I recieved an amazing pipe for Christmas, a Savinelli Baronet Bruyere 611 EX. I've been slowly breaking it in and I have a few questions, some of which are related..some not. Heres hoping you can help.

All of the pipes I've owned previously to this one have been secondhand and already broken in. Being that the Savinelli is gorgeous and a sentimental gift, I'd like to break it in right.

I've heard alot of people suggest using honey to coat the bowl to help build cake, as well as using whiskey. I asked at my local tobbaconnist and he also suggested whiskey, as he said honey can make the cake come off easier, so I gave the bowl a very light rubdown with some Jameson.

Now, about how many smokes/how long does it take to build up a decent cake? Also, any opinions on priming the bowl with whiskey or honey?

Moving on. I have currently 4 pipes, two of which are top notch quality (see profile) and 2 that I picked up for about 20 a piece. Whats the good word on rotation? I've been using all of my pipes no more than once a day, and in most cases I've been sparing my better two to every other day so that they get a good 48 hour rest in between. I just recently heard that I should let all my pipes rest at least 48 hours between uses. Is that right?

Also, how easy is it to damage briar? I've heard it takes quite a bit and my pipes never warm my hand, if at all, more than a little bit. I've become somewhat paranoid about damaging or hurting the nice peices I have.

On the note of rotation I've heard that the more pipes you have the better and easier it is. Is there anywhere in particular that sells quality pipes for a decent price? I've seen a few pages that sell some for cheap but I guess the real question is, what brands are good for the price tag? I'm looking to spend no more than 50$ on most of them.

I always clean my pipes about an hour after I smoke them as they're always cool by then. Any tips to help me build cake? I've also noticed, at least in my Savinelli, that some of the thin strips of tobacco have become stuck to the wall. Do I leave them there or remove them gently? I've been smoking aromatics and I know they tend to smoke a bit wetter so I wouldn't be suprised if thats why they're sticking.

I have some more general questions but I can't think of them at the moment. I'm sure they'll come to me. Any and all advice is helpful, thanks in advance!

Don't bother with the various coating to break in a bowl, they're unnecessary. That Sav is probably pre carbed (has a black coating in it, right? You don't see raw wood in the chamber?) and already has a little protective layer to get you started. Just smoke it slowly resting it a couple of days in between, and keep it clean. By clean I mean use pipe cleaners and lightly swab out the airway as needed, and the ash in the chamber after a smoke, but let the cake - the black remains and bits of stuff that are now kinda glued to the inside of your bowl -build a little bit. When it gets thicker than a dime, ream it back a little. It's that simple. Don't take the pipe apart when it's hot (it could crack) and if it gets hotter than pretty warm, stop and let it cool down.

If you smoke a lot of different tobaccos you need more pipes. If you smoke just a couple of the same genre (stick with just burley or just virginia or just english) then all you need is enough to give each pipe a couple of days rest.

If you smoke goopy flavored aromatics you're on your own!

That's about 90% of what you need to know to enjoy a pipe.

Try looking for low end pipes online.....most of the major manufacturers offer lines at around $50 more or less,
Ive got a couple Savinelli's in that price range that smoke great.
I recently picked up a couple Comoys from smokingpipes that were
under $50 and are breaking in nicely.

Joe

Not much more to add than what PD has already said. I would dove tail on the recommendation of dedicating pipes to the same genre i.e., Burleys, Virginias, English. And if you can dedicate a pipe to a particular blend within those genres you will truly experience the full enjoyment of the blend.

Just Pipes...... ditto,
May I mention that you should atleast dedicate one of your pipes to the fine english leaf called WALNUT!

4 noggins has 2 oz samples of Walnut under their "drugstore blends" ,,,all the way down at the bottom,,,

I've been smoking a pipe for about a year and a half now and when I first started I had the same question when it came to tamping. How often should I tamp? What I found was that packing the bowl properly was essential. Once I had figured out how to properly pack a bowl, then tamping was something I could just tell I needed to do at certain times. I still have trouble from time to time, but for the most part... if the bowl is packed properly, then tamping just comes naturally as the tobacco burns.