Pre-carbonised bowls?

[Cliffhanger]

Well, without a very broad experience, mine is a clear layer of thin carbon, it has a dull, slightly chalky texture, as I say it looks like black chalk but doesn't rub off at all to the touch or anything. You can very clearly see that it has been coated with this stuff rather than it's part of the grain of the wood or any kind of varnish or whatever, my guess is yours isn't dude.

[jfserama]

Thanks! I've heard so much talk about carbonized vs non-carbonized, but didn't really know what the difference was. Now I do. You learn something new every day, especially if you're a newbie (like me).

[Mad Hatter]

I've had several precarbed bowls and I've always left it in the pipe (some guys sand it out). Its never bothered me (in many cases its supposed to be powdered charcoal made into a paste and then applied) but I did have one Peterson that tasted absolutely awful for the first 7 or so bowls before I got the bad taste smoked out, covered over or whatever. Sometimes pipe smoking is work.