Breaking in process: All briar pipes need a breaking in process before being used. The wood should be prepared before it is exposed to the heat and tobacco. First, a layer of carbon has to be applied to the interior walls of the pipe. In order to create this layer, the bowl has to be filled to approximately a quarter of its capacity. Then the pipe can be lighted and smoked slowly. One should avoid too much heat. After four or five of such quarterly filled pipes, the amount of tobacco can gradually be increased. An important rule is to let the pipe cool down before refilling it, to prevent burning the briar. The pipe has been broken in when the layer of carbon is even.
Filling a pipe: When filling a pipe, it is important to do this bit by bit. As the pipe bowl is being filled more and more, the tobacco can be pressed more firmly into the bowl. However, the tobacco should retain its elasticity. When filled too firmly, one needs to draw strongly to keep the pipe lit, whereas a loosely filled pipe burns extreme easily, resulting in a very hot bowl, wet smoking and a sore tongue. The tobacco should burn evenly. When smoking, it is good to tamper the tobacco slightly every now and then. When the pipe goes out, possible deposit should be removed and the pipe can just be relight again!
Maintenance:Taking care of the pipe after use is just as important as knowing how to smoke it. By good maintenance, the pipe will not only look nicer, it will smoke better as well.
A pipe should smoke clean and dry, whereas the pipe tends to smoke wet and bitter when not been given attention to. Finally, maintenance guarantees a longer lifetime of the pipe!
The first thing to do is to gently fluff out all the ash and moist deposits of the tobacco that have accumulated in the bowl. Insert a pipe cleaner into the pipe and let it cool down. After a couple of hours, both the pipe cleaner and the stem can be removed from the pipe, by twisting it gently. The next step is to run the pipe cleaner through the bit and the stem until it comes out clean. The pipe cleaner might be dipped in a pipe cleaning fluid to loosen any deposit. This is however not necessary. After the inside has been cleaned, one may polish the entire pipe with a cotton cloth. Briar pipes can be occasionally polished with a natural oil or wax. This will highlight the lustre of the wood. Now the pipe is ready to be stored in its rack, preferably with the bowl down.
After having smoked the pipe over a period of time, the layer of carbon will slowly begin to build up on the interior of the bowl. This cake helps protect the briar and cool the smoke. However, when this layer becomes thicker than 0,15 - 0,20 cm, it can crack the bowl. At this time, it is best to carefully remove a part of the layer with a knife (or an especially equipped reamer).