Meerschaum Dilutes Flavor?

[Chasing Embers]

My meerachaum has very thick walls, so maybe it's going to take a long time for a seal to form?

Nah, you just have to blacken the chamber. Even this one only took around a dozen smokes.

 

[MisterBadger]

Never had that problem as the 'dead dudes' who were the previous owners of most of my pipes in the 19th century has done all the work for me. I have not smoked a new meerschaum since the early 1990s and that one I gave that away to some guy from Georgia called 'Eric' who used to post on here. My advice for what its worth is buy something that is ancient and your problems are solved!

- From my (far less extensive) experience, I second this. I have four estate Meerschaums and they all smoke well, with no noticeable muting of flavour or intensity of smoke, compared with my briars.

 

[fishmansf]

Got a question for you guys about meerschaum's effect on the taste of tobacco.

It's often said that a meer allows for a much cleaner or "pure" tasting smoke than briar. But do any of you find that it makes the baccy taste diluted, or weaker than a briar pipe does?

I'm breaking in my first meerschaum and so far every bowl tastes very watered down, the way an ultralight cigarette tastes as compared to a full-flavored. It's enough to ruin the experience for me. If I had to put a figure on it, I'd say it seems like 40% of the taste is lost.

Is this typical of smoking a new meer? Someone told me that once the bowl has been blackened with a thin carbon film this taste loss should go away. Any truth to this?

I wouldn't say it dilutes it but I think since it is ultra absorbent, it absorbs a lot of the steam that would otherwise carry subtle flavors. The briar does a good job at preserving that steam (sometimes to its detriment with a wet smoke) and adding a bit of flavor. I would quote Mark from BremenPipeSmoker by describing it as "a very precise smoke", meaning, you really only get the flavor of the tobacco but nothing else; not from the steam, not from tars, just the pure flavor of a combusting leaf. I do get a bit of a chalky taste when I first break in a meer but once I get the inside coated with all the goodies the combusting leaf provides as a byproduct, that taste goes away.

 

[fishmansf]

Nah, you just have to blacken the chamber. Even this one only took around a dozen smokes.

View attachment 345642

I have never seen a meer that big in my life, is that like a three hour smoke???

 

[Chasing Embers]

I have never seen a meer that big in my life, is that like a three hour smoke???

4-5 at one sitting. A couple of days on and off. It represents my preferred pipe size like this one.


My pipe photos my look small by themselves but many of them are very large.

 

[Searock Fan]

Got a question for you guys about meerschaum's effect on the taste of tobacco.

It's often said that a meer allows for a much cleaner or "pure" tasting smoke than briar. But do any of you find that it makes the baccy taste diluted, or weaker than a briar pipe does?

I'm breaking in my first meerschaum and so far every bowl tastes very watered down, the way an ultralight cigarette tastes as compared to a full-flavored. It's enough to ruin the experience for me. If I had to put a figure on it, I'd say it seems like 40% of the taste is lost.

Is this typical of smoking a new meer? Someone told me that once the bowl has been blackened with a thin carbon film this taste loss should go away. Any truth to this?

Give it time....

 

[geoffreybeene]

I got a new meer this year and the first 5-10 bowls were definitely a bit muted. Once the inside is darkened up it should be fine. As others have said.

Now mine is my most smoked pipe and probably my favorite go-to, much to the chagrin of all the briars in my pipe drawer.