This question gets asked (and answered in varying ways) quite often. A quick Google search would have shown you the results.
Tobacco for Breaking in a New Pipe- Suggestions!
- Thread starter Gavrin
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But if he started the thread, without asking the question, it would just be an empty thread.... With no question.
THEN WHAT WOULD WE TALK ABOUT IN HERE????Back to the OP:
I think burley blends break pipes in fast. I also only smoke burleys blends. This pipe had no coating in the chamber, and it was completely caked in about 20 pipes.
This is at about 40 bowls.
Mmmmmmmm cake.......
But if he started the thread, without asking the question, it would just be an empty thread.... With no question.
Back to the OP:
I think burley blends break pipes in fast. I also only smoke burleys blends. This pipe had no coating in the chamber, and it was completely caked in about 20 pipes.
This is at about 40 bowls.
View attachment 321037
Mmmmmmmm cake.......
Let them eat cake.
I'm also in the "smoke what you like" camp, though I will say that Carter Hall burns quick, cool, and leaves a particularly thick and neutral tasting cake so I think it makes a great blend for breaking in new pipes or de-ghosting an estate pipe.
For green tasting cobs or any pipe that has an unpleasant tasting coating in the bowl I like using strongly flavored but not overly wet aromatics like Cult Blood Red Moon to break them in. Something heavily flavored enough to mostly cover up the acrid unpleasant green wood taste from the stem on the cob or coating in the bowl so I don't spend the first 3 to 5 smokes out of the pipe going, "Yuck!"
For green tasting cobs or any pipe that has an unpleasant tasting coating in the bowl I like using strongly flavored but not overly wet aromatics like Cult Blood Red Moon to break them in. Something heavily flavored enough to mostly cover up the acrid unpleasant green wood taste from the stem on the cob or coating in the bowl so I don't spend the first 3 to 5 smokes out of the pipe going, "Yuck!"
Well, you could hire a chap or chapette who's down on his luck to break them in for you....
I'm reminded of the "pipe smoking machine" once used to break in Dr. Grabow pipes with Edgeworth. (Please see linked article below.) One might suggest using a similar burley blend -- something easy to keep lit and unlikely to ghost. I am partial to Mac Baren's HH Burley Flake or one of C&D's burleys that doesn't have perique or latakia in it. (C&D's perique can ghost a pipe a bit with stinky cheese odor.)
you are going to be charring the bowl, providing you don't have a meer, so you are going to have a few rough smokes no matter what you use. I use OTC burleys like Prince Albert and Carter Hall. For some reason they mask the charring wood taste a bit better to me, but anything will work.
As others have said, I just smoke whatever im going to dedicate the pipe to.
I usually start with a straight Virginia or Burley.....if those don't seem to be right, Ill try a Latakia blend. Once the pipe finds the tobacco it prefers, stick with that genre.
In my experience any pipe will smoke a Latakia blend well, but some pipes don't seem to smoke Virginias or Burleys very good.
That just might be me though.
I usually start with a straight Virginia or Burley.....if those don't seem to be right, Ill try a Latakia blend. Once the pipe finds the tobacco it prefers, stick with that genre.
In my experience any pipe will smoke a Latakia blend well, but some pipes don't seem to smoke Virginias or Burleys very good.
That just might be me though.