The London Lounge

I have had a question about breaking in a new pipe.

The most important things in breaking in a pipe are:

Makes sure the humidity of the tobacco you use is right. It should not be too humid.

Smoke slowly and don't let the bowl heat too much.

Smoke a fourth of the way up the bowl and stop when all is burnt. Cover the bowl with your thumb and shake the ash all around the interior of the bowl. Then empty the ash from the bowl. See that the ash attaches to the segment of the bowl you have smoked. Repeat this 10 times and then move up to smoking half of the bowl. Repeat the above for 10 smokes and then go to 3/4 of a bowl and repeat 10 times ...etc. Your pipe will have a uniform layer of ash crust that will protect the briar. The most important is the first 10-15 smokes when you set the ash into the bottom of the bowl.

There's nothing like making a new friend of a pipe.

Who do you like among the artisanal pipe makers or the smaller manufacturers?

How is Castello?

I tend to like classic English pipes in classic shapes. You might look at Ashton and Ferndown among the smaller artisanal makers.

Castellos are good pipes, probably the best of the Italian made pipes. The quality of the briar is good. The bits are of a plastic material that should be outlawed. The finish is good. The styling is not classic British, but its not as ornate as some of the other Italian makers.

Yes, I have to agree with you that the plastic is horrible. I like a mouth piece that I can 'bite' down on a bit. Plastic just feels dead in the mouth.

What is the name of the nicer, older material that used to be used for mouthpieces? Is that vulcanite? I believe that Dunhill does not use that plastic to their credit....

Anyway, I'm not familar with the brands which you mentioned and will certainly try to find them, perhaps at a good tobacconist in London. Do you have any recommendations where to shop?

As an aside, there is a very nice smoke shop in Milan at the Galleria which I bumped into; they have a nice selection of pipes and quite a few reconditioned Castellos and Dunhills; there seems to be large market for reconditioned Dunhills in particular. They do a very nice job of preparing the pipes and add new, fresh mouthpieces to all.

Although being conservative having several english pipes I am particularly fond of the danish artisans. I am happy to have some exemplars of the late Sixten Ivarsson as well as some of Peter Hedegaard, Anne Julie and of the Germans Ingo Garbe and Joura. I fully agree with Michael regarding Castello´s mouthpieces although they have the advantage of not suffering from fading color.

Jannis

The Danish masters are impressive and these days they are also very expensive.

A faded vulcanite mouthpiece, a few dents and a rich patina that only time can offer, give a pipe that broken in look that is irresistible. Castello's will never have it. They smoke very well however.

Cheers

The importance of not overheating the bowl of a new pipe until sufficient carbon is built up cannot be understated, as it is very easy to scorch the wood on the ifrst few smokes. Avoid gimmicks that have been suggested since the 19th century, such as moistening the bowl of a brand new pipe with sugar water, etc., as this is no substitute for careful smoking.