Was "thumbing through" reviews on the tobaccoreview forum and saw one that the reviewer said was good to build cake in a new pipe. Unfortunately I do not remember which tobacco it was, who made it, or who reviewed it! Tried their advance search, but every word used comes up with a word in a tobacco name, but a use description. Any ideas/suggestions? Would not want one that creates a "ghost", however.
Pipe Tobacco to Develop Cake
- Thread starter john parker
- Start date
One thing I recently read and started doing to get cake built up in a new pipe a bit faster is to cover the top of the bowl with your thumb and shake the ash from a finished smoke around before dumpng it out. Some of it will stick to the sides helping cake to build up. Love to hear others thoughts on that.
Commander Quan
Commander Yellow Pantyhose
Use whatever you intend to smoke in it. If you are dedicating a pipe to virginias' latakia blends or aromatics just break the pipe in with those. If you're not to the point where you are reserving certain pipes to certain styles just smoke it slow, and avoid getting it too hot.
People have all kinds of tricks to help build cake from coating the bowl with (insert random non-newtonian fluid), to leaving ash in the bowl, but I want cake to be hard, dense, and permanent. The best way to to get it is smoking multiple bowls and letting the fire do the work.
People have all kinds of tricks to help build cake from coating the bowl with (insert random non-newtonian fluid), to leaving ash in the bowl, but I want cake to be hard, dense, and permanent. The best way to to get it is smoking multiple bowls and letting the fire do the work.
This...
Agreed- the Internet has plagued most areas of life with too many "experts". Just smoke the thing.
- Thread starter
- #6
I must admit from my browsing, I only saw that one (now lost) reviewer that talked about cake. Guess if a specific tobacco or type tobacco were desired, many people would be talking about it - and they aren't!
Some people like to over think some things- nothing wrong with that, just not for me. Whatever you smoke, and however much you pack the bowl, just slowly smoke it down to the bottom. The cake will come.
Great advice above! All the "cake forming" fiends then cry foul and worry about the "best" way to remove their hard earned caked. Just smoke and enjoy!
I will gladly put a layer of cake in your pipe for $75 plus incidentals. 
Thanks for the advice to not do anything special to develope cake. Think I'll just let cake happen.
Good thinking, Dave. Cake formation is similar to a great shave in that it best happens when you aren't worried about it.
This will help, and has long been a recommended way to get a cake going. The main idea is to quickly get a bit of insulation built between the fire and the briar. After 4 or more bowls in a new pipe, I'm not sure it does much more to help. This is usually recommended for new pipes that are not pre-carbed and have a bare briar bowl, which are more at risk of scorching. At least this has been my experience. You can never go wrong with smoking low and slow and just letting it happen, regardless of the pipe or tobacco.
I agree with the "let it happen" advice, some tobaccos are just a bit slower about it than others. If you want to get a good prime on a new pipe you can go with Prince Albert. Straight burley, burns relatively hot, but nice and evenly. Doesn't leave a ghost either. Biggest upside is it's easy to find and usually pretty easy on the wallet. Also works to "exorcise" many ghosts that may exist in your pipes...don't expect miracles, if you hammered on some lakelands those ghosts just flat out don't leave.
THE BEST IS BURLEYS, they will build up a thick fluffy cake, virginias will maker a harder cake, --from what i read a burley cake will be hardened from a virginia blend, virginias burn hot SO, i would at least try some mixed blends as to burn the least amount of briar. tell you what though i would not buy a dunhill or some other semi thin walled expensive pipe till you get the hang of it
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