So - Why Meerschaum?

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F4RM3R

Part of the Furniture Now
Nov 28, 2019
567
2,512
38
Canada
Yep. Cooler and dryer smoke. Which can help with tongue bite/burn or with blends that tend to smoke hot(ribbon/ shag vs flake). The taste is very pure and you will be able to detect more subtleties of blends, less ghosting(or they leave after a few bowls).

This doesn't make it better than a briar, as sometimes the flavour from a briar matches a blend nicely and tasting every nuance may not be necessary. Also some blends work better with a pipe that gets a bit hotter and warms the tobacco, sometimes with a cool smoking meer you have to puff more frequently to keep it going. I found after I waxed my meer and smoked it a bunch it started to smoke hotter, which I actually liked as the tobacco stayed lit better. It smoked so cool before I had to puff more.

One thing to watch out for is that some meers, while they may look nice. Are not designed very well in terms of the drilling and airways so they can cause moisture and gurgle.
 

JimInks

Sultan of Smoke
Aug 31, 2012
60,846
553,706
I use them for reviewing aromatics because I won't ghost a briar. Some meers are better than others for that. Meers can be ghosted, but not as easily as briars. I mostly get a purer taste of blends from them, which is important for me.

I like smoking heavy English blends in them, too.
 

Spa32

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 2, 2019
650
1,133
Wisconsin, USA
I would say they smoke dryer, maybe, but depending on the thickness of the meer, they don't necessarily smoke cooler. I have a billiard that got extremely warm when it was new. My other three are thicker and therefore I don't have any issues with heat.
 

Casual

Lifer
Oct 3, 2019
2,577
9,420
NL, CA
I like them because the material is novel. It feels lighter than it should be. It’s not flammable, which is a great choice for a pipe. If it was less fragile, it would be perfect.

I find that the export restrictions lead to a smaller selection of pipes than I would like, but I finally found what I wanted with altinay.
 
Jul 28, 2016
7,564
36,058
Finland-Scandinavia-EU
I'd reckon, for those who continuously smoke blends heavy in latakia or Lakelands might consider acquiring a meerschaum pipe, personally I do like how Lakeland blends taste when smoked in meers, the taste is somewhat more pronounced, although finding a good reasonably priced meerschaum pipe may not always be that easy, oftentimes stems and drilling on meerschaum pipes leave a lot to be desired,,
 

creole

Might Stick Around
Jul 31, 2019
56
63
I have several meerschaums and they all smoke cool and dry. They used to be occasional smokes for me because I always pampered them and took pains to protect the finish. I have found more satisfaction, however, in handling them as I would a briar pipe - they are less pretty to look at now but more enjoyable to smoke.
 
Jan 28, 2018
12,952
134,581
66
Sarasota, FL
If only they would stay white or fully color faster. I didn't find them to smoke any better or worse than briar. They're somewhat fragile and if you want the finish to look nice, you need to handle them somewhat carefully. I think they're kind of ugly when they are partially colored (which most are as the time it takes for them to fully color is long). I do admire the amazing carves many Meers have. I may eventually get another one just as a novelty.
 
#1 hoosier, and the times I am going to want to smoke the same pipe over and over, aren't going to be when I am setting within the comfort of my home. It is going to be when I am in the car or out hiking, and a meer just isn't the best option for a pipe that needs to take a licking over and over. If I am at home, I have access to racks full of pipes to chose from.
 

tkcolo

Starting to Get Obsessed
Apr 30, 2018
240
328
51
Granby, CO
If I only had one pipe, it'd be a meerschaum. No moisture issues, no ghosting issues, etc. Pure tobacco taste. I'll wash it out under the faucet for 30 sec, and I can still smoke it that day. I just wish I could get over the disappointment and not having any meers with color. I've seen so many pretty ones, and mine are all meh. Maybe they will show some color in 20 years. I smoke one exclusively 3 times a day for three months straight, and it looked exactly the same.
 
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