Do aromatics or enlgish lends differ in the staining of a meerschaum? I enjoy both so I was just curious.
Effects on Meerschaum
- Thread starter matthatter
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That is a very interesting question which I know quite a lot about when it comes to meerschaum pipes and what turns them yellow and then deep brown. The stuff that these pipes are made of, meerschaum, is a silicate based rock so after they have formed the pipe it is waxed with bees wax, polished and the stem fitted. Hang in with me for moment and I will answer your question by I always feel that it is important to understand the chemistry of these pipes and even after 30 years of smoking them I occasionally get surprised.
When you fill and light a new meerschaum pipe it is best to wrap the pipe stem in a small square of towel or cloth since as the pipe heats up the surfaces will absorb anything on your fingers, so until the pipe has hardened it is best to keep your fingers etc off the pipe. Now with those basics out of the way you will notice as you smoke your pipe you will see over many weeks a slow change of color. This normally starts at the point were the stem joins the pipe and on the underside of the pipe.
Now to answer your question it really depends on the tobacco and moisture content. If you look at some of the beautifully colored Victorian pipes you realize that the only tobacco around would have been twist and rope type tobacco as tinned pipe baccy is a relative new invention circa 1890's. Those types of tobacco had a high moisture content loaded with tars and oils which meerschaum happily soaked up. The moisture kept the tobacco supple otherwise the average smoker would have needed a rotary saw on hand to cut up twist. I would assume aromatics would probably work but would take a lot longer. I would think if you are trying to color your pipe you would better off with Three Nuns or if can stomach it twist as that will color a meerschaum like nothing else on this planet! I hope this helps and if anyone else has any better thought please pitch in as this based on my sole experience.
When you fill and light a new meerschaum pipe it is best to wrap the pipe stem in a small square of towel or cloth since as the pipe heats up the surfaces will absorb anything on your fingers, so until the pipe has hardened it is best to keep your fingers etc off the pipe. Now with those basics out of the way you will notice as you smoke your pipe you will see over many weeks a slow change of color. This normally starts at the point were the stem joins the pipe and on the underside of the pipe.
Now to answer your question it really depends on the tobacco and moisture content. If you look at some of the beautifully colored Victorian pipes you realize that the only tobacco around would have been twist and rope type tobacco as tinned pipe baccy is a relative new invention circa 1890's. Those types of tobacco had a high moisture content loaded with tars and oils which meerschaum happily soaked up. The moisture kept the tobacco supple otherwise the average smoker would have needed a rotary saw on hand to cut up twist. I would assume aromatics would probably work but would take a lot longer. I would think if you are trying to color your pipe you would better off with Three Nuns or if can stomach it twist as that will color a meerschaum like nothing else on this planet! I hope this helps and if anyone else has any better thought please pitch in as this based on my sole experience.
I've heard the same thing. Higher moisture content darkens them faster, therefor aros should do the job quicker.
Steven Books blends a tobacco he calls "For Meerschaums Only" and has some interesting ideas on the topic. He has a store called House of Calabash. I had a few telephone discussions with him which were fascinating! If you do a google search for him, some of his website had been hacked. Stick to tobacco reviews and forums.
Honestly, thank you guys!!! This is exactly what I wanted to know. I really appreciate it, and I will definitely start checking the moisture on my tobacco. I usually prefer a moist aromatic because it seems to smell a bit more sweet. But I am now interested in the twist, and feel its worth a try.
I don't have a clue which tobacco's will darken a meerschaum pipe faster, but I prefer to smoke English blends in mine.
Just from my experience, my English blends seem to color faster than aromatics. But I would suspect the moisture content would play the biggest role. And I also leave the post-smoke residue in the bowl and stem and clean it right before my next smoke.
Happy coloring! :
:
Happy coloring! :
:
condorlover1's reasoning makes sense to me; and Gawith & Hoggarth's twists seem to be moist and oily and full of finger-staining resins, yet they burn quite well. And you don't have to forego pleasant flavoring because they make a black cherry, coconut, and sweet maple twist. Of these, I've had the maple and I can say that it's far, far from an OTC aromatic -- quite pleasant even for the tobacco leaf purist.
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