Questions You Thought Were Too Dumb to Ask (Pipes Edition)

[Branzig]

#1 I opened my tin of Blakeney's Best Bayou Slice, a Virginia/Perique blend that I really enjoy. I smelled ketchup/catsup and wondered what's up? Does Virginia always smell like this, and if so, why?

Some Va smell like ketchup when freshly popped. McClelland's blends are famous for this. From what I understand, it is a mixture of the Virginia leaf fermenting and the vinegar used in processing. The good news is that it is completely harmless and doesn't taste like that once under combustion

#2 What's the story on reaming pipes? How often should the cake be cut, so to speak? Is that what the spoon on the Czech tool is for? How much force should I use?

I ream my pipes when the cake becomes thicker than say about the width of a dime. I also dry ream my pipes after each bowl, so my cake builds very slowly. Dry reaming is when you take a paper towel or double over a pipe cleaner, and wipe down the bowl after the smoke.

The spoon a pipe tool has is for removing dottle, don't use it to ream! I use moderate pressure. Not enough to carve the wood but sufficient to remove carbon build up. I use pipe knives, or old Swiss Army knives. You don't want a sharp point or else it can damage the bottom of the bowl if you aren't careful.