Thread: New pipe: what to do before you light it for the first time?

I just lit my pipe for a nice smoke and that got me wondering...
I am now considering the purchase of a new pipe, a lovely little peterson that has driven me wild for the past few months. Every time I go to the tobaconist's there it it, teasing me with its lovely long curved stem, its small bowl, its light sober color... and last but not least, teasing me with a very affordable price! It costs only 40 EUR. And it's a genuine peterson! Now I can afford it and I'm really considering buying it.
So... here's the question: when you folks, newbies and seasoned pipe smokers alike, get a brand new pipe what do you do before you smoke it for the first time. I know you're not supposed to fill the bowl to the top on the first few smokes. Or are you?... I really don't know. I've also heard that you should rub the inside of the bowl with honey or something like that before you smoke, and leave it for a day or two. Is this true or is it just mumbo jumbo?
Thanks!

Originally Posted by fpessanha

I just lit my pipe for a nice smoke and that got me wondering...
I am now considering the purchase of a new pipe, a lovely little peterson that has driven me wild for the past few months. Every time I go to the tobaconist's there it it, teasing me with its lovely long curved stem, its small bowl, its light sober color... and last but not least, teasing me with a very affordable price! It costs only 40 EUR. And it's a genuine peterson! Now I can afford it and I'm really considering buying it.
So... here's the question: when you folks, newbies and seasoned pipe smokers alike, get a brand new pipe what do you do before you smoke it for the first time. I know you're not supposed to fill the bowl to the top on the first few smokes. Or are you?... I really don't know. I've also heard that you should rub the inside of the bowl with honey or something like that before you smoke, and leave it for a day or two. Is this true or is it just mumbo jumbo?
Thanks!

You can fill the bowl as much as you want even if the pipe is new. Generally speaking, I would recommend to not fill the pipe over 90% (more about 80%): that way, the rim stays clean as the tobacco, once lit and expanding, doesnt touch it, nor will you with the lighter.

Petersons often have paint or varnish on the inside of the bowl (they dip paint the cheaper ones, or maybe all of them, not sure, I dont like the brand). In that case, you can sand it out before you light it - or, better yet, buy a pipe without anything but bare briar in the tobacco chamber.

That honey in the bowl is an old legend - BS, dont do it. Only tobacco belongs in the tobacco chamber.

Another word of caution before you buy a Peterson pipe: most of them have a "P Lip" stem that directs the smoke to your palate instead of the tongue. Most pipe smokers find that very odd (I hate it), so check what you buy before you buy it.

Thanks!

I'll be aware of what you tell me. If there's varnish in the bowl I'll sand it. But I recall touching the inside of the bowl of this specific pipe and feeling a rough inside... not smooth. But I'll double check.
Concerning the P-lip stem: I'm not quite sure what you are talking about. I understand what it does but not how I spot it. I'm quite parcial to putting the pipe in my mouth in the shop... Care to elaborate on this?
Thanks for the tips!

Just fillthat puppy up and take your time with it....too fast and you'll experience tongue bite and probably won't enjoy it as much. As far as Peterson's go, I have a Peterson bent with the p-lip and it's great, I think it's one of those things where you either love it or you hate it....sorta like straights lol. A good place for information is Christian Pipesmokers....don't let the name bother you....they're good guys and won't push religion down your throat.

I have heard (or, more likely, read) that smoking burley is a good way to season a new pipe; something to do with building the carbon or the particular oils... I really don't know if it's true or not, but I thought I'd offer it up as a suggestion anyway.

With my briar pipe, I only smoke a single blend of tobacco out of it. Not for any particular reason, other than somking vairous blends without a thorough cleaning can change the taste. (I also have a silvertip brush that I only use a single cream with. Maybe I'm just a "purist.")

Originally Posted by fpessanha

Thanks!

I'll be aware of what you tell me. If there's varnish in the bowl I'll sand it. But I recall touching the inside of the bowl of this specific pipe and feeling a rough inside... not smooth.

It may have a bowl coating, then. This will be on top of everything else that may be in there. They do this to avoid burn out and to help with the break in process. The reality is that it tastes like crap (bitter) and that you dont need a coating if you smoke the pipe carefully (not too fast, not letting it get so hot that you cannot touch the bowl).

Originally Posted by fpessanha

Concerning the P-lip stem: I'm not quite sure what you are talking about. I understand what it does but not how I spot it. I'm quite parcial to putting the pipe in my mouth in the shop... Care to elaborate on this?
Thanks for the tips!

A normal stem looks like this, the smoke coming out of the middle of the stem:



A P-lip stem has the smoke channel ending on TOP of the stem, like this:

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

I have heard (or, more likely, read) that smoking burley is a good way to season a new pipe; something to do with building the carbon or the particular oils... I really don't know if it's true or not, but I thought I'd offer it up as a suggestion anyway.

I dont smoke burley as I dont like it (cigarette tobacco is burley, although of inferior quality). The consensus is that burley will build cake faster than other tobaccos, but that that cake may be more fragile. - Anyway, the point is not to have cake in a pipe, but to have a clean, well-tasting pipe. Cake should be kept low and hard: wipe out the bowl after each smoke with kitchen paper and over time, a thin, hard layer of carbon will form. That's what you want.

Thanks, Cornelius. That was most helpfull... I realize that pipe smoking has a lot to know. A bit like straight razor shaving...
By the way... I'm considering quiting cigarretes and dedicating myself to pipe smoking instead. I've been on and off pipes for almost 8 years now. I like my cigaretes... I smoke hand rolled cigaretes and I like it a lot. But I seem to get a lot more aout of a pipe. Only thing that worries me is that the pipe is considered to be a bit pedantic by some and the ultimate in gentlemanly vices... I vote for the latter.
We all know that smoking is bad for you but... pipe smoking is less lethal than cigaretes, right?
Thanks to all for the great replies!

Statistically, pipe smokers live 3% longer than non smokers. That doesnt mean that smoking a pipe will increase your life expectancy (statistics only have a meaning for large groups as a whole, not for individuals of the group), but one could assume that relaxing with a pipe is not a bad thing to do. Personally, I enjoy it immensely. There is so much variety in pipes and tobacco. Over 1,000 different blends are readily available. Combine that with the thousands of different pipes you can buy and the combinations are virtually limitless. Even if you only smoke 1 or 2 of the 4 or 5 main blend types, it takes years to get an overview. IMO pipe smoking teaches you patience, a very valuable virtue when using straight razors on your face!

Near thirty years ago the general consensus was to load 1/3 of the bowl and smoke that a couple of times to help char the bottom of the bowl. Then a couple of smokes with 1/2, then 3/4 until finally you filled the pipe. Of course what with letting the pipe rest in between this process took a week before you were done.

Then I read that filling the bowl right from the start was the way to go and I have been doing that successfully ever since. I have dipped my finger into honey and coated the inside of the bowl in the past but I only did that with a couple of pipes and quit that method long ago. Now if a new pipe has a bowl coating, which they often do, I smoke them as is. If there is no bowl coating I wet my little finger with saliva and coat the bowl with that,

As far as longevity, if you don't inhale I know a pipe won't be near as bad as inhaling cigarette smoke.