Meerschaum Questions

[pipeherman]

Greetings chaps,
I have decided over many months of thinking that the next pipe i'm going to add to my collection will be a Meerschaum. My knowledge of Meerschaum pipes is pretty abysmal at the moment so I have a few questions, hoping some of the knowledgeable members can educated me.
1. What is a trusted make or producer of Meerschaum block pipes? (I understand that some Meerschaum pipes are made from the dust collected, and they are by no means as good)

2. What is the difference smoking a meerschaum pipe compared to briar in flavour?

3. Are the cleaning processes any different?
Thank you in advance.

 

[meerqueen]

Hi there,

Just a small note: there is no pressed meerschaum pipe for a long time.but there is low quality block meerschaums around
Regards,

Bahadir

 

[eaglerico]

1) From what I have gathered over reading all the drama in the past years there is a lot of uproar in Turkey over the meerschaum trade. There are many american vendors Online / B&M (many of our site sponsors) that you could by from with no issues. If you try to order directly from a vendor in Turkey...do so at your own risk. I would recommend you buy a new one unless you buy from a reputable estate dealer. Just to prevent you from having to deal with issues that you would otherwise not have to deal with. Smokingpipes.com always has a good deal on estate meers and pipestud, mkelw-pipes and briarblues occasionally get them.
2) The thought is that in a meerschaum, the block does not contribute to the flavor of your smoke. Also, you do not want to let a cake build in a meerschaum, thus this also does not contribute to your smoke. Essentially, it is a more pure smoke. I have a few I smoke regularly and I feel that once the bowl of the meer is coated well from many smokes I think it smokes the same as a briar that is well broken in and well taken care of. If you do not take good care of your briars, you will always get a better smoke out of your meers. This is just my opinion.
3) The maintenance cleaning is very different. After every smoke you want to ream the inside of the bowl with a paper towel to prevent cake from building up. I don't do any complicated figurals, thus after every smoke I polish the outside of the pipe with my t-shirt. Many school will tell you no to handle the meer with your bare hands as it will affect the coloring of the pipe. I think this is a bunch of fuey. It is a pipe, just like any other.
If you get an estate meer, do not do the salt & alcohol treatment. Carefully scrape out any build up and clean them stem like any normal stem. You can clean the inside of the bowl with a barely moist cloth if you need to to help.
Lastly read these article and post from Fred Bass. He used to write article here and is one of the foremost experts in the pipe worl on meerschaums.
http://pipesmagazine.com/blog/put-that-in-your-pipe/slave-to-the-white-goddess/
http://pipesmagazine.com/blog/pipe-collecting/time-travelers/
http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/meerschaum-myths
Hope this helps.

 

[pipeherman]

Thank you, certainly very helpful. I will study the reading, I'd imagine the American vendors which you mentioned ship to europe?

 

[saint007]

I just ordered a new meerchaum directly from Turkey. Are all meers made from block the same quality in terms of quality of smoking?
I am new to meerchaums as I am venturing out from Danish Freehands.

 

[eaglerico]

Sorry I did not know you are in Europe. I think 4noggins ships to europe with no problems. I do not know the major Europeans vendors but I do know we have many members here that are in Europe that can provide you guidance on that. I think if you do some searching you will find an old thread here talking about that very topic.

 

[eaglerico]

I just ordered a new meerchaum directly from Turkey. Are all meers made from block the same quality in terms of quality of smoking?

Below is quotes from Meerqueen from other threads.

From scientific point, Eskisehir has the best meerschaum source in the world.turkish meerschaum is lighter with more porosity. But even in Eskisehir there are 6 different grades of block meerschaum.
The top grade of African meerschaum corresponds to grade 4 of Eskisehir

Nothing else compares with grade 5 or grade 6 of Eskisehir meerschaum.

a few advice you should consider while buying your meerschaum pipe online

- the website should write the dimensions and weight of the pipe

- Please look for lifetime warranty for your meerschaum pipe.(there is only one company gives that though )

- company history

- certificate of authenticity. for example we write "grade of workmanship" and "grade of block" and the "carver name" on the product label.

as meerschaum is a natural filter, it absorbs the nicotine as it does the other odors.

that why we do not recommend to clean your meerschaum pipes with an alcohol.Because meerschaum absorbs this alcohol too so this affects your smoking experience.

 

[jarit]

Here's meerqueen's site: http://www.meerschaumstore.com/

 

[eaglerico]

jarit beet me to to it. I was looking to see where meerqueen was located. I think he will ship to you no problems.

 

[meerqueen]

Hi,
We ship all over the world without any problem since 1963
Jarit and Eaglerico thank you for recommending us.

 

[smokertruck]

I just bought 3 pipes from meerqueen - FL 114 & FL 128 & the third a lesser priced - craftsmanship beautiful ! - the low profile one is DOUBLE wax so must ! be careful not to touch when smoking as the wax is soft - & the color is spectacular - cream - better than site image & the brownish is light for you clenchers - i do not clench as i like to hold the pipe between each puff - & the lesser is nice smoker also for my latakias recommended by some on this site - the 2 fl's the cleaner goes all the way thru into the bowls but not the lower priced due to acute bend - all three no break in time - smoke & the taste is there .
as compared to older pipe cases from decades ago the cases leave much to be desired as cushioning they are just a layer of felt type cloth but the shells are strong -
for shipping each pipe is well ! wrapped in its own several layers of bubble wrap then placed in a ups bag! the only weak link in the shipping sent ups.
i do not use credit cards so they took western union also no problem & tracking no is sent & at the door within 4 days ups. - i am in canada not a shipping issue with them.
emails were answered within 2 days making it easy dealing with them & as soon as they had the money they notified me -

shipped a bit late due to shortage of cases but well worth the wait.
that low profile cream colored i can just sit & look at it as i smoke it - the cream color is rich & the exactness of the lines is totally unbelievable - i smoke hot so i smell the double wax when smoking so must be careful not to touch the meerschaum only the stem. - taste is nice but i have no comparison to others of today's carvers.
buying from meerqueen was a good experience from initial email to today's smokes.
NO I DONT RECEIVE COMMISSION - just enjoy their pipes i bought - even the cheapy.
regards all

 

[saint007]

Have any of you tried using Halcyon II Wax on your Meerchaums? I use it on my briars and it really brings out the luster in the wood with a rich shine. The diretions say that it can be used on meers too.

 

[meerqueen]

@smokertruck thank you for supporting us...
Best Regards,

Bahadir

 

[peter70]

I can only advise, to buy from a reputable source only and prepare to spend some bucks. Only experts can distinguish the quality of Meerschaum and low quality Meerschaum pipes taste like crap. I got a lot of Meerschaum pipes as gifts brought by family and friends from Turkey from the tourist shops and not one of them was smokeable. I dumped every single one of them. They added a chalk like taste to the tobacco, would never break in and did not color at all. Some had even a chemical smell from the bowl, which I didn't even care to try. They went to the dumpster unsmoked. All of them had a bit so thick, I was thinking I have a finger between the teeth.

Before you buy such a Meerschaum, buy a Cob. They are classes better.

 

[saint007]

I wouldn't buy a Meerchaum from anyone but a reputable maker, that is a given. I smoke some very fine briar pipes, mostly Danish but find myself grabbing one of my Meerchaums more and more.
Going to order one from meerqueen next. I just haven't decided which one yet as I will take a couple of weeks to decide. I think of my pipes as being with me forever, kind of like a tattoo. So, I want to make sure I get a design I realy like.

 

[condorlover1]

I purchased one new meerschaum in 1983 from G. Smith & Son on the Charing Cross Road in London. A truly wonderful store that sadly no longer exists. It came in a hard case with a fake amber stem. I still have it and the stem and the bottom half of bowl are a dark brown color. It still smokes very well and I seem to remember it cost me 40 Pounds which was a small fortune in those days. The majority meerschaum pipes I have purchased either through Ebay or through estate sales at an average cost of $60-70 each since I must be the only one who wants to smoke them. I would certainly recommend that to anyone who is serious about becoming a worshiper of Queen Meer! Avoid ones that have been repaired with silver bands as these were usually cemented in place and are apt fall apart after a 100+ years.

 

[livewright]

I just purchased a CAO meerschaum pipe that I could not pass up. It is signed by Beckler, as well, and it appears to be a bust of Johann Sebastian Bach. I have seen another of Bach, and one of Beethoven. But they were a little smaller and the bowl was the complete head. Mine is like the front half of the head. The other side of the bowl is flat, probably due to the size.
I am wondering if anyone can tell me if CAO did a series, by Beckler, of great composers and, if so, how old this may be. I am also wondering where/how I might find out what it could be worth. Any help is appreciated!