Dedicated Pipes

[Tim_Haggerty]

I've been curious about the habit of some guys to dedicate pipes to a particular blend. I am mostly an English tobacco smoker (say, 85% of the time) but do like VA's too, to mix it up. I don't smoke aromatics. Do people find a substantial benefit to the practice in that case?

I can see how ghosting could occur, and since i haven't done this, I may not have the experience (since my pipes would be similarly smoked in, obviously, over time). I have some pipes I like some tobaccos in, but I have found that is because of physics more that flavor: flakes smoke better in my smaller bowls and ribbon cuts in a larger bowl.

Tim

 

[LIPIPE]

Tim: I really don't have dedicated pipes either. I believe that since we both smoke latakia blends ghosting is a pleasure not a problem. I rarely smoke VA's except the occasional OGS bowl. My pipe selection is really based upon size. Depending upon the length of time I have for a smoke and activity I choose a large or largest bowl and either a straight billiard if I'm in a recliner or a full bent oom paul if I'm up and about or on the computer. I also have a group of four pipes that are knock around such as when I'm mowing our lawn or doing some other type of yard work. If I drop one of those it's no catastrophe. The the Avatar picture is one of me sitting in my backyard with my largest rusticated billiard (a really grand pipe) poolside.

 

[Thomas Tkach]

I've always had enough pipes to keep up with how often I smoke, so I have dedicated based on others advice. I smoke the stuff in my profile, plus another blend or two. I dedicate pipes to specific blends genres, at least, and most to specific blends. Some blends get more than one pipe, but most get one. Because of all this, I don't have much experience with the negative effects of a lack of dedication, except for this ancedote:

I gave my brother a blend of Kentucky Club Mild and Cigar that I had mixed up, and he stuffed it in one of his pipes (he smokes about nothing but aromatics) and when he lit up, there was a huge, sugary, flavored smell in the air, and we were outside! So, ghosts are real. They may be pleasurable to some, but they do exist.

 

[Obelus]

...

 

[LIPIPE]

......" for many pipe smokers, latakia is the essence of pipe smoking...".

Brother, pearls of wisdom straight from your lips to mine. Thomas Edison, Zippo and Latakia light up my life.

 

[PipePuffer]

I have a few pipes dedicated to single blends (my favorites), but most of my pipes are dedicated to a type of tobacco blend: balkan, english, va/burley, va, va/perique, cigar leaf, orientals, etc...

I have enough pipes in my collection to make it work, so why not...

 

[fishnrust]

I have 9 pipes dedicated to VA's. 4 of these each dedicated to a specific weed. I did this because after smoking several tins of a Wessex VA in 2 different pipes, when I loaded FVF in those pipes, I could still taste the wessex. The other 5 see an assortment of VA's. For English, I have 6 pipes-penzance and SL each have their own pipe. VApers, 3 different pipes.

 

[eon]

I normally dedicate pipes to genres. However, as I have lately found that certain bowl shapes burn certain weeds better than others and that, moreover, the match cannot be attributed to any predictable logic I tend to try out new blends in most of my pipes. The only line I am reluctant to cross is between Latakias and VA.

I do have one pipe, a Cavicchi dublin, dedicated to a very special straight VA mixture. Not out of snobbery, mind you. After a couple of bowlfuls from that pipe I discovered that, in a couple of days' rest, the smell in the bowl became identical to the tin note. This has never happened with any other blend so I decided to keep the match. The only trouble is, I will probably never find another tin of this stuff...

 

[Anonymous]

The butterfly syndrome has always left me baffled. As in, I can see wanting to try this and that once in a while, but the seeming imperative to smoke one tin of everything that's ever been made is just bizarre.

What works here is eight pipes that have smoked only FVF for several years, and four ditto Embarcadero. Anything else is an every once in a while in one of the others.

Even the point of smoking every virginia flake eludes me. You find the one you like, and that's it. (With room for a second whenever the urge to try Union Square becomes irresistable).

:face:

 

[Obelus]

..

 

[MisterE]

I just keep my aro and Va/Vaper/Lat pipes separate. I have one or two that I´ll smoke anything in and only one for Lats exclusively. Sometimes the ghosting from one blend makes another more interesting....

The butterfly syndrome has always left me baffled. As in, I can see wanting to try this and that once in a while, but the seeming imperative to smoke one tin of everything that's ever been made is just bizarre.

What works here is eight pipes that have smoked only FVF for several years, and four ditto Embarcadero. Anything else is an every once in a while in one of the others.

Even the point of smoking every virginia flake eludes me. You find the one you like, and that's it. (With room for a second whenever the urge to try Union Square becomes irresistable).

:face:

I have my regular go-tos but I love trying new takes of the same thing. It´s a hobby after all. I don´t have a huge cellar by design so that I am constantly on the move for new tobaccos. Kind of the hunter/gatherer approach... ig:

 

[PipePuffer]

The butterfly syndrome has always left me baffled. As in, I can see wanting to try this and that once in a while, but the seeming imperative to smoke one tin of everything that's ever been made is just bizarre.

What works here is eight pipes that have smoked only FVF for several years, and four ditto Embarcadero. Anything else is an every once in a while in one of the others.

Even the point of smoking every virginia flake eludes me. You find the one you like, and that's it. (With room for a second whenever the urge to try Union Square becomes irresistable).

:face:

My grandfather and my father happily only smoked their one favorite tobacco in the one or two pipes they owned. It worked fine for them.

But personally, I like to shake things up. I have 15+ tins opened at the moment. I almost never smoke the same tobacco twice in a row. I also wouldn't be able to narrow down my favorite tobaccos to only 5 or 10 blends. I like all kinds of tobaccos, each with their own nuances. Some people cellar 100 tins each of their 2-3 favorite tobaccos. I have cellared 7-10 tins each of about 40+ tobaccos. IMO variety is what makes pipe smoking so interesting.

 

[Jeff10236]

I know it is sacrilege but I don't dedicate my pipes to a particular blend or even a style. I've found that it usually takes several bowls of the same tobacco before a noticeable ghosting issue. I have a lot of pipes, I also smoke cigars, and I don't always smoke everyday, so my pipes tend to be well rested and can go a while before having more than a couple bowls of the same tobacco smoked in them. They rarely ghost (at least noticeably so). However, my way does mean that I keep some kind of pipe sweetener around and probably use it a bit more than someone who dedicates their pipes to particular types of tobacco (you can use a commercial pipe sweetener, but I actually prefer rum or whiskey for that task).

That said, there are some pipes/tobacco combos that seem to go better together and thus are more likely to be paired. A wet aromatic is more likely to be smoked in my Peterson Standard System pipe or a Savinelli with the balsa system to help control the moisture. A straight pipe is more likely to be paired with an English (similar reason). However, I have no hard and fast rule, and certainly don't have aro, English, VA, etc. pipes (heck, my first bowl of Margate was out of my Savinelli Saturnia, and I certainly smoke aromatics in all my pipes depending upon my mood).

 

[deepbass9]

My grandfather and my father happily only smoked their one favorite tobacco in the one or two pipes they owned. It worked fine for them.

But personally, I like to shake things up. I have 15+ tins opened at the moment. I almost never smoke the same tobacco twice in a row. I also wouldn't be able to narrow down my favorite tobaccos to only 5 or 10 blends. I like all kinds of tobaccos, each with their own nuances. Some people cellar 100 tins each of their 2-3 favorite tobaccos. I have cellared 7-10 tins each of about 40+ tobaccos. IMO variety is what makes pipe smoking so interesting.

Right there with you. I have 32 jars filled that I'm smoking from, and probably 20 tins cellared. I'll admit that I'm at the early stages of honing in on what is worth cellaring, but I'll always be an around-the-world smoker. I'll often finish a bowl of one blend to later decide I want another bowl of something just like it...but different.

My pipe breakdown is 4 for Lat blends, 4 for non-Lat blends and 3 for aros. There may be blend dedication in the future, but that seems to limit a pipe's use, so I'll keep my options and flexibility open for now.

 

[Puff Daddy]

Every single pipe I own is a dedicated pipe to some extent. I have pipes I only smoke burly in, pipes for ginny flakes, pipes for ginny ribbon, pipes for latakia blends. I never try to smoke something else in one of them anymore as it's always less than satisfying. As I bought and culled pipes they basically told me whether or not they were any good and the ones that were good made it clear what tobacco they liked. Try to make a change and they protest.

My pipes are smarter than I am :lol:

 

[R.A.]

All this is a lot to consider, dedicating a pipe to a certain general type or even specific type as stated would have merit, The idea of having many pipes each one its own brand would not be a bad thing. If only I liked one type of tobacco owning many pipes would still be good,

I own around 50 pipes many unsmoked stored collectibles and 10 on rack I do smoke only 3 are my "favorites", the ones I like the look and feel of, I not even sure if I think they are good smokers I am still trying to come to terms with that.

And that could be due to trying a variety of different tobaccos in the same pipe, Or maybe the pipes aren't letting the tobaccos truly reveal their qualities fully.

I am exploring the tobacco world, no idea what I will settle into or if I ever will. I like variety. Steak is good but I wouldn't want to eat it every meal.

Matching a pipe to a tobacco seems like a overwhelming task, I try tobacco "A" It smoked harsh, Do I blame the pipe, the tobacco or my technique?, Before I figure that out I am probably trying something new or trying a different pipe.

If I ever can settle on a handful of favorite tobaccos I would gladly dedicate a pipe to each flavor, goes with the whole taste/smell tied to memory thing. Would make that pipe more familiar and inviting.