What Tobacco for Breaking-in your Expensive Pipes?

[midcentry]

Capitals!! Please read Rule 9. Also shortened a bit. Original:

"What tobacco are you using to break in your expensive pipes?"

Hey all, as the title states, I'm wondering what tobacco y'all like to break in your nicer pipes with? On most of my pipes I use Carter Hall, Haunted Bookshop, Elizabethan, and Early Morning Pipe, because they usually burn dry and consistent.

Do your break in techniques change when you have spent a bunch of $$$ on a pipe?

 

[sandollars]

I just stick in whatever I am smoking and smoke it. It’s usually Crooner or Old Joe Krantz Blue. Or maybe Pegasus.

 

[Milverton1868]

Basically anything but an aromatic. Burley blends work fine.

 

[Waning Embers]

Any that you want to, regardless of price it's still just a pipe.

 

[Waning Embers]

Basically anything but an aromatic. Burley blends work fine.

Aromatics work fine too.

 

[TheIronMonkey]

If it’s a pipe I’ve dedicated a blend to, I smoke that blend in the pipe; otherwise, the genre of blend assigned to the pipe. The price of the pipe is not a factor for me.

 

[Waning Embers]

Do your break in techniques change when you have spent a bunch of $$$ on a pipe?

Not at all.

 

[mso489]

I have a few high end treasures, but most of my pipes are mid- or lower priced. I have always just smoked what I wanted. I don't smoke Lakeland aromatics, and I don't mind a little ghosting from Latakia as I don't find it that persistent.

Also I always scoop out the ash and wipe out the chamber with a dry paper towel after each smoke rather than building cake, so there isn't cake to carry much ghosting.

This also maintains the full diameter of the chamber and eliminates the need for reaming.

This is not everybody's style. For some, cake building is a central joy of pipe smoking, but living without cake (in my pipes anyway) works well for me. As for dessert cake, bring it on, chocolate preferred, don't overdo the frosting.

 

[Servant King]

 

[captainsousie]

My only high end new pipes were broken in with Squadron Leader and And So To Bed with a few bowls of Nightcap, Carter Hall and BB1938 thrown in. All my favorite tobaccos at the time.

 

[orvet]

Since I smoke generally Virginia flakes or va/per flakes & mixtures I generally stick with English or French pipes, since to my taste they smoke Virginia tobaccos better. When I get a new pipe, regardless of price, I break it in with the tobaccos I intend to smoke in it. Usually Capstan Blue Flake or another virginia tobacco.
I don't smoke aromatics, English blends, or burley as a rule, so I don't use them to break in a pipe. I break the pipe in with what I intend to smoke in it. I find that seasons the briar better and gives me the flavor of the tobacco I want to smoke, not the ghosting of a tobacco I don't smoke.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

Got two today in the post! I wouldn’t say expensive by most standards but one is 70 years old and virgin briar. Just about to rummage around and decide and whatever strikes my fancy - dry enough, pack right and shouldn’t be worried! Now, I wipe a little water around the bowl of the old one in case it’s really dry and I’ll let it absorb but maybe that’s unnecessary and maybe that little bit isn’t significant - if that’s a definite no-no someone speak up in the next 2-3 hours, lol.

 

[bullet08]

Whatever I feel like smoking.

 

[frozenchurchwarden]

To break in any pipe I use a dry burley that I can be reasonably confident will burn with minimal dottle, and then I use the ash to create a mud coating.
My finger ends up black for a day but the result is the best bowl coating I've come across so far:

 

[PaulRVA]

Virginias or Burleys.for the dirst dozen or so bowls unless I'm dedicating it to latakia or aromatics then I just smoke away.

 

[FurCoat]

Virginias or Burleys.for the dirst dozen or so bowls unless I'm dedicating it to latakia or aromatics then I just smoke away.

Same here

 

[mingc]

Whatever I feel like smoking.

Ditto

 

[Doctor Chopper]

I don't use price to decide, but I do have a type of tobacco in mind for each pipe. If it is intended to be a VaPer pipe, I will smoke a VaPer blend of course. If it does not smoke perfect, I will try another category like English and see if it works better.

The only thing I personally do differently is smoke slow and pack VERY light in order to keep the heat down until I get at least a little cake built.

 

[spike]

I’ve broken in many pipes over the years and still employ the old honey coating routine. I use whatever tobacco I’m smoking at the time, all English, straight Virginia, or VaPer.

 

[telescopes]

My own blend or my dad’s. Both are mild and pleasant and create a great base in which to veer in other directions.