Seasoning New Pipes

[ltstone]

Just wondering if its common for a new pipe to cause a little tongue bite and be a bit flavorless until smoked awhile?

 

[murica]

Ehh. It could be.
More than likely, its the smoker or the tobacco moisture level.
But, I have had one or two pipes that bit me regardless.
The flavor part can be both. It could be a briar that needs time to open up and be smoked. Or it could be you puffing too hard or fast and causing both bite and tastelessness.

 

[sablebrush52]

Usually the process of breaking in a pipe consists of smoking it until there is sufficient carbon on the chamber walls to rid the flavor of burning wood from the smoke. I haven't experienced the same issues you asked about, just that of the flavors being affected by the bare wood.

 

[crashthegrey]

Tongue bite, no. However, I have had a couple pipes be "flavorless" until broken in. I will say, most artisan pipes and certain factories, the pipe is different before break in, but not what you are describing. However, the couple of flavorless pipes were all factory, and likely due to the briar being still wet, not aged, or not from a good region. I won't name names, but I don't think those blocks of briar were ready for life as a pipe.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Agreeing with crash, I've had some pipe requiring 40-50 bowls before they were "right". Some artisan pipes, first smoke, good to go. I also think it was the briar used.

 

[ltstone]

Well this one is an Al Pacia Curvy. It may be also that its a bit short and the bowl is VERY wide, not sure but I'll keep smoking it and report back..

 

[crashthegrey]

I have noticed that some very wide chambers aren't what I expect. You need to put a nice complex blend in that to make that chamber give you plenty of different flavors.

 

[toobfreak]

I also think it was the briar used.

Agreed. If it is indeed the pipe and not the tobacco itself, then it probably isn't a very high grade bruyere and has a lot of porosity in it.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

The only way the pipe can cause tongue bite is if you are trying too hard to get more flavor from a totally fresh pipe. I enjoy the first few bowls in a bare wood chamber. But, some don't taste those warmed briar qualities that I seem to be able to.

Slow down, and enjoy the process.

 

[mso489]

Breaking in a pipe and tongue bite are not related, in my experience. If there is a relationship, I'd say it was that you tend to focus more on the pipe, puff harder, and overdo the effort, and that gives you tongue bite, but not the fact the pipe is new or being broken in. When you become used to the pipe, you relax and don't puff so hard. Doesn't the Curvy have an extra chamber to cool the smoke? That makes it even less likely to cause tongue bite. Don't blame yourself, just your enthusiasm. Those Curvy pipes are nifty, compact, very handsome.

 

[newbroom]

This might sound corny, but I season my cobs with butter and salt. ahuyk ahuyk.

 

[crashthegrey]

Cosmic draws probably the only parallel between the two. New pipe, young briar, little flavor, thus puffing too hard and biting. Bam, we solved your problem. Or not. I'll choose to believe we have, though.

 

[bigpond]

Two things jump out to me OP. The first is bowl coat. Everyone seems to use a different formula and I have experienced on factory pipes a few occasions were the taste of the coat masked the flavor of the tobacco.
The other big thing is that you are smoking an RC. Folks often comment about a diminishment of flavor with such pipes. I have not noticed this, but I do believe there is less initial flavor impact. Smoking a Castello for example I get a "whoa this is awesome dude" experience at the first puff but with a double chambered pipe it's more like "Darling, fetch the viewing glass won't you, I believe that highlight woven in to our new Qom to be silver thread".

 

[fitzy]

I believe Crash is on the money on all accounts. As far as wide bowls go I tend to smoke more balkan blends as you do get more of that complexity.
I've always been interested in picking up one of those reverse calabash curvy pipes from Al Pascia.