To Rest or Not to Rest

[SteveW]

So my pipe collection doesn’t quite match the amount of smoking I do. I’ve read a fair bit on pipe rotation and a lot of conversations seem to boil down to “my grandpa smoked the same briar every day for forty years and never had a problem” or “you must always rest your briars”

If I had more briars I’d gladly rest them, but I’m making do with what I’ve got until I can flesh out the collection.

My wife bought me a beautiful Brigham six dot for Christmas and I’ve dedicated it to a nice Balkan blend I enjoy. I don’t anticipate smoking that pipe too frequently.

On the other hand I’ve got a cheaper briar I got last year that I just smoke bowl after bowl in. It smokes great, and I clean it after every smoke. So far I’ve never had any issues.

I’m not too emotionally attached to this pipe except that it allows me to smoke when I want. If I had to replace it tomorrow I could however I’d rather spend that money on tobacco. I’m just curious what the long term ramifications of the over smoking could be for this pipe.

I had bought a meerschaum to replace as my regular smoker, but it broke through what was likely a quality issue combined with possible user error.

Hoping to acquire a better meerschaum for my birthday in May which will solve my current problem anyway, but I’m all about learning all I can about pipes.

 

[smknron]

I pretty much smoke which ever pipe I feel like smoking. Sometimes I rotate them, and sometimes I'll smoke the same pipe for maybe three days. I do think its good to give them that break, and I do, but will it shorten the life of it? I don't really think so.

 

[ChuckMijo]

Buy a cheap cob or 2.

 

[workman]

Rotating pipes is very important. If you only have one pipe, rotate it more.

 

[bullet08]

How often do you smoke? I want my pipes, briar that is, to rest at least 24 hours to completely dry before being used again. But there are those who simply run pipe cleaner, clean the bowl and go again. Not sure how resting will preserve the pipe, but keep using the pipe in wet condition doesn't sound too good.

 

[SteveW]

How often do you smoke? I want my pipes, briar that is, to rest at least 24 hours to completely dry before being used again. But there are those who simply run pipe cleaner, clean the bowl and go again. Not sure how resting will preserve the pipe, but keep using the pipe in wet condition doesn't sound too good.

I smoke a fair bit. I make sure it’s as dry as I can get it with pipecleaners after each use, but some days I might smoke five or six bowls in it.

 

[warren]

I rest my briars. Meerschaums never rest. Now days I'm smoking four meers all day, three to four bowls each. I've know folks who happily own one pipe and smoke it daily, all day. It's pretty much what ever turns your crank. There is no governing body for pipe smoking so, do what gives you a satisfactory experience.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I’m just curious what the long term ramifications of the over smoking could be for this pipe.

I often smoke the same pipe multiple times per day for a week or more before changing pipes. That goes for factory pipes, commissioned artisan pieces, meers, cobs or what have you. I've had this one since Summer 1992.

 

[ray47]

Don't believe everything you read. When I started smoking a pipe 53 yrs ago I only had 2 pipes and smoked them like I stole them. Briar is alot more durable then you think. Clean after each smoke and your pipe will be fine. If your that concerned then do what @ChuckMijo said and get you a corn cob pipe or two.

 

[jpmcwjr]

I rest my briars. Meerschaums never rest. Now days I'm smoking four meers all day, three to four bowls each. I've know folks who happily own one pipe and smoke it daily, all day. It's pretty much what ever turns your crank. There is no governing body for pipe smoking so, do what gives you a satisfactory experience.

Yup.

As to need for resting, it varies greatly. Some need the time to dry down a bit. But if the heel of the chamber is dry after a smoke, you're good to go. No amount of rest will get it drier. (OK, within reason)

 

[tschiraldi]

I generally rest a pipe as many days as bowls smoked in it in a day. If I only smoke it once, I'll rest it for a day before smoking it again. If I smoke 2 bowls in a pipe in one day, Ill rest it 2 days. I don't know that it will preserve the pipe or make it last longer, but I have enough pipes to do it and figure it certainly cant hurt. I think my concern is more about a pipe becoming sour, not longevity.

 

[kcghost]

I have 30 or so pipes so I could rotate them if I wanted to, but generally I get out five of them and smoke one to two bowls a day out of them. I never smoke a pipe more than once a day and they get a day or two off between smokes. Then in a few weeks I week get out another five pipes. But that's just habit. Nothing scientific going on here/

 

[anotherbob]

I just make sure it's dry before smoking it again. And my reason isn't to preserve the pipe it just smokes better if I don't smoke it with a wet heel. And when I don't follow my own plan and let the pipe rest until dry it starts to get a little funky a lot faster then if I let it rest. The only people I've known who've ever cracked a pipe who didn't rest the pipe also smoke fast and hot as in they make you wonder what their tongue did to them that they would want to abuse it so. And it looks like the combo of chain smoking one pipe till it breaks without rest or a cadence that isn't tongue searing might be bad for a pipe. Side note these smokers also see a pipe cleaner as something that you use for fixing clogs.

 

[Grangerous]

I own many pipes but only regularly smoke two favorites, alternating them daily.

I smoke 1-2 bowls per day.

I don’t think resting is nearly as important as simply keeping them clean and fresh.

 

[ray47]

You know what @SteveW, you might want to look into getting A Falcon pipe. One stem and two bowls would work for you. The bowls even come in block meerschaum and meerschaum lined. They don't cost all that much and can handle any smoking technique.

 

[chopper]

Before I had even half a clue about pipes, I smoked the one pipe day in day out for several years.
A thick walled Peterson Sherlock Holmes. It survived alright.

When I built a rotation of pipes, I bought either NOS or lightly used, professionally cleaned briars off FleaBay.
Most of my pipes were bargains.

Now I couldn't imagine smoking the one pipe. Apart from tasting better, one rotates between different bowl shapes and sizes to match particular blends.

If I were to build a rotation of pipes today, I'd start with three MM cobs, a Falcon with 2 or 3 bowls and a couple of Dr Grabow briars.
Then I'd keep an eye out for pipes on FleaBay, leaving low bids to snag bargains at my leisure.

 

[Zack Miller]

I don‘t think not resting hurts the briar, but without resting, they don’t seem to smoke as well in my experience.

 

[Merton]

I have, over time, reduced my pipe collection to about 40 pipes from which i might choose to smoke on any given day. Sometimes a weird thing happens and a particular pipe will pop into my mind sort of like a rembered song or a favorite quote. Invariably, that will be the pipe that i put in my pocket as i head out to work that day. I do agree with others that the old advice to rest a pipe a day between smokes is basically sound. Not because of risk of damage to the briar but because of moisture. Sometimes, on those wonderful occasions when i have had the pleasure of a so called "Nirvana" smoke, i really want to keep smoking the same pipe several times in a row. Always, sadly, with diminishing returns. I think that the advice to buy a couple of cobs and a falcon is a good idea. However, buy a cob with a good stem such as a Carolina Gentleman or a Dagner/MM poker. For $25.00 or so you will get a real pipe. I don't include them in my regular rotation of 40 or so, but i have 4 that are placed in pipe socks in a drawer and i enjoy them in the summer. They are good way to learn cadence and comfort with a pipe. Same with a Falcon, although as i prefer some of the Italian makers who have very open draws, i found the Falcon to be a little restrictive. Your experience might, hopefully, be different.

 

[stokesdale]

Buy a cheap cob or 2.

I agree 100%. You can get a very nice MM cob with acrylic bit for under $25...buy a couple of them and rotate out your everyday briar. I must admit, my personal experience is that pipes smoke better if you let them rest for a few days. I rotate mine out every 3 days or so and it makes a world of difference. To be sure, this doesn't really have anything to do with flavor, just the way they smoke mostly with respect to gurgling...I get far less if I rotate them out. I think to some extent, the resin/cake gets saturated and letting that dry out helps a lot.

 

[chopper]

I agree 100%. You can get a very nice MM cob with acrylic bit for under $25...buy a couple of them and rotate out your everyday briar. I must admit, my personal experience is that pipes smoke better if you let them rest for a few days. I rotate mine out every 3 days or so and it makes a world of difference. To be sure, this doesn't really have anything to do with flavor, just the way they smoke mostly with respect to gurgling...I get far less if I rotate them out. I think to some extent, the resin/cake gets saturated and letting that dry out helps a lot.

I'm not a clencher so I'm not that fussed about the stems. [which a rubber bit can protect anyway]
Now when I buy an MM cob, it's more important to me for the MM cob to have the hardwood plug at the base of the bowl.

While on the subject; Those who can buy an MM cob for under $10 at their local store often see cobs as disposable [or at least easily replaceable]
Not I. One new MM cob costs say $15usd + $30usd postage which = around $68aud [So yes, one would buy at least a few cobs to spread the cost of the postage]

More importantly though, I really don't like the taste of a brand new cob which needs 2-3 bowls to lose the vegetal taste [I'm curious that I've not seen any one else mention this] and a few more for the hardwood taste of the protruding stem to dissipate.
Once an MM cob is 'broken in', although they're often used as my outdoor pipes, I treat them with the same respect as a briar.