New Briar

[gillywalker]

Ok, I just ordered a Natural Savinelli and I've gone over and over all the different internet advice regarding how to break in a briar pipe. One thing I'm not fully understanding is the resting period. I know I should rest it 2-3 days, but some places say I can smoke 2-3 bowls before resting it.
Does that mean I can smoke 1 bowl a day for 3 days than rest it.

or smoke 3 bowls one day and rest it for 3 days. If this is the case, how much time is spent inbetween those bowls in one day? I'm assuming they shouldn't be smoked one right after the other, although maybe that is so?

[DSturg369]

Just smoke a bowl a day for awhile and you'll be fine. Congrats on the new pipe as well!!

[Mad Hatter]

That just means its the users discretion. Different guys have different philosophies regardless of how many years smoking they have under their belts. Type of tobacco, smoking habits, ability to taste, maintenance and preparation all have bearing on this. ie - if youre smoking latakia blends and you only have one or two pipes you might do things differently than if you're smoking subtle VAs and have 50 dozen pipes.

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by gillywalker

...One thing I'm not fully understanding is the resting period.

Me either. It's one of those things you grow into as you get to know tobaks and (your) pipes.

Rest time varies depending on the particular pipe, how much cake it has built up, what kind of tobak you're smoking (from, say, a soggy aromatic to a dry virginia) and, maybe even, how fast you smoke. You can look into a bowl and see if it looks swampy or soggy. When they look wet, they pretty much smoke wet - more gurgle-prone and hotter than usual. If you have a new pipe and you're new to pipe smoking it's impossible to know what "usual" means, though, darn it.

I'd smoke a new briar with a half-fill maybe 2-3 times a day and let it sit for a few days and do it again. When new ones get to gurgling I put them up for a few days and come back later. As cake builds up a pipe will handle moisture better, smoke cooler and dry out quicker. The bar is always moving...

Smoke a cob when you think the briar needs drying out. You'll probably like the cob better until the briar breaks in anyhow.

[Vrbas]

I'm the one bowl a day kinda guy...

Good choice on the natural though. I've been looking into those. But it's just another excuse to spend money on something i don't need.