resting too long a problem?

[Natch]

I just read an interesting post on another board that got me thinking (not an easy activity for me, you know). When addressing the question about resting pipes, it stated;

"Longer rests generally work better, though I find some pipes after a few months rest need to be smoked more frequently to regain their vitality."

I never thought of this, nor tested it, but does allowing a pipe to "rest" for long periods cause them to loose some flavor/vitality/smokability? We repeatedly talk of allowing enough time between smokes, but is too much time a problem?

Curious minds want to know...

Natch

 

[Justpipes]

Sometimes I rest a pipe for a long period if I plan to smoke a different tobacco in it.

 

[Anonymous]

I noticed (and commented elsewhere on) a discernable difference in the taste of tobacco smoked in a pipe that's been rested for weeks and one that's been used more regularly. They thought I was nuts. Maybe so.

The higher moisture level in the regularly-smoked briar does seem to contribute to a rounder, fuller taste. Over-dry briar that's busy accumulating moisture as it's being smoked after drying out doesn't seem to be giving back as much.

:face:

 

[vaperfavour]

I have a couple of pipes at home that i dont bring with me on the road and when i get home and fire them up it takes two to three smokes before they seem to perform the way i want them to. and these are high grades. go figger.

 

[tin man]

Hmmmmmm......... I've always felt that a pipe that manages to receive a months worth of rest actually tastes better that first day back into rotation.

Maybe I'm imagining things.

 

[Anonymous]

If you've ever smoked a pipe and saw moisture seeping out the walls of the pipe as it burns you're witnessing the heat expel moisture out of the pipe through the briar walls. When a pipe sits it's moisture level corresponds directly to the humidity levels around it. Interesting topic. What this means for smoking qualities I cannot say- I haven't performed any studies on it. I can say that every pipe in my rotation smokes like a champ though

 

[Natch]

Interesting insight, Ian, and quite logical. So perhaps a pipe that has rested for months in coastal Louisiana (where mold will grow on you if you don't move fast enough) will become notably wetter in the brier and cake, where that same pipe in Arizona (where you will dry out and crack into dust if you don't move fast enough) would become bone dry. Each of us might have a personal take on which would be the preferred condition for the pipe, of course. As I tend to dry my pipes quite a bit, and my tobacco as well, I might prefer the dryer state. I'll have to test that when I get back home.

Natch

:scratch:

 

[slartie]

The views below are from my own personal experiences and may not be what "the next guy" experiences ...

Over the course of 2 years, I have put this to the test as I have been pondering the same thing after being confronted with the phenomenon "a pipe to die for". The results have made me change the way I smoke my pipes for good.

Pipes I smoked once a week did not perform as well (moisture, flavor, etc.) after 50 bowls as a pipe smoked daily (same bowl count). I arranged it so the daily smoker wouldn't be smoked until both pipes could reach the same bowl count at the same time. Then I switched the pipes around. The infrequent smoker became the frequent smoker and vice versa. After a month to a month and a half the characteristics of each pipe changed noticeably. I always smoked the same blend in the 4 sets of pipes (1 set = 2 pipes) I used and my results were consistent. All pipes were reamed lightly and cleaned after the 50 bowl count.

Between smokes I used one pipe cleaner in each pipe. First I cleaned out the stem and shank with both ends of the cleaner, and finished off my folding the cleaner and give the bowl a rubdown. I did not leave the pipe cleaner in any of the pipes.

The frequent and infrequent puffers switched characteristics little by little. After about a month and a half all pipes had changed over completely.

The tobacco used: Orlik Golden Sliced (the blend I have the most experience with)
The pipes used: Each set were identical pipes: example: 2 Stanwell Bulldog #32s, 2 Savinelli Oscar Tiger apple, and so on.
Also, all sets were initially either 2 new pipes or 2 newly reamed and cleaned pipes.

After this interesting and fun project, I concluded: If you smoke the same pipe day in and day out with the same blend and pay close attention to cleaning it properly after each smoke, you are going to have one heck of a smoker. If you smoke a given pipe "on occasion", you are likely to miss out on a few things. You will most likely get to experience what the blender intended with the blend, but I found that a well smoked pipe would intensify some of the flavors. I for one don't mind an intense taste of OGS (it's my desert island blend).

So now I pretty much smoke the heck out of my pipes. None of them have soured and none of them seem to have peaked yet. I dedicate pipes to individual blends rather than a specific group of blends. As a bonus, I no longer pack 3-4 pipes when I go on a trip, I just pack one

YMMV and (insert normal disclaimer here)