School Me On Meerschaum

[Masterblaster]

I was thinking about buying my first Meerschaum pipe as a Christmas present to myself this year, and would just like everyone's input on the do's and don'ts with Meerschaum, how to clean them, how to take care of them, can I really smoke bowl after bowl without any ill effects, and the plus and minuses of the different tenon designs, just really want to be informed before I make a purchase.



PS, Does anyone have any experience with Dulger Meerschaum on Ebay, his prices seem reasonable not an eyeballing some of his stuff.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Before you buy one, talk to @didimauw he might have some information that you might want.

I am just starting on my meerschaum journey, and I am not interested in the way they color. I am just exploring the way they make the tobacco taste. I just water rinse mine and reem it with a paper towel and then run a pipecleaner down the shaft.
If mine colors, that's all well and good, but they do deliver a unique taste to the smoking experience.

 

[mikethompson]

There is much debate on Meers, whether you should handle them with or without gloves, clean them with water, how they ghost, pressed vs 'really, etc.

Myself, take care of them like any other and will treat you well. I have an Andreas Bauer that I just love - its my go-to pipe.

I also have a beautiful gifted Meer of about 100 years which has colored magnificently.

 

[isaac]

I smoke them like a briar. In other words I don’t really have any special care other than being carful for dings and dents.

I don’t worry about rewaxing etc. I will try to stay away from the screw in tenons.

 

[didimauw]

I smoke all of my Meerschaums back to back, Handle them all, (sometimes with dirty hands), drop em, and generally abuse the hell out of them.

I prefer the 2 piece threaded tenon style junction. Plus like @Chasing Embers says, if it happens to break at the tenon, you just buy a new tenon. If it's the standard briar push style tenon and it breaks, you are out a lot more money.

They do taste like chalk at first, but i promise it will be worth the struggle.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

They do taste like chalk at first,

You did warn me about this, so I rinsed mine with water a few hours before smoking it, and I didn't notice the mentioned chalk taste. But, my first couple of smokes were the best so far. I could tell that I was tasting just the pure tobacco, and it sparkled with flavor. After that, it starts to dull a little, but its still amazing how they make the tobacco shine. So far, I have been just smoking straight Virginias out of it. I need to get a few more to try burleys. I definitely can see how they can possibly cross contaminate the flavors if used with too many varieties.

 

[didimauw]

You did warn me about this, so I rinsed mine with water a few hours before smoking it, and I didn't notice the mentioned chalk taste. But, my first couple of smokes were the best so far. I could tell that I was tasting just the pure tobacco, and it sparkled with flavor. After that, it starts to dull a little, but its still amazing how they make the tobacco shine. So far, I have been just smoking straight Virginias out of it. I need to get a few more to try burleys. I definitely can see how they can possibly cross contaminate the flavors if used with too many varieties.

I could see how virginias could get dull after a while. Burley are definetly fantastic in a meer, and lately I've been dedicating some of my meers to my few latakia blends. I think that's my favorite combination yet.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I smoke 3 Meers once per day pretty much every day. I treat them the same as Briars, not really practical to do anything different as much as I smoke them. I think the stem may be the most important piece of a pipe as that what you contact. Altinay makes the best stems I have experienced with Meers. Most Meer stems suck. I love my Altinok Meer but I sent it off to Ryan Alden to have a custom stem made. That turned out to be a wise decision.

 

[didimauw]

What kind of price range are you looking at for your first meer?

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

Before you buy one, talk to @didimauw he might have some information that you might want.

I am just starting on my meerschaum journey, and I am not interested in the way they color. I am just exploring the way they make the tobacco taste. I just water rinse mine and reem it with a paper towel and then run a pipecleaner down the shaft.
If mine colors, that's all well and good, but they do deliver a unique taste to the smoking experience.

Same.

 

[dottlejockey]

My best advice is to pack it, smoke it and watch it do it's thing without fuss or muss. Regular maintenance like any other pipe and yes, back to back smoking is the biggest advantage. No soggy pipes!

 

[kcghost]

The best advice is to not treat it like some delicate flower. Put tobacco in it and smoke as you would any pipe. If you feel it needs a cleaning just run some tap water through and follow that with a regular pipe cleaner.

 

[Christos D. Tsatsaronis]

I would suggest a meerschaum pipe that does not have engravings (especially small "holes") on the rim.
Pieces of tobacco can get in there while you smoke and it's a bit annoying, at least for me. On the other hand it's nice as a decoration. As you prefer. Good luck with your choice.

 

[The Libertine]

The only advice I can give is to hold it by the stem and not the bowl to get it to color evenly.

 

[Chasing Embers]

how to clean them, how to take care of them,

Treat them like any other pipe.

can I really smoke bowl after bowl without any ill effects,

You really can with any pipe.

plus and minuses of the different tenon designs

Permanent fittings cost over $100 to repair.

 

[BrightDarkEyes]

There is some good advice here already. I suggest watching Bremen Pipe Smoker‘s video about meerschaum on YouTube. It helped me a lot to hear what he has to say about meerschaum before I owned one.

 

[Masterblaster]

Thank you for all the advice! I did notice alot of remarks about the water flush which I do regularly on my brier pipes but how does alcohol effect Meerschaum? My standerd cleaning routine consists of a bristle, shank brush, and standard pipe cleaners dipped in alcohol then a water flush after the 4th bowl, that might seem excessive but it been working for me to keep a fresh pipe, should that same routine be ok on Meerschaum?

 

[Masterblaster]

What kind of price range are you looking at for your first meer?

275 would be my limit.

 

[sardonicus87]

Only difference between meer and briar, don't be too aggressive with cleaning if you just finished a whole bowl and the pipe is warm... they cut easier when warm and wet. Basically, treat it like any other pipe unless you go ape-fist when cleaning briars, don't do that.

If you get one and are brave enough, try scratching it in some hidden area, will give you an idea of how soft they are.

That said, they're not so fragile that you have to carry them on a feather pillow or something. They're more durable than people give them credit for.

 

[mikethompson]

There is much debate on Meers, whether you should handle them with or without gloves, clean them with water, how they ghost, pressed vs 'really, etc.

Myself, take care of them like any other and will treat you well. I have an Andreas Bauer that I just love - its my go-to pipe.

I also have a beautiful gifted Meer of about 100 years which has colored magnificently.