What's the word on new Peterson bowl coatings?

[Benzadmiral]

Merry Christmas, all!

I purchased a new Peterson 606 (pot-bowl) Arklow pipe for myself, and am anticipating opening the package this morning. But I wonder. Here, I think, and other places on the 'Net, I've read that Peterson's new bowl coating affects the first few smokes and should be removed. Other sources like the Peterson Pipes Blog say it's the best bowl coating there could *ever* be. Which do you think? Should I wipe most of it out with a damp paper towel, and if so, how long should I wait for it to dry before the first smoke? Or is it good to go as is?

 

[Kilroy6644]

I guess it depends on how you feel about bowl coatings. They don't bother me, so I leave them. I haven't noticed anything "off" with the new Peterson coatings. I actually don't even know how many of my Petes have come with it.

If you do remove it, I wouldn't worry about waiting for it to dry. You're not soaking it, so there shouldn't be any negative effects on the briar. Might be a wetter smoke than normal. So maybe wipe it out.

 

[Kilroy6644]

Oh, nice choice of pipe, too. I've got a 606 Newgrange Spigot. It's really nice. Merry Christmas!

 

[Benzadmiral]

I've opened the beast up, and it's quite handsome. The bowl coating is not sticky to my dry finger and has no smell whatever, so I suppose I'll give it a whirl as it is.

 

[Columbo]

I'd leave it be and smoke it as is. Depending on the coating chemistry, removing it may entail more than first imagined.

I am not a fan of newer Petes, and my last one was a rough break-in due to the wretched coating. Hopefully, they have at least fixed that.

 

[Multum in parvo]

I wondered about that slightly glossy interior when I first received my 2020 Christmas but the subsequent smokes were fine. I couldn’t detect anything funny tasting.

 

[steveclarkus]

Call me old fashioned but when I break in a pipe, I put a drop of honey on my finger and wipe it around the chamber. It seems to speed up the break in quite well.

 

[ChefJohnBoy-ardee]

I like the taste of first time charged briar. I'm odd. If a bowl is coated. I smoke away.
Peterson had a good reputation. Smoke away.

 

[Benzadmiral]

The Alpine Lodge I sampled in the new Peterson seemed to be pretty strong, so I kept the first trial very short. No odd aromas or tastes. I noticed that the leaf tended to stick a little bit to the walls of the bowl; instead of a light tap to empty the pipe, I needed to use the pointed end of the tamper to scrape the rest out. There was less of a problem with the Half & Half I smoked later.

 

[nortac]

I had no problem with my new 306 System Spigot, no off-taste issues, I did notice how tobacco remnants did stick to the bowl upon emptying the dottle.

 

[Kentos]

The new coating does seem to be more sticky, but the cake seems to form faster. I just leave the remnants and knock off the bigger ones. Eventually it all burns off anyways.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Just general thoughts...

I've mostly noticed cake in cobs, or in anything I smoked multiple bowls in without resting (particularly the Missouri Meerschaum Cherrywood I used to own), and have come to the conclusion that absorbency could very well be a key factor.

My briar pipes barely seem to have any, even those I've smoked the most. I clean then better, rest them more, and maybe use drier tobacco too. Therefore, the wood doesn't get as wet, with less gunk to ouze out of the pores as it rests/dries.

If that's the case, or if there's any relevance to my observations, then I can't see any form of coating helping that much. Maybe smoking it like it's the only pipe you've got for a while, might be a better way to expedite a build up... if that's your thing. It's not something I particularly chase, as it just means I can't put as much tobacco in or in the case of my smaller pipes, stops the tamper going down to the bottom of the bowl.

 

[RookieGuy]

The Alpine Lodge I sampled in the new Peterson seemed to be pretty strong, so I kept the first trial very short. No odd aromas or tastes. I noticed that the leaf tended to stick a little bit to the walls of the bowl; instead of a light tap to empty the pipe, I needed to use the pointed end of the tamper to scrape the rest out. There was less of a problem with the Half & Half I smoked later.

I found the same thing. Well, it was Field and Stream Match. But it didn't seem to effect the smoking. Just felt almost but not quite tacky but it smoked fine (thank you again, Santa!). I have the pipe a good tap against the palm of my hand and shook the ash a bit. It looks like most everything came out. And what didn't will get smoked tomorrow morning. Part of the breaking in process.

 

[Bill Wood]

No problem. I usually moisten the inside of the bowl for the first few smokes. Don’t worry about it.