Cake

[Milan]

Is building cake really that important? I mean... I have pipes with a nice cake and without, but those that have a nice cake built up aren't really any better than those that don't. Those with a nice cake may smoke slightly cooler and retain a deeper flavor profile, but the difference hasn't been that noticeable for me. It seems like a well made pipe, made with a quality piece of briar, smokes cool and retains a good flavor profile regardless of how much cake is built? Any thoughts?
Milan

 

[Frost]

I personally prefer less cake and usually whipe the bowl with a cleaner after each use to keep the cake thin once i get that initial coat on the wood. After it gets that first thin, glassy layer coated on the wood to protect it, i don't think you realy need much more.

 

[Sasquatch]

I think a pipe smokes better after about half a dozen uses - The reason I think this is that I break in pipes all the time - whenever I get briar from a vendor I haven't used before, I make a pipe for testing, and I really study how it performs, how it tastes, etc, and the first few smokes are usually okay but not "automatic". Once a little cake starts to form, the pipe seems to retain more heat or something - the tobacco burns better anyhow, with very little effort.

I don't think having huge thick crusts of cake is all that helpful, but there are certainly people who do prefer a dime thickness or more (some far more).

I think the cake in a pipe holds a lot of flavor, and if you mix a lot of tobaccos, you'll end up with a pipe that tastes like everything and nothing.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

I personally prefer less cake and usually whipe the bowl with a cleaner after each use to keep the cake thin once i get that initial coat on the wood. After it gets that first thin, glassy layer coated on the wood to protect it, i don't think you realy need much more.

This.

I keep a thin layer, my pipes clean, aired out, as dry as I can, and rested.

My "soft reaming" is usually a piece of newspaper I wand and twist up and go a few rounds in the bowl before the pipe goes on the stand to rest after smoking.

 

[Dave_In_Philly]

I think it depends on the pipe. My new Blatter has smoked brilliantly from day one. My Falcon on the other hand was nearly unsmokeable at first. The bowl would get so hot I had to hold the pipe by the shank. As soon as a small cake built up it became one of my best smokers.

 

[Boxerbuddy]

My "soft reaming" is usually a piece of newspaper I wand and twist up and go a few rounds in the bowl before the pipe goes on the stand to rest after smoking.

haha "soft reaming"....sounds like something you'd see on cinemax at 3 in the morning.

 

[Harlock999]

My "soft reaming" is usually a piece of newspaper I wand and twist up and go a few rounds in the bowl before the pipe goes on the stand to rest after smoking.

haha "soft reaming"....sounds like something you'd see on cinemax at 3 in the morning.

:lol!:

 

[Kyle Weiss]

You know, many of the things discussed on this board get suggestive very quickly.

 

[Boulder]

A minimal coating of cake is fine for me, just enough to help protect the wood and using the same types of baccy to prevent ghosting. The stem and mouthpiece get cleaned after every use once pipe has cooled a while.
Heavy cleaning (taking pipe apart) once every 10 - 15 uses or once a month.

 

[smokey422]

I also prefer a minimal amount of cake in my pipes. Allowing cake to build up reduces the tobacco capacity and I like to keep them full. I saw some pipes in an antique shop once that had a tobacco chamber that would barely let a lead pencil through.

Smokey

 

[Dave_In_Philly]

This is too much:

 

[Kyle Weiss]

This is too much:

Holy wow... :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: Points for it being built up so symmetrically, but... that's one choked Falcon.