Ugh…Breaking In a Few New Pipes

[Mike N]

I’ve come to the point where I dread breaking in a new pipe and tasting that briar char topping the first 4-5 bowls. So, I’ve resorted to my uncle‘s old method of coating the bowl with a high quality local artisan honey (love the corked bottle.) The honey was $7 and I only use it for pipes. Simon on London Calling on YouTube also uses this method.

I love my Savinelli Miele factory honey-coated pipes for their smooth break in. I know there are naysayers, but it works for me. I’ve yet to try pre-coating the bowls with activated charcoal mixed with yogurt as I saw one YouTuber do.

I block the hole and shank with a pipe cleaner while coating with honey, and only fill the bowl half full with tobacco. The pipe shown is a Paronelli. I‘m smoking Gawith & Hoggarth’s American Blend for the break-in period.

I’m interested if anyone else coats with honey.

(tap photos to enlarge)

 

[Servant King]

Interesting strategy. How long do you have to keep the shank blocked before the honey is fully absorbed in the chamber?

 

[LotusEater]

I tried this a few years ago with a couple of pipes but I didn’t put a pipe cleaner in the shank. I just put some honey on my finger and slathered it on the inside of the bowl. I let it sit over night and filled and smoked the pipe the next day. I had no idea what I was doing really. Afterward I decided the juice wasn’t worth the squeeze and now I just load and smoke my new pipes. I get the odd bare briar taste on occasion but only for the first bowl or two.

 

[Coreios]

I've heard of sour cream and maple syrup. Haven't tried them though, I don't mind the taste of a new briar. I did do honey like you did on one that had a burnout begining and it never burned though.

 

[ParkitoATL]

The Peterson Bowl Coating works wonders. My 303 had been reamed back to bare briar and that thing gave me fits until I mixed some of this and coated the bowl. The three new Petes I've recently purchased have come pre-coated with it and have been more or less solid smokers from the first bowl.

I'm a big fan of smoking 50:50 burley ribbon and BCA the first few bowls.

 

[Chasing Embers]

You don't have to use that much honey. Just get a dot on your finger and wipe it in the chamber until it's fully coated. Wipe the honey off of your finger and wipe the chamber again with your finger until the chamber surface is no longer tacky. The thin layer of honey carbonizes and hardens after just a couple of smokes.

 

[anotherbob]

It's great how many different ways people can be with smoking. Whatever makes you happy is probably the best way to go.

 

[Sigmund]

Ive done it a few times. Other times not. I really think its a waste of money to char high quality honey. Carbon is pretty much carbon. Ive found it helps on pipes where I feel a need to build it up faster because of a bit of ghosting. Most the time I dont bother. I load it and gently smoke it.

 

[frozenchurchwarden]

If I were going to do a honey coat it would be used as an adhesive for some carbon powder (ground up aquarium pellets).

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I DO NOT coat my bowls in anything, and smoking a virgin pipe is my favorite smoke. I love the aroma of warmed briar. It could be that you are smoking the pipes too hot. Mine never get a burned wood taste, just warmed briar, the best aroma in the world, IMO.

 

[captpat]

I don't coat my bowls either, I find an oxy or Mapp gas torch works just fine to get that first layer of cake established. Seriously I've not seen a need to treat my pipes, some need to have excessive bowl coating removed though.

 

[tobakenist]

I have never coated new pipes, I just smoke flake really slow. My last Peterson was weird, whether they used a new coating but it just tasted salty, never had this before, I remember when no pipes had coating just bare briar, a new pipe was rare then, a new one every 5 years.

 

[MattRVA]

I’ve never understood the aversion to the break in process, I love getting to know a pipe and bowl coatings detract from my perception. To each their own but secretly I think I’m right

 

[jpmcwjr]

I’ve never understood the aversion to the break in process, I love getting to know a pipe and bowl coatings detract from my perception.

Understood. Over the years I've been an enthusiastic smoker of new pipes, to, ah, "fergedddddabbbboudddit", gimme my old favorites.

To each their own but secretly I think I’m right

I am afraid all of us think that, and some not at all that secretly.

 

[spike]

I’ve been using the honey treatment over 35 years. The point about applying just a speck is quite right. A tiny amount spreads over the entire chamber.

 

[Lucashly]

Did anyone say coat the bowl of the briar with sour cream mixed with activated charcoal?

 

[Peterson314]

My process is to load tobacco to the top of a new pipe and light it on fire. I haven't done the 3-level system or used honey or sour cream or grape jelly. I know some of y'all like it, but it seems bizarre to me.

I like the new pipe phase. It's somewhat of a bonding experience. I (almost) never set out to dedicate a pipe to a particular blend style, but I have ended up dedicating certain pipes to certain blends through the break-in period. I particularly like seeing how a familiar blend (recently it's been Green Dragon) tastes in new briar.

Maybe I don't know what I'm missing, but I like clean and new pipes.

 

[tmcg81]

I generally dislike breaking in a new pipe, but that first really good smoke after it's mostly broken in makes it all worth it.

 

[vosBghos]

I just load em all with Peterson flake for 3 bowls and then designate them after that , never had a problem

 

[bullet08]

Few pipe smokers do not go through break in, me included. I do not see any specific benefits from all that break in process. Just load up and start smoking.