Bowl Coatings... yes or no?

[Old Nate]

My most recent pipe is a custom made great smoker, except for the bowl coating... I've decided I don't like them. But was looking to tap the well to see what some of you more experienced fellas think? To me, it's just a barrier between the tobacco and briar, and I dont think it's beneficial... Thoughts?

 

[SpeedyPete]

I absolutely HATE those damn coatings :evil:

Whenever I get a pipe that's been coated, I remove it before I even think of putting tobacco in the bowl.

I've been smoking the pipe long enough to know how to break it in without the help of the maker.

 

[loneredtree]

My latest purchase was a Tinsky that I purchased for his web site. I was disappointed that he had coated the chamber. But, it is breaking in nicely with no flavor effects that I can tell. But so is the uncoated other one that I have

:sunny: .

 

[Zeno Marx]

No thank you. Not ever.

 

[d4klutz]

I have only ever received one pipe with a coating in the bowl. It broke in very well with no flavors. I was really happy with it. I don't like the taste of charring briar myself. However, I will give the bowl coating a try. If I get any flavors, I will remove it. However, I have not run across such an instance yet.

 

[monbla256]

I've smoked pipes with 'em and w/out and truly found NO difference as to how the pipe smoked or tasted. Case in point, my new Savinelli Silver series Pot came with a coating and it's smoked like all the rest of my Savinelli's on "break-in" when new, just fine !! I really don't think it effects the pipes smoking qualities either way. JMHO and experience after many decades of smoking new pipes! :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: ( but remember, I'm just an Old Codger who's smoked pipes since '69 so my palate is surely burned out after all the smoking I've done :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: )

 

[RDPipes]

Not all bowl coatings are equal, some granted can add a bad taste, some don't to me.
The question is which do and don't and, some people may just be sensitive to bowl coatings and some not.
The biggest reason for a bowl coating is for insurance that the pipe smoker won't burn the bowl out and the maker doesn't have to replace it. It's not used to cover up or hide things most the time as some may think, not by reputable makers.
As you all know there are pipe smokers new and old that puff way too hard and too much
on a pipe and that can lead to burnout. Should a pipe maker be held liable for a burnout
bowl because a smoker doesn't know the proper way to smoke? I don't think so and with the influx of new pipe smokers I think has promoted the bowl coating by many makers because of it. Although some bowl coatings can add a bad taste to some, I say if one doesn't like it, just sand it out (easy peasey Japanesey) but, don't expect the maker to reimburse you if you burnout the bowl prematurely by puffing away at it. Just my 2 or 3 cents.

 

[fsu92john]

All other things being equal, I prefer no bowl coating. However, once the pipe is broken in, I don't notice any difference. I doubt I would able to identify which of my pipes came with a coating and which didn't.

 

[Richard Burley]

To be blunt, I think bowl coatings suck. That "burnt wood" taste when new, to me, is the only way to tell if a new pipe is made of decent aged wood or some green crap from hell. The coating masks this. You have to be a moron to need a coating to "protect" the wood when breaking in a new pipe. Just go slow and let it happen, as with any virgin.

 

[Old Nate]

To be blunt, I think bowl coatings suck.  That "burnt wood" taste when new, to me, is the only way to tell if a new pipe is made of decent aged wood or some green crap from hell.  The coating masks this.  You have to be a moron to need a coating to "protect" the wood when breaking in a new pipe.  Just go slow and let it happen, as with any virgin.

I agree with this. To my mind, I've invested in a new broad, but I'm not allowed to fully get to know it in its truest form if there is some coating between me and my new smoking vessel. I'm sure most of the time it's not a very big deal, but I believe for now on I'm going to make sure I purchase pipes without the coating.

 

[user 2031]

I sand the stuff out and put a layer of creosote in instead, I love that tar and tobacco taste. :lol:

 

[fishnbanjo]

I prefer it doesn't have a coating but if it does it's not the end of the world I'll load it with a quick caking tobacco with plenty of Prerique, or Latakia, to lessen any crud flavor and save my 10 y/o Stonehaven for those au naturel bowls. =8)
banjo

 

[Brewdude]

NO

NO

NO

NO

Just in case I haven't made myself clear...............

BIG FAT NO!!!

:x



Cheers,

RR

 

[puros_bran]

I think the "poll" would be
1. Don't care one way or the other.
2. No

I've yet to find anyone that actually prefers a coating. Some I sanded out others I just smoked. A lot of my pipes were used, err pre-owned, so I sanded to bare wood..

 

[riff raff]

After two poor experiences with coated Peterson pipes I was a big "NO-NO-NO" guy when it came to bowl coatings.

I've concluded that a number of NO-NO-NO guys really haven't tried a pipe with a gelatin style coating as used by many US and UK artisans.

BUT.....the times for me, they are a-changin....

Earlier this year I purchased a beautiful Rad Davis that was uncoated. That pipe was very frustrating to break in and I almost gave up on it.

Just recently, I purchased new Royal Oaks Briar and Chris Askwith "Hand Finished" pipes that were coated.

Both smoked incredibly well from the start with no funky tastes. Chris is getting pretty well known for his neutral bowl coating. James Adylott, who made my Royal Oaks Briar uses a gelatin and charcoal substance and I found it to also be completely neutral and in contrast to my Rad Davis, this pipe was wonderful out of the chute and just a delight.

So, now WITH THE RIGHT COATING - I am a YES-YES-YES bowl coating guy.

 

[Dave_In_Philly]

This is a very interesting read on the topic by our own Dave Huber.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Greg Pease has the scuttlebutt on the subject, almost in final form:

http://pipesmagazine.com/blog/out-of-the-ashes/bowl-coatings-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-part-i/

http://pipesmagazine.com/blog/out-of-the-ashes/bowl-coatings-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-part-ii/

...as I trust the guy as a friend, knowledge-base, pipe professor and madman of the leaf et al, I came to my conclusions in rube-fashion far before he tackled this subject so directly.

Me?  I detest bowl coatings.   They've managed to cover up problems in at least one pipe I said "eff it," and smoked anyway, and at the very least, prolong the experience of, "...does the briar add-to or detract from __________ tobacco?"

I sand/wash them out if I have no choice, otherwise I kindly ask makers to omit them.  

8)

 

[RDPipes]

 

[Richard Burley]

Me?  I detest bowl coatings.   They've managed to cover up problems in at least one pipe I said "eff it," and smoked anyway, and at the very least, prolong the experience of, "...does the briar add-to or detract from __________ tobacco?"  

This, to me, is the heart of it.  For the corn cob connoisseurs out there, of which I am one, would you want Missouri Meerschaum to start coating their bowls?  Seems like a valid, if extreme, analogy.  There is something that goes on between tobacco and the material it's smoked in--and that includes clays and meerschaums, contrary to some opinions.  Coatings are a barrier to any sort of "rapport" with the tobacco.  (Porcelain doesn't count, because porcelain pipes suck big time, for every reason.)

 

[Old Nate]

Me?  I detest bowl coatings.   They've managed to cover up problems in at least one pipe I said "eff it," and smoked anyway, and at the very least, prolong the experience of, "...does the briar add-to or detract from __________ tobacco?"  

This, to me, is the heart of it.  For the corn cob connoisseurs out there, of which I am one, would you want Missouri Meerschaum to start coating their bowls?  Seems like a valid, if extreme, analogy.  There is something that goes on between tobacco and the material it's smoked in--and that includes clays and meerschaums, contrary to some opinions.  Coatings are a barrier to any sort of "rapport" with the tobacco.  (Porcelain doesn't count, because porcelain pipes suck big time, for every reason.)

I dedefinitely agree with this. I have one bowl coated Savinelli that was good from the get go and always smokes very well, the other coated pipes all seem to lack something compared to my cobs and uncoated bowls.