Is a Meerschaum Worth Picking Up?

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Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
43,248
108,340
Do you flush your meers with water to clean the airway?
Nah, I disassemble them after each smoke, wipe the chamber out with a paper towel and ream any buildup with sandpaper, clean out the mortise with Q-tips, run a bristle pipe cleaner through the stem, and a regular pipe cleaner through the draft hole.
 

Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
43,248
108,340
@timt

Before
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Not smoked for just over two months.
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Now here's the fun part. If I smoke it a few times, the warmth of being smoked returns the wax coloring back to what it was. The black area around the jaw is the internal color starting to show.
 

condorlover1

Lifer
Dec 22, 2013
7,991
26,606
New York
@Chasing Embers is spot on. I cannot really speak for new meerschaum pipes as everything I own is 100+ years old. The older ones turn the 'turd color' even before they get into the hands of myself or @weezell and I am pretty sure the wax has been well and truly burnt off long before either of us were born. I have pipes that are a mahogany color long before they came into my possession and I have had pipes that were on the cusp of coloring and then turned 'brown' over a few months of smoking and I have the odd Victorian pipe that just refuses to color. I can post pictures if anyone is interested. Unlike @Chasing Embers I don't dismantle my pipes as the wear and tear on old threaded meerschaum stems can be fatal. I find a soft pipe cleaner of the type used in the modeling world and sold in craft shops works well and I don't water flush my pipes either, just scrape the bowl every now and then with an iron bladed pen knife. Again this is no criticism of another fellows pipe cleaning regime but based on my own view that old pipes tend not to respond well to being treated like an AR-7 folding rifle due to the fragile nature of the stems, bone tenons and lord knows what else but as I have said its all a matter of personal preference.
 

anotherbob

Lifer
Mar 30, 2019
15,675
29,391
45
In the semi-rural NorthEastern USA
I've been looking at a really nice bent billiard AKB with a orange stem, it is a bit more expensive than any other of my briar pipes that I have bought, but a meerschaum seems like a nice change.

Do you have anything to convince me or dissuade me to buy it?
honestly I could take or leave meer. Glad I have two but while different, not enough so to rave about it and they're my least smoked pipes. One because I like my briars better and the other because it's too nice to smoke casually. But I'd say pick up a cob first if you have not. Or in other words you need to get one it's imperative however there is zero reason to rush unless that particular pipe really speaks to you.
 

anotherbob

Lifer
Mar 30, 2019
15,675
29,391
45
In the semi-rural NorthEastern USA
Tough decision you are handing off to the general membership. rotf If you want one, buy one! I smoke them exclusively in the house because I can.

As meers soak up the residues of blends which have been smoked in the bowl, they ghost just like any permeable material. A briar with a thin coat of "cake" probably ghosts less than any often used material. A cob may be the most likely to ghost. I submit many smokers do not possess the palate to detect ghosting when smoking a different blend. Only a thought though. No need for the discerning to get their panties in a bunch.
what I've noticed is the initial ghost is harder as in more present but also goes away faster. A briar ghost is more subtle but stays around longer.
 

monty55

Lifer
Apr 16, 2014
1,722
3,560
65
Bryan, Texas
Other than aesthetics, I don't notice much difference from a briar but I do like how they feel in hand. They're also light in the pocket when I take them to work.

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I love your collection brother. Although I would disagree that there is no difference smoking them. I find briar pipes do have a distinct flavor, as well as cobs... a meer on the other hand tastes like nothing short of the blend you burn in it... IMHO
 

timt

Lifer
Jul 19, 2018
2,844
22,729
honestly I could take or leave meer. Glad I have two but while different, not enough so to rave about it and they're my least smoked pipes.
We all have different tastes as to what we find appealing. Personally, I like things that develop character through time and use. Sure briars will develop a patina over time, especially unfinished briar but nothing like a meer. Heck, I even find a heavily smoked cob more interesting than most briars.
 

Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
43,248
108,340
How long does it take to smoke a full bowl?
The bowl is quite large but the chamber is just magnum sized like many of my pipes. If I smoke them consecutively, around 3 hours or on an off all day.

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I find briar pipes do have a distinct flavor, as well as cobs... a meer on the other hand tastes like nothing short of the blend you burn in it...
Once broken in, unless ghosted, I find no flavor contribution from any pipe. I do find that a meerschaum's chalk flavor takes longer to dispel than the wood taste of a briar. Cobs fell out of favor with me until I find another manufacturer.