Who Smokes Tiny Briar Pipes? Resting Them?

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yanoJL

Lifer
Oct 21, 2022
1,403
3,995
Pismo Beach, California
...
Here’s a pic of how small I’m talking, if you smoke Briar pipes this small regularly.

Length: 4.68 in. | 119 mm
Bowl Height: 1.33 in. | 34 mm
Chamber Depth: 1.14 in. | 29 mm
Chamber Diameter: 0.66 in. | 17 mm
Outside Diameter: 1.22 in. | 31 mm
I have a small Peterson about that size, and I really like it. When I'm looking for a quick session, I prefer the smaller pipe to a half-bowl or DGT. And I use it once a day. So far so good. I clean it with a dry pipe cleaner (or two) after each use, and it hasn't gone sour on me yet.
 

chopper

Lifer
Aug 24, 2019
1,480
3,324
I've got several small briars.
This Bruyere Garantie [no brand] Rhodesian is one.
A very good smoker.a1k.jpg
I've got several 60s French Skippy pipes like this little Skippy Prince Paneled Bulldog [my favourite]

a1bb.jpg
And I've got a Dr Plumb Dinky [but forgot to save the pic] and a bent Dr Grabow Duke.

My small bowls are used for stronger blends, for a quick smoke or for drier Balkan or English blends.
I smoke them half as often as my regular sized bowls but I've not ever noticed any real difference with the smaller bowls.
Rarely do I leave a small bowl half smoked like I regularly do with larger bowls.

I'm not sure why exactly but I really enjoy smoking my smaller pipes.
It must be an 'in the mood' thing and maybe the satisfaction of finishing a bowl that leaves me satisfied.
 
Jun 9, 2015
3,970
24,839
42
Mission, Ks
I have a number of smaller pipes, I dont treat them any differently than I do my large pipes. In order to smoke any pipe repeatedly you first need establish a good cake layer in the bottom and this can only be done by allowing it rest between smokes. If your trying to smoke a new pipe like that its gonna get wet, sour, and stinky. I have some pipes with well managed cake that I can smoke all day, but they generally need a long rest after something like that.
 

Chalaw87

Can't Leave
Apr 21, 2021
447
1,628
Northeast TN
Ive definetly gravitated towards smaller pipes, mostly because I usually dont have more than 20 minutes to enjoy a pipe. I also like smaller bowl sizes to try different blends.

Different sized pipes bowls can effect the way blends taste. Thats just another reason why pipes are so awesome and fun.
 
Jun 9, 2015
3,970
24,839
42
Mission, Ks
Its also worth noting that the type of tobacco you smoke is a HUGE factor. You have to keep in mind that Greg does not smoke aromatic tobacco, he also tends to smoke his tobacco on the dryer side. If you're trying to smoke the same pipe all day with a heavily topped aro or fresh outta the tin blends it's not gonna work, its gonna get wet real quick.
 
My first three pipes were Savinelli Piumas, which have chambers ranging about .5-.6" wide... very small. I smoked them all day over and over without resting them. I just ran a pipe cleaner down the stem after each smoke and reamed them with a paper towel at the end of the day. I did that for a year or so. The paper towel at the end of the day kept them from building any real substantial cake, which is bad for a small pipe. I didn't want to reduce how much tobacco I could pack. The pipes never soured or developed anything negative. I still have and occasionally use those pipes now.
I also never noticed the bowls getting moist,. but I learned to dry my tobaccos really early on in my smoking.

I still love to get new pipes with small bowls, but I also enjoy pipes with huge bowls also. It's nice to try tobaccos in various chamber sizes to explore how a tobacco tastes and acts in different sized pipes.
 

Briar Lee

Lifer
Sep 4, 2021
4,960
14,337
Humansville Missouri
My pipes range from enormous Danish freehands on the large end down to small briars that barely hold a cigarette’s worth of tobacco on the small side. Most are in the middle.

The brand Pipe Maker (whoever the pipe maker was) made most of my smallest pipes. Here’s one I got in the mail yesterday.

8CE7C56C-CCFE-4962-B259-DAFB397449AA.jpeg

They require a little different technique for me, but maintenance is about the same.
 
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FLDRD

Lifer
Oct 13, 2021
2,253
9,113
Arkansas
I have a couple of very tiny briars but no pics at the moment. They smoke well and don't need any unique maintenance in my experience.

One of them is one of those tiny little clogs with the rotating stem - so small when folded it could almost fit in the coin pocket of my pants. Nice rustication and smokes well. Lasts as long as a cup of coffee or 2.

The other fits inside a little leather tobacco pouch (smaller than an iPhone) with tobacco and is a wonderful nose-warmer. Travels well, smokes like a big boy.

On a side note, my smallest meer is smaller than the nose-warmer and is my best smoking meer.
 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,211
60,622
Anyone with a rotation of seven or more pipes probably doesn't have worry about this at all. Besides which, the ember in a small pipe is smaller and doesn't burn as long. A medium or larger pipe probably will last longer just because there is more material there, but we're talking about whether a pipe will last thirty years or one hundred or more. Smaller pipes can be more fragile and prone to breakage, but that involves handling, storage and carrying the pipe around, not the act of smoking. So I see this as a sort of non-issue.