lot) the sweetness of the blend does not show off. Is it because DFK ghost? I mean the pipe does not taste bad but what I like about silver flake is the sweetness! I remembered I smokedsome Dunhill deluxe navy rolls at some point in the beginning and it was awesomely sweet but now it's gone.
My Blatter on the other hand is promising with blends like silver flake, the sweetness is there! I tried some Dunhill deluxe navy rolls and ti was just ok, not much sweetness and I find it just ok.
What I'm wondering is should I dedicate the tinsky to dark fired blends? I find that somehow limitatting and I don't know if it really make DFK blends shine. Is there any way to make it show the sweetness in blends again? I cleaned it with alcohol and got rid of some cake a couple times but it did not change anything. I do not want to do the salt method thing.
Should I dedicate my Blatter more to VA since it seems to smoke sweeter? But then what can I smoke in it? Can you smoke any type of Va blends in a Va pipe? Are darker Va alright? Could I smoke something like Motzek strong curly in it (Va,DFK,perique)?

 

[bigpond]

New briar can inject its own sweet flavor to a blend and will gradually lessen as the byproducts of combustion cover bare wood. Not all pipes show this characteristic, but it's one possibility among many others. As to ghosting, I seem to recall ODF as pretty neutral for a dfk blend but whatever you smoke will leave it's footprint in the residues that coat the lining of your pipe. Consequently, it's likely that with consistent smoking a new blend will overwrite the old ghost. The more neutral the ghost, the quicker this change occurs.
I find cleaning my pipes immediately after every smoke with pipe cleaners, keeping a very thin cake, consistently smoking a singular blend or genre and using a cannonball or air pocket packing technique enhance the perceived sugar content in sweet blends. I no longer wait for my pipes to cool after smoking I've found cleaning immediately eliminates the need for spirits and have thus far experienced no deleterious effects.
As to dedicating your pipes, well, if you're confident that you've discovered what you like at this stage of the game dedicating a pipe can be helpful. If you're in the discovery phase dedicating can limit your choices unless you expand your pipe lineup.
One massive downside in dedicating a pipe too early or buying a pipe with a genre in mind (ohh...that looks like a great pipe for Va' Flake!) is it can take a while to find with which blend or style a pipe really shines and if you dedicate a pipe without finding what it likes you may miss out on something really great.
If you opt for an open door policy with your pipes and continually rotate through genres your pipes shouldn't develop an enduring ghost, though you will certainly notice it for the first few bowls when you switch blends.

 

[cortezattic]

Bigpond's post resonates with me. Especially his notion that a pipe will find the blend or genre it "likes".

 

[vink]

Thanks! I just find it sad, since I smoke like 1-2 times a week, when I smoke a blend I like and it taste bland for some weird reason! When I finish smoking I usually stick a pipe cleaner in the pipe, move it around a little and let it there for the night. The day after I take the stem out and clean everything.
I just want that sweet taste to come back! I now don't know what to smoke in my Tisnky because I'm scared it will taste just meh!

 

[disinformatique]

I second what @BigPond said. Let your pipe age a bit before you decide to dedicate it.

 

[gloucesterman]

If you really find you miss that sweetness it might be worthwhile to buy a single pipe and reserve it for that purpose. The risks as outlined above are real but keeping a single pipe in reserve for that special need doesn't preclude you trying those kind of blends in other pipes. It just means you'll always know you have that "go to" pipe when nothing but that sweet smoke will do. Pipe smoking should be a pleasure not a disappointment.