Making An Effort To Smoke My Meers

[lawmax3]

Normally I am a briar pipe smoker, but this week I decided to make an effort to smoke my two meerschaum pipes. One is a CAO half bent and the other is an older Vienna meerschaum (Lee Van Cleef style). I primarily smoked the CAO because it is much lighter. I love the look of meers, the variety of carvings etc. and the light weight, not to mention how nicely they tend to color overtime. I really want to like to smoke them. They are just plain cool!

In the past I was never really impressed by the "taste" I got from meerschaums.

When I smoke a meer the taste I seem to encounter is always thin and for lack of a better term "ashy".

Well after a week of smoking them I am still not impressed. I tried with an open mind and several different blends. I just never seem to get the depth of flavor that I get from my briars.

Is there something that I may be doing wrong? Will the meers get any better with more smoking?

Any of you folks have similar experience with the taste?

For now, I guess I am going to remain primarily a briar smoker.

 

[zekest]

Since you never build up cake in a Meerschaum, is it a question of "seasoning" the mineral or material?

 

[lawmax3]

zekest I am not sure if the material will season or not. Good question though.

I know they are not supposed to add any flavors other than the tobacco itself, but the "ashy" taste just doesn't seem normal to me.

 

[kendodan]

I have one Meer and I have found that it smokes aromatics very well. I have tried English blends, VaPers and Burley blends but they don't seem to do so well in a Meer. That's just me though!

 

[mso489]

I'm quite interested to hear from others on this. I have always avoided Meerschaums to avoid a whole new strain of pipe acquisition disorder (PAD). I can tell there are a number of devotees on Forums, and maybe even a few who smoke mostly or exclusively Meerschaum.

 

[saltedplug]

I haven't smoked a meerschaum but nonetheless feel, if in fact a feeling is at all important, that if you don't get a smoking experience in a meer that you get in briar, something large is amiss.

 

[warren]

Meers do indeed "season" if by that you mean gain color through the filling of the material with the residues of the incinerated tobaccos. My meerschaums, I have six, the newest 20 years old, all smoked well from the first bowl. I have absolutely no suggestions as to how you could improve your experiences with meerschaum pipes.

 

[lawmax3]

Update:

I kept working to get a decent smoke from my Meers.

The CAO meer simply would not allow for an acceptable smoke. My only guess is that some wax may have entered the smoking chamber and given the smokes the "ashy" taste. Anyway, I used it for partial trade at an antique shop for a cool 27 inch ripsaw blade for the mancave (with full disclosure of how it smoked, of course. I am an honest guy).

I took the Vienna meershaum and carefully opened up the airway of the stem. That immediately did the trick. Not so good smokes became good ones. The pipe is a little heavy for me, but I am generally happy with it now.

Next, I placed an order for a nice Peterson Baskerville smooth meerschaum. I haven't gotten it yet. Im hoping it is as nice as the photos and lighter than my current meer.

 

[pipejunky]

Meerschaums will really let you taste what the blender has concocted. If you find that what your smoking is thin get something with a little more umph. you'll hit on something that will tweek you and you will have a fulfilling smoke. Your meer's will definitely get better with smoking but you have to clean and keep the air way open and not let it get clogged. And if you switch blends often in the same pipe swab out the stem with Everclear after it cools down that will help with whatever ghost might arise cause there is a lot of taste left in the stem.I have 2 meer' lat blends which definitely no matter how I clean them has a ghost and 2 more that is for aromatics also you can taste whatever I last smoked. I'm not fussy with the coloring part of pipe, smoke it enough and it will color. Smoke the bejesus out of it and it will treat you good.