Hello, I have just gotten into Pipe Smoking. My wife bought me a savinelli one 601. I have been smoking Haunted Bookshop. Now I know I may have messed up smoking a full bowl the first time. I let it rest over night to cool down and cleaned it the next morning. I made sure no black tar/residue was on the pipe cleaners and I leave a fresh one in the stem and bowl to dry out and once it’s dry completely put it back together. I notice if the stem is not connected to the bowl and sip on it it has an ash/smoke taste. Any idea as to why or how to fix? Thank you so much.
Stem taste like smoke/ash
- Thread starter Tsp2amtn
- Start date
I think youre overthinking the cleaning bit. Personally I dont remove my stems unless I'm doing a deep clean. After my bowl I run 2 pipe cleaners through the stem and shank, finger out the dottle and call it a day. You dont have to worry about smoking full bowls through a new pipes as far as I know. The stem will smell like stale smoke. Part of the fun.
Easy fix! If you don't like the taste, don't do that. Which leads to, "why would you do such and not expect the stale taste? Just curious.
It shouldn't taste like ash, and while it's nice to be gentle with pipes you don't have to be that gentle, they are robust things. If you get anything unpleasant taste wise, review common sources of problems: overly wet or dry tobacco, smoking too hot too fast, stirring the bowl or over tamping or not tamping or some other misdemeanor.
It takes a while, just remember low and slow.
If you're nervous about using the Savenelli since it's a gift from your wife (awesome gift btw), might also consider getting a corn cob and using it like a test lab. Not only are they great and forgiving smokers but dirt cheap way to get the feel for it.
You might be making an assumption that this is impacting the quality of the smoke. Unless the stem is nasty dirty, I don’t think you need to worry about it affecting the taste.
I would wash that pipe with water and wipe the bowl out with a paper towel.
As Timekiller suggested, you might be puffing a little extra, which can burn the tobacco too hot and result in unpleasant, ashy, smok flavors. I've found that aside from deliberately slowing the cadence down to a trickle, another thing that can help is experimenting with filter pipes. Timekiller also recommended getting a corncob pipe to you, and Missouri Meerschaum has a line of very affordable, filtered cobs.
I've found that when pipes get funky, they don't taste like ash or unpleasant smokiness, they tend to taste funky or unpleasantly tangy. I keep my pipes pretty clean though, and rarely have that issue. Long story short, it doesn't sound like a dirty pipe taste you are bumping up against.
I've found that when pipes get funky, they don't taste like ash or unpleasant smokiness, they tend to taste funky or unpleasantly tangy. I keep my pipes pretty clean though, and rarely have that issue. Long story short, it doesn't sound like a dirty pipe taste you are bumping up against.
Considering what the mouthpiece actually is, I don't think there's anything to be concerned with if it tastes like smoke. Fill the pipe,light,enjoy, I believe it's supposed to taste like smoke. No worries, enjoy.
Okay thank you so much. I noticed it hasn’t affected when I smoke only when I dry puff without anything through it so I was curious being new and all thank you so much.
The taste only shows when it’s not being smoked I was just curious to see it’s a new hobby for me I moved from cigar smoking and she used a lot of money to buy it so wanted to make sure I treat the gift well
Yeah Haunted Bookshop is a heck of a first time starting blend.. pretty easy to get off flavors from that one to start with. Plus your pipe/stem will pretty much always smell/taste of smoke when you aren't actively smoking because it's a relative thing.
Main thing I'd add is it sounds like you're taking your pipe apart when hot after you're done with a bowl and letting it rest... if so don't do that. The materials can expand and contract at different rates leading to a permanent bad fit. Best to let it cool as one piece just as it heats up as one.
Main thing I'd add is it sounds like you're taking your pipe apart when hot after you're done with a bowl and letting it rest... if so don't do that. The materials can expand and contract at different rates leading to a permanent bad fit. Best to let it cool as one piece just as it heats up as one.
Thank you so much, all great advice I will try it out! Thank you again
This might not be the same as your situation, but something you mention sounded familiar: in my early days I once left a pipe cleaner in a pipe for a day or two after smoking it, thinking that it would help the pipe dry. The pipe developed a nasty sour smell--I could smell it 5 or 6 feet away, even after removing the pipe cleaner. I deep cleaned the pipe and never left a pipe cleaner in it after that, and never had that problem again.
That's awesome that your first pipe is a treasure. My first pipe was an absolute beater, but afforded me easier learning environment.
Let me humbly offer some tips that you will eventually figure out on your own, but learning them the hard way can damage a pipe.
1) Always use a small, soft flame.
2) Never have the flame touching more than 1 second or so, less if you can. If it doesn't catch, back off give it a few seconds to rest then try again for another one count.
3) Never make physical contact between the rim and the lighter. I see so many that are ruined by by people grinding down the rims in slow motion by touching lighter to the pipe - if Shakespeare had known this was the future he would have written a tragedy about it!
4) Never let the actual flame touch the rim. The rim is not predetermined by fate to inevitably be scorched, you can use it for a lifetime and not end up with a burnt rim.
5) Don't fk around with the stem while you're using the pipe, like twisting it or removing it while smoking, let the pipe rest first.
6) A little minor one, but even high end pipe cleaners have steel with sharp ends that can gouge or score, so you still want to use care and not just cram them in like a caveman.
7) Read alot and ask alot of questions before trying to do any kind of deep cleaning, reaming, restoring, repair, re-finishing, polishing, etc type work on it.
Pipes are not just lifetime items, they are multiple lifetime items if taken care of.
Thank you so much definilty need to practice being more careful with the flame don’t want it to scorch my rim, I’ve had it a little too close already thank you for this!
I need to get that I had it drying on the pipe cleaner last night! Might be the problem, how do I deep clean rn I use the pipe cleaner with vodka on it