Clay Tobacco Pipes = Need Your Opinions....etc,..

[juozapas]

How are clay pipes?

Are they nice to smoke?

What are the pros/cons?

Any homemade clay pipe makers...??

 

[unclearthur]

I love clay pipes! They smoke very well on the pro side. On the con side. DO NOT touch the bowl while smoking. The outside tends to be very warm.

 

[fred]

Clay Pipes can provide an enjoyable smoke when seasoned. The initial 'earthy'

taste can be avoided by either placing the Pipe in the fire or baking it @ 500 deg F

for 20 min in an oven, or doing the same on a barbecue grill. The small knob on

the bottom of a Churchwarden bowl allows the Pipe to be rested on a table or chair

back, without starting a fire. The bowl gets hot enough to make you a candidate for

a skin graft, so the longer stems are more popular, as the smoke get a chance to

cool down more. They can be cleaned by placing them in the fire, which will burn

everything out of the Clay and return it to the white color it was before it was

smoked. I know some blenders that employ Clay Pipes in their trade, as the Clay

will give a true tobacco taste.

 

[juozapas]

Excellent info...thanks everybody !!

 

[cortezattic]

I have a clay that I enjoy very much. Never a bad smoke. But they do heat-up, so be careful.

 

[lordnoble]

Thanks for the info, cortezattic! I was contemplating another PAD purchase of a clay, and now I'll have to try it!
Thanks again, and I'm sure my wallet thanks you for helping it lose weight as well.
-Jason

 

[strongirish]

To give an opposing viewpoint, I find clays to be very hot smokers and bite the heck out of my tongue. The get hot, they are brittle and break easily. There is a very good reson that people switched from clays to briars.

 

[thesmokindragon]

Just picked up one for $10.00 and really love smoke'in it. It fits an entire flake in the bowl/good-to-go...here is some interesting info on clays http://goudapipes.nl/

 

[pawpaw]

i have been tossing the idea of trying to make my own clay and about the long pipes i smoke a clay nose warmer and love it.

 

[maxpeters]

I have a clay, but don't smoke it very often. It is just too small. I tried to find a maker that produced larger clay pipes a couple years ago, and thought I had found one out of England, but when contacted, I was informed that they no longer produced clay pipes, and didn't think they would do so again any time soon.
I think that it wouldn't be too difficult for some manufacturer that already makes them, to create a mold of a more hand filling size, with maybe thicker walls. I'm sure they would sell. But so far, I don't think anyone one has. At least from what I see available.

 

[thesmokindragon]

Dawn makes some really nice clays...think'in of getting one of these two, and mouth tip is glazed ::

#1

#2

 

[jcsnaps]

Have a couple clays I smoke once in a while and like. The daughter gave me a clay for Birthday 2 weeks back and I haven't tried it yet. It has an Irish theme and was made in Ireland at some historic old clay pipe town. I was saving it for a St Pats day smoke.

 

[7thearl]

I have got recently an English Civil war style of clay pipe. The problem is it is difficult to 'pack' it as the bowl is less than 12mm plus the tamper tool is too big to even go in. I have problems when it comes to smoking the thing too. Everytime I light it the smoke lasts for less than a minute and then keeps going out. I have no problems with my two Briars which smoke with only a few relights but the whole clay thing is putting me off. Should I get a larger clay so I can pack & tamp it properly? Any suggestions? Cheers

 

[thesmokindragon]

I would suggest if looking for a cool/dry everyday smoker in a larger-style pipe...get a meer ::

 

[mushjoon]

@7thearl: my clay's bowl also has a depth of that size, but I only need 2 matches to smoke it all the way to the bottom. Actually, in my opinion, clays should be easier to smoke all the way to bottom with less matches than briar because since it gets really hot, it actually functions as a furnace to keep the tobacco burning. I think you should somehow focus on your first light, so the tobacco can start burning evenly and well from the beginning.

 

[7thearl]

This is what I hear but I must be doing something wrong or it could be the clay pipe itself. I thought that the tobacco was too moist but after drying it still goes out. very odd.

 

[thesmokindragon]

My clay, which I got for $10. And also has a very small bowl lights and

smokes like a dream on any cut-style bacci, could be the pipe

 

[7thearl]

well I intend to get a few clays from Dawnmist however I will have to wait till at least mid Feb as that is the earliest they are firing. Then I will let you know if is the pipe or not.

 

[nsfisher]

i got a 4.5-5" clay from P&C with my last baccy order and couldnt wait to try it. I just hate it, used it maybe 5 times an put it away for good. burns for few puffs and goes out, just a tiny little thing but i figured it should be better than that. Most ppl like em alot so i dont know if i got a bad one or what. Dry baccy, wet baccy doesnt seem to matter.

 

[7thearl]

Yeah exactly same thing with me. I heard that the clay has to be good quality and mine was from Ebay. This is why I will get mine from Dawnmist as the clay is superb and smokes really well even without the glazed end.