Breaking in a new pipe: Tobacco Question

[Growley]

I tried to put a more descriptive title in place, but couldn't think of one short enough to fit.

Here's my question: If you're breaking in a pipe, do you find that a particular style of tobacco is better than another for building cake?

I had never thought of this until tonight when I decided to break in a pipe. I normally just think, "what do I want to smoke?", but tonight I was thinking about building cake, and was wondering what would work best, ribbon, flake, plug, rope?

Any thoughts on this? I didn't see any topics on this so I hope it's not a boring repeat.

Oh, and for the sake of keeping the conversation around the style of tobacco for best cake, let's assume I don't care at all about ghosting, or dedicating pipes to particular tobacco and so on.

 

[BigCasino]

I was always told Burley was good for breaking in a pipe, I keep half and half around for this occasion, and also cause I just like the stuff :afro: 

 

[Fr_Tom]

Usually I just smoke whatever I am smoking and make sure the bowl never gets too hot. That is not a very exciting answer I guess. I don't usually smoke folded/stuffed flakes in them until I am pretty sure they are broken in and have some cake.

 

[Anonymous]

Burley is reputed to build cake fast & not leave much ghosting behind it.

FWIW, when I got my new Sasquatch, I decided it was going to be a Union Square pipe unless it told me otherwise. Even designed it with that in mind. Once it came, it was US from day one, but smoked especially carefully the first couple dozen times. The more I smoked it, the less rapidly (and intensely) it got hot. A new pipe really does season. And once it does, if it's a good pipe, and gets along well with what you're smoking in it, you're golden.

:face: 

 

[BigCasino]

Also on a side note the pipe I just posted in the DIY section had a pit in it right at the where the bottom of the inside of the tobacco chamber would be, It looks like it may have left the  wall a bit thin, so I am keeping it for myself, but I am experimenting with the break in, I am being careless with  the break in, on purpose to see if I can cause the thin wall give me some kind of problem.
I packed it full of McC Christmas Cheer and smoked it hard to the bottom to see if I noticed it getting hotter around the pit, so far everything seemed to go ok, it smoked well, and I made sure I got to the bottom of the bowl, didn't seem to have any ill affect on it so far

 

[Brewdude]

I've been breaking in new pipes with PA for a while now, and seem to have good results. PA isn't in my regular rotation otherwise, but do enjoy it just the same.

However, that wonderful pot I got from you Brian has been getting a steady diet of aged CC and seems to be happy with it!

 


Cheers,

RR

 

[monbla256]

Though I've not acquired many "new" pipes in the past few years, when I have I' ve found that McC's FM 2000 does a nice, nice job of building a good tasty cake for me. It's what I used to "break-in" the Pot you made for me this year and it has been great !

 

[shootist51]

I was always told that burley builds cake faster, but that Virginias build a stronger cake. as I smoke Virginias almost exclusively, my pipes all have cake built with Virginias and then a couple are used to smoke Lat blends.

 

[RDPipes]

Seeing that all I smoke is Escudo, with the exception of another Vaper or VA ever so often at least till I run out, I always break them in with Escudo. Now being most of my pipes are estates, I've only broke in about 4 or 5 new pipes but, don't see any problems and cake is forming nicely, as long as I don't watch it. I think it's shy.

I can't palate Burley's, so that idea is out for me. I don't see any reason why any certain tobacco is better to break a pipe in with. If you and many do only smoke one tobacco I believe that's what should be used. I certainly wouldn't want to break a pipe in with a Lakeland or a Latakia and then smoke my usual Escudo in it, Gak eeww!

 

[cigrmaster]

I smoke Va, Vaper and Vabur flakes exclusively and all of them build a nice hard cake fairly quickly. On a naked bowl I will see cake developing after about 3-4 smokes and after about 15-20 I have a nice hard cake built up. I hear that Va flakes build a cake faster than most types of blends, but honestly I would never smoke something I did not enjoy for the sake of building cake. I hear people use things like Carter Hall to break in pipes, that is fine if you like it, but I think you should smoke what you enjoy and eventually cake will develop.