Meerschaum Pipes

[tomsmithusa]

I have never smoked a Meerschaum pipe.
A comment on another thread prompts me to ask, are Meerschaum's much different than briar pipes for drying out between smokes?
.

 

[sixmp]

You don't have to rest Meerschaum pipes. Just let them cool, reload and smoke. I have a few and i do let them rest here and there. If i see moisture in the bowl after the usual dry time then i will give the pipe a day off.

 

[baronsamedi]

Same here.

 

[keith929]

A smoke in a meerschaum pipe vs briar is almost impossible to describe at least for me . The best I can come up with is it's like the difference between the air on a summer night in August and a crisp October morning. ::

 

[lankfordjl]

From a quality meer, you'll have a flavor intensive, dry smoke. They're "low maintenance" pipes; no rest, no cake necessary, and wipe bowl clean after each use. Many meers are works of art as well!

 

[fireman03]

As a newbie who is struggling on breaking in his briar, I would say start with a meer, or a least a broke in briar. My briar smokes wet everytime, irregardless of tobacco or tempo. I have yet to get to the bottom of a bowl. It's too wet to stay lit. I have a meer on the way from Storient and it cant get here soon enough. My briar is a Sav Florence.

 

[captainprophesy]

I like Meers allot ... I only own two cheapy ones, but even they smoke great... I really want the Storient PM2012 that Baron and a few others have... Talk about a simple yet beautiful pipe.

 

[bigvan]

Respectfully, Fireman, if you can't finish a bowl because it's too wet it's probably not the pipe.
Pack better, smoke slower.
Meers have their strong points, but they don't perform miracles.

 

[barkar]

There is no "down time" with a meer. Run a pipe cleaner through it and wipe the bowl once in a while.

 

[gwtwdbss]

fireman03 I would also increase the drying time of your baccy, especially if you smoking moist flakes or aro's.
I certainly like my meers but I sometimes I prefer the briar. It all depends on what I am smoking or what mood I am in. Everybody should own at least one meer IMHO.

 

[nsfisher]

Meers have their strong points, but they don't perform miracles

Exactly right mate. They are good, but you still must learn all the above.

 

[tomsmithusa]

fireman03 --
Maybe your tobacco is too wet? Probably not by your description, but, just in case . . .
If you lift a clump of it, say 4” - 6” in the air and drop it back down, if it stays together, then it’s too wet. It should separate a little.

If too wet – let it air out.

If too dry – it’ll flake apart with the same 4” – 6” drop test.

If too dry, you can simply add a few drops of water and the moisture will even out after a few hours, or you can mist it if you have a hand sprayer.
It's probaby this . . . the bottom of your new pipe has never developed a cake: let your pipe rest and dry out a few days, then smoke a bottom third or half of your bowl, allowing a cake to build up on the lower portion of the bowl, too – and when you finish your smoke, you can remove the dottle and ash, then drop the ash back in and swirl it along the bottom, aiding in building up the cake. Let dry, repeat enough til the cake looks even in the bowl.
Once you have an even build up in the bowl and the right moisture in the tobacco, it should burn fine.

 

[tomsmithusa]

I appreciate the comments – I am surprised there is no cake and you literally “wipe the inside of the bowl” – back down to the meerschaum’s surface? That’s my biggest surprise, and that it does not need days drying out like the briars do.
The second, one, and keith’s description and these other tips push me over the edge to try one:

keith929 -- A smoke in a meerschaum pipe vs briar is almost impossible to describe at least for me . The best I can come up with is it's like the difference between the air on a summer night in August and a crisp October morning.

And

lankfordjl From a quality meer, you'll have a flavor intensive, dry smoke.

How can you resist depictions like thos and above?
Thank you, all, and, as a long-time pipe smoker, this is new territory for me. Ha! All this time and I had no idea there'd be such a difference between the maintenance and the quality of the smoke.

 

[fireman03]

Great advice guys. Being my only pipe at the moment, I am not giving my briar the proper resting time. Nor do I have any cake at the bottom my bowl, all adding to my wet pipe woes. For these reasons alone, it would have been better for me start with a meer so I could focus more on my smoking techniques. Am I correct in thinking that starting with a meer takes the headacheout of breaking in a new pipe, which can be overwhelming for a newbie like me?
On a side note, I have since ordered a bag of the MM seconds and have a meer on the way. So hopefully, then, I can start doing things the right way.
Thanks again for the input. Pipe smoking has been quite the challenge, and I love a good challenge. :wink:
And.... We can put a man on the moon and have humans skydive from 24 miles up, yet we can make a miracle pipe? Come on people, where are our priorities!!! Lol

 

[nsfisher]

Takes time mate. When I first started smoking a pipe 17 yrs ago, I had one pipe, a cheapie Medico and one type of baccy, Green Sail. There was not much available in Rural Nova Scotia. An old Guy up the road from me smoked a Medico and Sail so I figured it was the way to go. Long story short, my mouth and tounge was on fire and dead for about the first 6 Months. Had I known of a place, or Forum such as this, It would not have taken me 15 yrs to make the change from cigs. to pipe, full time.

 

[bigvan]

Breaking in a briar pipe is FAR from "overwhelming". You may be over thinking it, fireman.

 

[fireman03]

I guarantee I am overthinking it. I think that's been my problem so far with pipe smoking. I am starting to get to the point where I don't worry as much about relights, packing, etc and just enjoy the tobacco. Now if I can just get to the bottom of the damn bowl!

 

[sixmp]

@fireman03 one of the less mentioned things about preventing a wet smoke is to keep the bit as dry as possible.

Don't rest it on any part of your mouth. Keep lips dry.

Sometimes my mouth will be watering quite a lot due to the flavor and i find i have to spit or take a drink to calm it down.

 

[gwtwdbss]

Those MM's and Meer will help to rest that Briar for sure. +1 on both of those scores!

 

[tomsmithusa]

fireman03 – another possibility for your pipe going out in the lower half of your bowl is not tamping. The heat and burn down separate the tobacco and so it goes out – sort of like a campfire, if you push the logs apart, the campfire will go out.
When you first light the pipe, the heat expands and immediately separates the tobacco, so it needs tamping right away, then every few minutes as you smoke. You’d tamp about with same pressure and a bit more as you would press keys on a computer keyboard.
You don’t want to press down so hard as to put the embers out or interfere with your draw.
***
This pipe stuff is a shade less complicated than running a nuclear reactor. I read somewhere that in the England of the 1600s – 1700s (I forget the exact dates and it was a small reference), secondary schools had classes on how to smoke a pipe.