One of my trusty pipes all the sudden produces a bitter, acrid taste. What's the best way to sweeten it?
Pipe Sweetening
- Thread starter kenoshakid
- Start date
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kenoshakid:
To address the question you asked: I would give it a thorough cleaning using a high-alcohol beverage. (My preference is Bacardi 151.) Remove the stem. Dip the end of a pipe cleaner in the Bacardi and run it through the shank and stem. You will need multiple pipe cleaners for this. Be absolutely careful not to drip any of the alcohol on the outside of the pipe; it can ruin the appearance.
If your pipe has never gotten a really thorough cleaning before, you might also benefit from running a shank brush -- also dipped in the alcohol -- through the shank to scrub away anything that has been building up there.
Then run dry pipe cleaners through the stem and shank. When they come out clean, you're done. Replace the stem, and allow the pipe to dry out -- I would allow at least a week -- before smoking it again.
If this doesn't solve your problem -- and this is a cleaning process I do on all of my pipes at least twice a year (which is in addition to cleaning each one with a dry pipe cleaner after every bowl) -- then I would recommend using the salt/alcohol treatment, which is described elsewhere here. (Sounds more complicated than it is!)
But I also want to comment on the question you didn't ask: How did this happen? It may be the result of not running a pipe cleaner through the shank after every bowl to remove moisture. Or you simply may be overdue for a thorough alcohol cleaning. It may have to do with smoking this one pipe too often and not giving it enough time to rest/dry out between smoking days. (I'm not sure it would hurt anything, but I try not to smoke the same pipe more than three times on any one day. . . and then it gets at least a week's rest between smoking days.) It may also have to do with storage: Your pipe needs air circulating around it in order to dry out between smokes; it shouldn't be kept in a drawer, say, or enclosed in a plastic bag.
One final note: Do NOT use a commercially sold "pipe sweetener" instead of a potable alcohol. These "pipe sweeteners" are almost all awful and although they will "clean" the pipe, they will likely leave your pipe with a bad chemical taste. (They used to be much better, but the few I've tried in recent years shouldn't be allowed anywhere near a tobacco pipe. But they might work fine on a plugged toilet.)
Hope this helps!
Bob
To address the question you asked: I would give it a thorough cleaning using a high-alcohol beverage. (My preference is Bacardi 151.) Remove the stem. Dip the end of a pipe cleaner in the Bacardi and run it through the shank and stem. You will need multiple pipe cleaners for this. Be absolutely careful not to drip any of the alcohol on the outside of the pipe; it can ruin the appearance.
If your pipe has never gotten a really thorough cleaning before, you might also benefit from running a shank brush -- also dipped in the alcohol -- through the shank to scrub away anything that has been building up there.
Then run dry pipe cleaners through the stem and shank. When they come out clean, you're done. Replace the stem, and allow the pipe to dry out -- I would allow at least a week -- before smoking it again.
If this doesn't solve your problem -- and this is a cleaning process I do on all of my pipes at least twice a year (which is in addition to cleaning each one with a dry pipe cleaner after every bowl) -- then I would recommend using the salt/alcohol treatment, which is described elsewhere here. (Sounds more complicated than it is!)
But I also want to comment on the question you didn't ask: How did this happen? It may be the result of not running a pipe cleaner through the shank after every bowl to remove moisture. Or you simply may be overdue for a thorough alcohol cleaning. It may have to do with smoking this one pipe too often and not giving it enough time to rest/dry out between smoking days. (I'm not sure it would hurt anything, but I try not to smoke the same pipe more than three times on any one day. . . and then it gets at least a week's rest between smoking days.) It may also have to do with storage: Your pipe needs air circulating around it in order to dry out between smokes; it shouldn't be kept in a drawer, say, or enclosed in a plastic bag.
One final note: Do NOT use a commercially sold "pipe sweetener" instead of a potable alcohol. These "pipe sweeteners" are almost all awful and although they will "clean" the pipe, they will likely leave your pipe with a bad chemical taste. (They used to be much better, but the few I've tried in recent years shouldn't be allowed anywhere near a tobacco pipe. But they might work fine on a plugged toilet.)
Hope this helps!
Bob
Thanks for the input, people. Based on what you've told me, I think the problem is not resting the pipe long enough. Also, I smoke at quite a brisk pace, so perhaps I should slow down a bit. I will try your suggestions.
:Bob has pretty well touched all the bases in answering your question. I do just about the same with my pipes, especially running pipe cleaners through a pipe after smoking it; it's part of the ritual of smoking and becomes second nature.
Nobody mentioned using Everclear for cleaning yet, which is straight grain alcohol at 190 proof and available in most states in liquor stores. Graves is another brand I use that some liquor stores here in Connecticut carry. An advantage to grain alcohol is that it leaves no flavor in the pipe.
How many pipes do you have? I recommend getting some Missouri Meerschaum cobs to build up your rotation and allow you to rest your briar pipe more. You can buy them for no more than $10 each or get 10 in a grab bag of seconds from Missouri Meerschaum for $29.95.
An alternative to a shank brush is bristle pipe cleaners, which I prefer.
Nobody mentioned using Everclear for cleaning yet, which is straight grain alcohol at 190 proof and available in most states in liquor stores. Graves is another brand I use that some liquor stores here in Connecticut carry. An advantage to grain alcohol is that it leaves no flavor in the pipe.
How many pipes do you have? I recommend getting some Missouri Meerschaum cobs to build up your rotation and allow you to rest your briar pipe more. You can buy them for no more than $10 each or get 10 in a grab bag of seconds from Missouri Meerschaum for $29.95.
An alternative to a shank brush is bristle pipe cleaners, which I prefer.
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