Dedicated to the one I love Dept: How many pipes?

[Capn Jimbo]

This is certainly a question for me, and that is:


How many pipes (not counting going mad with collecting) are necessary. Of course we read that cobs are good for this 'cause they smoke very well, and are so inexpensive that it's easy to dedicate them to one tobacco. The guy who wrote the "Corn Cob Primer" said this:

"I have my pipes dedicated to tobacco types as opposed to specific blends. With one exception, a pipe, that is dedicated to Devil's Holiday, which ghosts a pipe terribly. I also consider bowl size. Generally larger bowls for Orientals. My pipes are dedicated to:

1)OTC's/aromatics
2)Virginia/Plugs/Flakes
3)Orientals(English)

My Falcon pipe bowls are set up the same way. My corncobs are usually used for OTC's and Burly blends. I have one of my CCSS Freehands dedicated to Orientals.

You can get away with the occasional Latikia blend in a Virginia or Aromatic dedicated pipe. A Latakia ghost will take over a Virginia blend and make an OTC or aromatic taste bad.

I do use Carter Hall or Prince Albert to build up cake in any new pipes. Orientals take forever to build cake. It then takes about 10 bowls of Oriental to remove all OTC flavors. I religiously keep cakes between 1/16" and 3/32"."

http://www.brothersofbriar.com/t12942-t ... -3-03-2012

He cites other smokers he respects with very different views. One takes an anything goes approach, any blend in any pipe. Another divides his pipes into just two categories - English and everything else. And yet another points out that he has enough pipes that he doesn't run a lot of the same tobacco through any one pipe, and cleans his pipe after every smoke, to be sure.

In the thread I read, the consensus was something like - don't worry about it, buy cobs for awhile, or have one for aromatics. Many pointed out the end goal is a tobacco/pipe combination that just "works" - then dedicate that one.

So the question: what's your take da'Rum?

[da'rum]

My opinion is that unless one is smoking cheap aro's that gunk up a pipe then don't spend a thought on it. I smoke pretty much the whole range of tobaccos from light VA's to heavy latakia. Ghosting has not bothered or really occurred with my pipes. If I don't clean a pipe after a latakia smoke then the next few puffs from the next bowl of a different blend may have a hint of the latakia. It is quickly overtaken though. I have pipes I dedicate (actually it's more preference than dedication) to tobacco styles ie flakes, ribbon etc but not blend or variants. For practical purposes a person only really needs one pipe, three for a good rotation. If that person owns a meerschaum and a falcon then for practical smoking enjoyment is that person well off.

An afterthought; If a pipe is 'smoked in' with a heavy flavoured tobacco like an aro or latakia then I can imagine that pipe having some long term flavour embedded in the char. So I although I haven't any actual experience in that respect I wouldn't recommend it.

[Dai]

I don't find ghosting a problem with the cobs.