Ghosting

Ghosting is when a pipe holds onto the flavor and smell of a previously smoked tobacco and carries it into later smokes. Expecting a mild Virginia and instead tasting last week's smoky Latakia in the bowl is considered most smokers' first encounter with "ghosting." The culprit is the tobacco's oils, tars, and aromatic compounds soaking into the porous walls of the chamber, the smoke channel, and the layer of carbon (cake) built up inside. A light ghost is considered character rather than a flaw by most smokers; but for those who switch between opposing tobacco families, it can become a real problem that spoils the smoke.

Which Tobaccos Leave a Ghost?

Every tobacco leaves some trace; a few are notorious for it:

• Latakia and English blends: The smoky character of fire-cured Latakia soaks easily into the chamber and lingers a long time.

• Aromatic blends: Top-note flavorings such as vanilla or cherry leave sugary residues, producing a pronounced ghost.

• Lakeland-style floral tobaccos: Pressed flakes scented with rose and geranium, produced in England's Lake District, are known in the community as the owners of the most stubborn ghost of all.

• Perique and dark Virginias: Milder, but reportedly still capable of leaving a trace.

Briar or Meerschaum: Which Material Holds More?

Material	Tendency to ghost
Briar	Considered the most prone material: the porous wood and the carbon cake that builds up on it absorb oils and tar.
Meerschaum	Its mineral structure is considered to give a more neutral smoke and to hold less ghosting than briar; even so, some smokers report that strong flavorings can soak into meerschaum too.
Corn cob	Considered relatively neutral; it's common to set one aside for trying unusual blends.

Methods for Removing a Ghost

The methods are ordered from mild to intensive; most ghosting is resolved in the first two steps.

1. Smoking over it: Light ghosting is said to fade on its own with a neutral-character Virginia, over anywhere from a few smokes to about a dozen.

2. Deep cleaning and reaming: The smoke channel is wiped with alcohol-soaked cleaners; a thickened carbon cake is reamed down to thin it. A common rule of thumb, to avoid exposing the bare wood, is to leave cake about the thickness of a coin (roughly 1-1.5 millimeters).

3. Salt-and-alcohol cure: The bowl is filled with coarse salt, soaked with high-proof alcohol, and left for 12-24 hours; the salt draws out oils and tar. Care is taken to keep the alcohol off the exterior and the finish.

4. Cotton-and-alcohol cure: The same process is done with cotton pressed into the bowl instead of salt; the cotton darkening after standing overnight shows the residue has been drawn out.

5. Retort method: This advanced technique used by restorers passes boiling alcohol vapor through the pipe; it requires experience and special equipment.

Preventing Ghosting

The most practical solution is to dedicate pipes to particular tobacco families: one for English blends, one for aromatics, one for straight Virginias. This approach fits naturally with the habit of pipe rotation. Regular pipe cleaning also plays its part: running a cleaner through the channel after every smoke and letting the pipe dry out thoroughly slows the buildup of residue. For meerschaum, the common advice is not to let carbon build up at all, which makes regular cleaning even more important than it is for briar.