Pipe Dedication-Burleys and English

[momus]

I try to make this whole pipe smoking thing as easy as possible (why over complicate an already over-complicated hobby?) and thus would like some help with a question about pipe dedication. Would smoking a burley tobacco in an English dedicated briar largely impact the flavor of subsequent English blends in the pipe? Yes I know the burley would take on some lat. taste but I am wondering if the burley would affect a subsequent traditional English blend in the pipe to a large degree. Or would any odd taste smoke out in a few bowls? Typically I smoke one blend of tobacco in a pipe for about 2 ounces straight so I am not considering bouncing different blends around in the same pipe. I know this is subjective but would love your thoughts. Oh, side question, English blends with BC (Scottish Blends?) would you dedicate a different pipe to those too (also thinking about buying some Northwoods and saw BC was a component). Thank you guys for your imput.

 

[Doc Manhattan]

It would depend on the burley blend, but generally, I don't think you'd encounter a burley ghost. It might "soften" or diminish the Lat ghost if you smoked only burley in the pipe for a while--I've "rebooted" Lat pipes with Granger or ERR that way.

For me, I smoke any stripe of Lat blend--English, Balkan, American English, Scottish--in my Lat pipes interchangeably. But that said, it's hard to know if I'm missing something, since I've never done different.

(If I dedicate a pipe beyond that, it'll be to one blend I love, not a subcategory.)

 

[Sasquatch]

To me, smoking burley out of an English pipe will make your burley taste like tires but it won't hurt the pipe, or the English experience subsequently.

These sorts of "can I use the pipe for X and Y" questions can never be answered "No." You CAN use the pipe for whatever you want, but don't expect the flavor to be the same as if you dedicated it properly.

Can you use a latakia pipe for Dunhill 965? Of course. What else would you use?

Can you use a latakia pipe for Mac Baren Scottish Mixture? Well... no. Not if you want to taste the MB at all.

 

[spatzkat]

The only time I've ever truly dedicated a pipe to a specific tobacco was/is in the case of Presbyterian Mix. I'm not sure that is possible to get the flavor out of a pipe after smoking the stuff regularly. It certainly makes everything else taste bland and tainted.
I have found however that reserving pipes for Virginias and Burleys can be a good way to go. That way the base tobacco taste is the same and simple flavors don't get lost in the smoking. If you're short on pipes though, it may not be the best option.

 

[Harlock999]

Being on an English kick of late, I decided to smoke some Davidoff Royalty in a Savinelli Autograph, that I had somewhat arbitrarily dedicated to Va. Flakes when I first got it. Well, that was a mistake, because it smoked that Lat like a champ! And it was much more satisfying than any of the different flakes that I burned in that pipe before. I guess, "Let the pipe decide what it wants to smoke" should be the moral of this story.

 

[LIPIPE]

When it comes to English/Balkan blends, I grab a pipe and go. I smoke all such blends in all my pipes and it all works out fine. I keep four pipes reserved for the occasional aromatic smoke which for me is infrequent. I find that aromatic smokes may please the company; especially non smokers in the room, but they leave me wanting my go to english balkans.

 

[MisterE]

I just try to keep the stronger extremes in separate pipes. I have only one I just use for English blends, the others for Va/Vapers. I don´t smoke English blends as much as before so the majority are in the latter category. I have a few "everything pipes" that I keep around for the dreaded aromatic (when you live in Mexico customs can take a while) and don´t do much "critical smoking" in any of these.

 

[maxpeters]

I consider myself fortunate in that I can't taste much difference by using aromatics and then english and then maybe a burley mixture in the same pipe. Maybe I don't have a sophisticated enough palate.
I smoke them all from the same pipe from time to time, and never worry about the small flavor overlaps.
The only time it really does bother me, is if Ipurchase an estate pipe, and the previous owner smoked a blend with a liqorice flavoring. I can't stand the taste of that stuff, and it takes forever to get rid of it.

 

[Harlock999]

I consider myself fortunate in that I can't taste much difference by using aromatics and then english and then maybe a burley mixture in the same pipe. Maybe I don't have a sophisticated enough palate.
I smoke them all from the same pipe from time to time, and never worry about the small flavor overlaps.
The only time it really does bother me, is if Ipurchase an estate pipe, and the previous owner smoked a blend with a liqorice flavoring. I can't stand the taste of that stuff, and it takes forever to get rid of it.

I don't have a "sophisticated enough palate" either. Makes life simple and less fussy! :cheers:

 

[CLRV]

The only pipe I have where "ghosting" is an issue was my Grandfather's pipe. Apparently the fellow smoked some *hardcore* English or Blakans in this thing. I put anything in it other than one of those two and it's like stubbing a cigarette out on my tongue with whatever aro overtone is present in the current tobacco.

And yes, I've scrapped this thing, done all the cleaning procedures, the whole nine. It's like the fellow is calling down from the beyond "Don't be smoking aromatics in that pipe boy, be a man."

"Yes sir."

Never smoked an aro in there again.

 

[docwatson]

Personally once several bowls are smoked using the same tobacco the pipe has been set. I will smoke Vapers, Va's, Lat blends and Orientals in the same pipes but not heavy aromatics like Lakeland blends or cased burley blends. Whatever floats yer boat I guess.
Doc