Ever Used a Pine Pipe with a Clay-lined Bowl?

Log in

SmokingPipes.com Updates

New Cigars




PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

Status
Not open for further replies.

archaeodane

Lurker
Dec 21, 2018
20
0
One of my first pipes, and one I still smoke out of regularly, is a pine pipe with a clay-lined bowl. The tobacconist who sold it to me said the clay kept the pipe from absorbing flavors; thus ensuring that even strong aromatics wouldn't flavor future smokes. I'm not sure how true that is since I don't smoke aromatics much and thus don't have a good base of comparison for how my briars handle multiple tobacco types and flavors. What I do notice is that I generally get a lower quality smoke out of it than I do with my other pipes, all else being equal. That the taste usually isn't as good or very good at all is my chief complaint.
Anyone else ever used a pipe like the one I've described? What are your thoughts? Did your experience differ from mine?

 

agnosticpipe

Lifer
Nov 3, 2013
3,332
3,413
In the sticks in Mississippi
You mean like this?

img_0536-409x600.jpg


 

archaeodane

Lurker
Dec 21, 2018
20
0
Not quite like that Orley haha. No, it looks just like any regular briar pipe. It just has a gray clay lining the bowl.

 

archaeodane

Lurker
Dec 21, 2018
20
0
Pine? Clay lined bowl? No offense, but did you buy it at a Head Shop?
I didn't, actually. I got it from a guy with literally zero glass pipes in his store (this was back before weed was legal in CO).
It was the first pipe I ever bought new, so I definitely still had a lot to learn about what makes a quality pipe. I'm guessing I just got some cheap, gimmicky pipe. It looks nice, so I might display it, but it will probably be taken out of rotation soon.

 

archaeodane

Lurker
Dec 21, 2018
20
0
Please post a pic of your pine pipe.
I've seen meerschaum lined pipes in a variety of woods, but not yet pine.
a9vQ2Kb.jpg

Here's a photo. It looks like most any other wooden pipe, though the grain might be a little different. You can't really see the clay lining anymore, but it was just a gray lining inside the bowl. Nothing super fancy to look at.

 

archaeodane

Lurker
Dec 21, 2018
20
0
My guess, clearly a guess, is that its a made in China special.
Your guess is spot-on. I decided to dig around in my desk for the original box, and though there's no manufacturer name, it does have a little bar code sticker with the infamous "Made in China" disclaimer. What can I say? I was young and foolish then. I think I was still in high school when I bought it.
And my apologies everyone. The sticker also proclaims that it is a pearwood pipe, not pine. At least that choice of wood makes more sense. I swear though that the tobacconist said it was pine; that's at least what I've been telling people he said ever since I bought it.

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
There's a reason briar, cob, and Meerschaum tend to dominate tobacco pipe materials. Everything's been tried, so if you follow our ancestors' lead, you'll probably do better. If the pine pipes with a clay liner were fine smokers, they'd be widely available. I've taken some detours and smoke Mountain Laurel pipes and one Cocobolo, but these were made by an experienced pipe carver who depends on repeat business, so they have proven out. I don't think I'd bother with a pipe that doesn't deliver good taste; what's the point?

 
Jan 8, 2013
7,493
733
That definitely looks like pear wood to me. I'm wondering if it wasn't necessarily clay lined, but had a bowl coating as many pipes do. If so, the coating is actually used to help protect the bowl from burnout during the break in period. Whether bowl coatings are actually needed is debatable from one maker to another. Pear wood pipes tend to smoke quite well but aren't as durable as briar. So extra care needs to be taken.

 
Status
Not open for further replies.