While tinkering in my shop/garage yesterday with the lathe I happened to notice an olive-wood pipe sitting on the shelf. I had forgotten I even had it. Some of you remember Johan Slobart of South Africa who would make some great olive-wood pipes. Many years ago he gifted me an unfinished pipe that had some very large fills in it. It need some final sanding, stem shaping, etc. He gave it to me because he knew I was a wannabe pipe carver. Still do :lol!: . I had finished the stem and sanding and laid it on the shelf (along with two other pipes) and forgotten about them until yesterday.
I decided to give it a try last night. In my experience with olive-woods (which I have five, six now) the initial break in period is always a little different compared to a briar or meerschaum pipe in the fact that an olive-wood leaves a slight tangy or olive oil type taste in the blend until the bowl builds up a cake. It's not an objectionable taste, just something a little different. This pipe left no aftertaste in the blend on the initial smokes. It was pure blend while smoking. I wonder if the oils in the wood which I assume is what gives it this tangy taste evaporated from sitting so long in my garage during at least two hot summers. I wonder if kiln drying olive-wood before making a pipe with it you would have the same outcome. Where is Mike B when you need him ?
I decided to give it a try last night. In my experience with olive-woods (which I have five, six now) the initial break in period is always a little different compared to a briar or meerschaum pipe in the fact that an olive-wood leaves a slight tangy or olive oil type taste in the blend until the bowl builds up a cake. It's not an objectionable taste, just something a little different. This pipe left no aftertaste in the blend on the initial smokes. It was pure blend while smoking. I wonder if the oils in the wood which I assume is what gives it this tangy taste evaporated from sitting so long in my garage during at least two hot summers. I wonder if kiln drying olive-wood before making a pipe with it you would have the same outcome. Where is Mike B when you need him ?