Soaking Cob Stems in Alcohol

[sparroa]

I've always found that my cob stems take on an unpleasant taste and aroma no matter how many pipe cleaners I run through the stem - dry and/or dipped in vodka.
Recently, I've taken to soaking the stems in a shot glass of vodka after every couple of smokes. I then rinse the stem, run a pipe cleaner through it, and then allow it to air dry.
My next smoke tends to be amazingly fresh, and the next few are almost just as great.
I don't know if I am damaging these acrylic bits but so far, so good.
Does anyone else do this? It may seem like overkill, but I was finding that my cobs were sourish and I blamed it on the bowls. I cleaned them repeatedly but the results weren't dramatic. Since I've started to soak the stems in alcohol, however, I have been very impressed with the flavourful and very pure tasting smokes I've enjoyed.
What do you all think?
PS: I've got close to 15 Country Gentlemen devoted to particular blends/styles so ghosting or overuse is not really a problem.

 

[reichenbach]

I usually clean my cob stems with rubbing alcohol once a month. Vodka just didn't seem strong enough to get the pipe cleaners as black as I knew they should be. I'm going to switch to drinkable rubbing alcohol (aka Everclear) this month though because I recently found out they started selling it in NY. In response to your query though, I have never tried to soak my stems but I may now.

 

[sparroa]

It won't hurt you to try it and see if you can tell a difference... I'm not especially concerned because I have several replacement stems on hand and plenty of backup pipes.
I don't like to use rubbing alcohol for my pipes; Everclear would be your best bet, but it's not available around here. Bacardi 151 is the strongest liquor we have available but it's too expensive to use for cleaning...
I've got several bottles of vodka as gifts so I've got plenty of that on hand for my cleaning needs. I guess I just use more to compensate for its lower alcohol content.
I really think that soaking the stems will really extend the overall life of my cobs; even if they are degraded by the alcohol, replacement stems are only $1.50 and I will no longer be cleaning the bowls so thoroughly, which is probably slowly wearing them away.
I just sipped on one of my latakia cobs whose stem I soaked last night after having a few bowls of Westminster. I can't even tell what I used to smoke in it now, whereas there used to always be a prominent smokiness no matter how many passes I'd give it with a pipe cleaner.
It reminds me of the first smoke from a fresh tin now whenever I light up a bowl - the flavours are very vibrant...

 

[jchaplick]

Ive never had that problem, maybe it has to do with the type of tobacco you smoke, not positive. Do you smoke english VA/Vaper or aroes?

 

[reichenbach]

What I figure is the stems are plastic and therefore a lot less porous than the cob bowl so not as likely to impart any of the chemicals from the rubbing alcohol. I only use drinkable fluids on the bowls. Let the record show this is just for the record.

 

[sparroa]

Reichenbach,

I can see your reasoning and I've heard of other people using rubbing alcohol, but I'd rather do without. I just prefer to use potable alcohol, even if it is less effective at 40% concentration.
jchaplick,

I don't know what's responsible but it used to happen without fail. Maybe I am more sensitive to off flavours and aromas from my pipe - I don't know. As I said, I tend to devote particular pipes to particular styles. In general, I smoke virginias/vapers and latakia blends in separate pipes. I've had a couple of aros but I don't really like them; my aro pipes don't get much play, as a result.

 

[scurvydog]

I use everclear about every other cleaning

 

[sparroa]

Well, if people have trouble trying to keep their cobs fresh then I recommend this as an easy solution.