Bear Graves

Just curious. On the average (hopefully, that qualifier will eliminate some of the "just depends" answers), how many bowls do you run through a pipe, before you grab a new one? I rarely smoke more than two consecutive bowls in a row in a pipe before I rest it, but I have a friend that will smoke the same on all day. What's your approach?

Gregory Pease

One.

Once a pipe is broken in, I'll smoke one bowl and let it rest. While breaking it in, I'll sometimes smoke it a couple times a day for a couple days. But, as soon as the cake is starting to develop, it rests between bowls.

I once did a little experiment, smoking the same tobacco in the same pipe three times the same day. There was a definite increase in harshness by the third bowl. Both the pipe and the tobacco were known by me to smoke without the proverbial bite. Nay, nary a nibble.

Personally, I find that the longer a pipe rests, the better it tastes  when I come back to it. Damn it, though, I keep coming back to my  absolute faves, and they don't get the rest they deserve. But, every once  in a while, I go to the "mothball fleet," and smoke something I've been ignoring for a month or several. Wonderful!

So, I guess "just depends" wouldn't be a very good answer from me. I  tried to work it in. I really did.

Jay Savage

Just depends.  <g>  Seriously, though, it depends.

Briar: 1, 2 tops

Cob: 2

Meer:  usually 2-3 until i dropped it :(

Clay:  'till it starts really gurgling.  20, I think, was my personal best one 72hr. paper writing session, although I rarely smoke more than 4 bowls a day, and usually only 1-2, so it's not really an issue.  I have been known to take a clay as my only pipe on vacation and smoke it twice a day for 30 days straight, though, and it always says, "please, sir, may I have another"

The Pipe:  chain smoke until doomsday, if I have to.  Pyrolytic graphite + bakelite = workhorse.  This is definitely my "if you could only keep one" pipe.  Because it's beautiful?  No.  Because I can smoke it all day every day--outdoors--drop it on concrete, run over it with a golf cart, put it in the dishwasher, and start the whole thing again in the morning.  I swear this thing would stop bullets.  Those of you who keep you 1905 Dunhills can only smoke once a week, until you drop it or it burns through in the wind! Bwahaha!

Juha Lankinen

At home: one. Away: never more than three.

Jeff Schwartz

Depends upon the pipe. Some briars as much as three times in one day. Others no more than once.

I find my corn cobs can be smoked 4 or 5 times a day with no noticeable loss of quality.

My Kirstens are a chain smoker's best friend; smoke 'em all you want just open their reservoir up and give 'em a flick between smokes.

The above assumes I am smoking either English or Virginia/Virginia/Perique blends. Anything like an American aromatic would break all the rules.

Briarroot

One, always.  I have enough pipes now so that I can always choose a well-rested bowl for my next smoke.  {Is it really possible to have *enough* pipes?  No!  <G>)

Joshua

As a general rule, one.

I also will rest that pipe for at least 3 days before smoking again, but I don't have a set rotation going or anything like that (fortunately I have enough pipes where it's not an issue).

As always, there are exceptions to the rule.... there are a handful of pipes in my racks which I would confidently smoke an additional bowl or even two before allowing them to rest but I rarely do so unless I am out on the town and haven't brought any other pipes with me.

Dave Green

I fall into the "one bowl, three day" rest group.  Also, the group that will smoke a couple of bowls a day when breaking in a new pipe.  I always seem to have more pipes with me than I will smoke when I'm out and about.  And just in case, I always keep a Kirsten in the truck for emergencies.  It seems that I always have a pipe going from morning to bed time and I seem to rotate my tobaccos almost as much as my pipes.  I don't think of it as being fickle, just eclectic or eccentric,  when you get older I think it's known as being "colorful".

Robert Blair

If at home, one and only one! If out and not having an extra one handy, maybe three as the day wears on.

Larry Griffin

I usually have one bowl / one pipe per day.  Once in a while if I go out in the evening and know that I will be driving for a while I might have a second bowl in that days pipe.  I started with a hand me down pipe from my dad and a new Savinelli 614.  I smoked the hand me down Medico only occasionally and the Savinelli daily for a while until I found out via this news group that I wasn't doing the Savinelli any favors.

I only have four pipes right now and rotate them in a four week pattern like this:

• Week one -- pipe 1, pipe 2, pipe 3, pipe 4, pipe 1, two days no smoking
• Week two -- pipe 2, pipe 3, pipe 4, pipe 1, pipe 2, two days no smoking
• Week three -- pipe 3, pipe 4, pipe 1, pipe 2, pipe 3, two days no smoking
• Week four -- pipe 4, pipe 1, pipe 2, pipe 3, pipe 4, two days no smoking
• and start over with week one.

This gives each of the pipes at least a little rest until I can afford to buy more to add to the rotation.  I have been getting some excellent advise from many of the ASP members over the last couple of months.  I'm looking forward to joining all of you for the Sunday March 4th ASP Members of the Briar smoke.

Ceryx

Usually one or two, but I have been known to have three or four. But if I'm going to smoke the same one again, I give it a good cleaning. But by cleaning I don't mean with salt/alcohol, PGA-- just pipecleaners. Until they come out darn near the same color that they went in.

James Beard

Once.  And then a pipe cleaner down the stem for a day or more, followed by cleaning the shank with alcohol and rest. 

When my rotation allowed only a 4-day rest between smokes, I found myself using The Professor's Pipe Sweetening Treatment once a month. As my rotation expanded, the time between smokes has likewise extended, and currently a pipe gets a minimum of 3 weeks rest, with most getting over a month.

New pipes can be smoked more often, and benefit from it, and some pipes seem to need more rest than others.  And it is possible to smoke a pipe too infrequently and have it lose taste and respond poorly.  The more cake and more seasoning of the bowl and shank, the longer it takes to lose taste, but it can happen.

William D Steger

I'm glad to read that someone else finds that a pipe can be smoked Too Rarely. I've always felt that a pipe benefited from at least somewhat regular use. Like many I do have 10-15 workhorses that get smoked more often, but I do try to smoke at least 1 of the less favorites every day. Occasionally one of those will find its way into the workhorse category. I suppose, like people, pipes mature at different rates, so that patience is at least SOMETIMES rewarded.

Davis Eivhelberger

I smoke one bowl then run a cleaner through it and let it rest.  The exception is I'll occasionally leave for work with my morning pipe still dangling from my mouth, finish the bowl on the way in, run a cleaner through it, then load and smoke it on the drive home. Likewise, when out with a less than sufficient supply of pipes, they may get two bowls before rest.

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