Savinelli 320 KS Moisture Problem

[Youngbuck]

Hello Youngbuck, just read your thread and wondered if you have managed to sort out the problem with the moisture?? I received my brand new 320 is oceano today and have experienced the same problem. So naturally I was quite interested when I saw your post.
I had packed it Gawith Hoggarth Kendel American CV blend and used with the 6mm filter in place.
Im hoping it’s just because the tobacco is too moist or maybe it’s just because it’s a new pipe and needs to ‘bed in’ because I absolutely love the pipe itself, it’s a work of art ??

so I haven’t exactly solved it entirely but I made it much better. I did swap out the Balsa Filter for the 6mm adapter and that seemed to help a little bit also I started the process over in building a decent cake in the heel of the bowl so I filled it about a 1/4 way consistently for about 10 bowls or so to get it to really form and I noticed that did most of the helped. Only other thing I found a little bit helpful is to dry the tobacco out a little more than I like. I still get a bit of wet sludge still when I finish but at least it wasn’t about half the bowl like before. Other than that I believe STP said somewhere about the characteristics of the Author Pipe Shape could be a contributing factor.

 

[Papasmurf92]

Is this a new or infrequently smoked pipe?

I've had one or two pipes give me a gurgle problem until it was well broken in. Not sure of any "science" behind such a phenomenon, except that maybe establishing a cake/carbon coating aids in moisture absorption/management.


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I fully agree. Also, the 320 KS will take a lot of tobacco, so it’ll probably have more moisture than your regular-sized bowl.

Although generally speaking Savinellis are pretty decent pipes, I have found that they do require at least 75 to 100 smokes to be considered as properly broken in. To fully reveal their ‘personality’, they need up to 200-300 bowls.

Not only does cake really help absorb all of the moisture, but the briar itself also helps a lot with that, but only AFTER it’s been broken in correctly - and after any residual sap/moisture/resin and what have you have been ‘banished‘ for eternity from its pores. Only heat generated by smoking can achieve that. The process is much quicker on a Dunhill or Ashton pipe, because the briar is boiled repeatedly in several secret oil mixtures which leave it pretty much pure. Savinelli also cures their briar for at least a couple of years, and at some point I recall seeing a video where they also boil it in water to remove sap and resins. But, for the most part, a compromise is achieved: the final touches of the curing process are left for the smoker to perform, and, to me, this is an integral part of the lifestyle.

I have the perfect example for this: a Rossi Capitol Bruyere 614 (I am guessing it’s like Rossi’s line of seconds - but, ultimately, it‘s still made by Savinelli). It is one of the pipes I learned to smoke on, and being unforgivingly finicky, it taught me very quickly the importance of packing, pacing, tamping etc. I would say I have had about 250 bowls in it. When I bought it, it smoked hot, wet, and had a slightly spicy flavour (not Perique-like, but Paprika-ish) from the factory coating, and it was not that light (not overly heavy, but it had a good heft). Now, it smokes very cool and dry, it barely ever gurgles. It has super quick drying times, and, I swear that it is considerably lighter than when it was new.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Also, the 320 KS will take a lot of tobacco,

You piqued my interest, then broke my heart when I looked up the chamber dimensions. At 1.32"×.90", 320s are smaller than my smallest regularly smoked pipe.☹

 

[Papasmurf92]

You piqued my interest, then broke my heart when I looked up the chamber dimensions. At 1.32"×.90", 320s are smaller than my smallest regularly smoked pipe.☹

Hélas! Go for a Savinelli Hercules, an EX or a Mega. Those should be large hunks of lumber. Either those, or Rossi Luccas. ??

 

[Chasing Embers]

Hélas! Go for a Savinelli Hercules, an EX or a Mega. Those should be large hunks of lumber. ??

Still a bit below my standard, but very nice looking. My everyday pipes are quite handfuls.