Few topics are so controversial among pipe-smokers as is the coating of bowls. Developed to accelerate cake formation and to protect pipes from burning out, bowl coatings are used by many of the biggest names in pipedom. However, there are those who dislike them intensely, and these people have yet another reason to avoid them.

Extreme close-up of mold.Humidity spikes in a room with little air movement can cause mold to grow on bowl coatings, especially food-based bowl-coatings. (Artisans’ recipes for bowl coatings tend to be proprietary, but food-based coatings are often comprised of substances like sour cream, yogurt, and dietary charcoal.) In the case of one fellow pipe man and reader here, the mold grew on a couple of unsmoked pipes in addition to smoked estates. Unbelievable.

After discovering mold growing inside the tobacco chambers, Tony C. wrote and asked if I knew anyone who could effectively deal with the problem. Tony contacted Adam Davidson who suggested junking the pipes. Sadly, a couple of Comoy Blue Ribands were among the casualties, and so were a couple of pipes from North American artisans who confirmed the use of food-based bowl coating recipes. (I am withholding their names because these two pipemakers are just two of many who use food-based coatings.)

Tony eventually got in touch with Premal Chheda who indicated that he believed the pipes could be salvaged so long as all the mold and bowl coatings were scraped out of the pipes.

Clearly, bowl coatings are not the only substances upon which mold can grow or mold would not have taken hold inside Tony’s Blue Riband chambers. It seems we have another good argument to make sure that all tobacco residue, especially moist dottle, is removed from a pipe, and it is given good air circulation so that the pipe can dry out.

Mold can be deadly. Accidentally smoking a pipe with mold in the chamber could result in grave consequences. Personally, I’m going to start inspecting the chambers of my pipes carefully before loading them with tobacco. I have a number of pipes with food-based bowl coatings in them. I’m not taking any chances, especially since I live here in a very humid Metro-Washington, DC.