Smoking Briar vs Meerschaum Pipes

[warren]

Two different materials, obviously, which I smoke as the same, for the most part. The difference, for me, is the coloring of the meer. So, I smoke meers almost exclusively in the house and on the deck. They'll take abuse tolerably well but, the coloring goal and appearence of the mineral are a concern. So, meers get coddled a bit.

I treat my briars as tools. I keep them clean but, am not too concerned with appearence. The meers? Well, I'm smoking them for the nicotine, same as the briar or corn cob. But, the external appearence is a bit more of a concern with the meer for me. That's the only real difference between the materials for me.

 

[Grangerous]

Allow to cake?
Wet paper towel and sandpaper?

Having seen @didimauw’s epic, old school cakes and now knowing of his fondness for Meers - I’ll assume him among the “build-a-cake in Meer” group.

@chasingembers possibly in the “keep-it-clean & bright”

What’s best? Two criteria

Best for Flavor
Best for Coloring

On edit. I own only one Meer, a Pioneer stone-like meer, not the Turkish. I’m considering purchasing a high quality brand new Meer and putting it thru it’s paces.

 

[didimauw]

Allow to cake?
Wet paper towel and sandpaper?

Having seen @didimauw’s epic, old school cakes and now knowing of his fondness for Meers - I’ll assume him among the “build-a-cake in Meer” group.

@chasingembers possibly in the “keep-it-clean & bright”

What’s best? Two criteria

Best for Flavor
Best for Coloring

On edit. I own only one Meer, a Pioneer stone-like meer, not the Turkish. I’m considering purchasing a high quality brand new Meer and putting it thru it’s paces.

Yes u need to. Dedicate the new meer to Granger!

 

[badbriar]

Speaking of dedicating a pipe to a particular blend or genre - better to dedicate a particular favorite blend than dedicate to a style? For example, if you smoke solely lat blends in a meer, would that affect different blends, or allow each to shine as they are blended to be? Am I making sense here?

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

Interestingly, the IMP I bought really didn’t seem to need much for break in, the commission was chalky kind of “ick” for a short time. I clean them the same as a briar - wipe with damp paper towel. I don’t enjoy mine often enough to worry about the coloring.

I may experiment with the “washer” in the bottom - look up @Chasing Embers on that and reasons what and ….. you won’t see “clean and bright”.

 

[metalheadycigarguy]

I smoke meerschaum pipes mainly, as they're the largest part of my pipe collection; however I do enjoy my briars and my cobs. If I'm smoking an OTC or burley blend then I smoke them in a cob as I find that they are more enjoyable in a cob for my tastes. As for my Virginia blends or English/Balkan blends, I enjoy them in either briar or meerschaum. Though I've found certain blends smoke better in a certain pipe, I mainly smoke from my meers. I've just come to prefer the smoking experience from my meers, plus I enjoy watching them color over time.

One advantage to smoking meerschaum pipes, is that they don't require a resting period; though, I think briar pipes don't need to be rested as much as others believe, but at some point, will require a rest depending on how much you're smoking the pipe. Meers don't have that issue.

As for cleaning a briar as compared to a meerschaum pipe; it's the same process for me. After I'm done smoking, I dump out any ash/dottle, and run a pipe cleaner down the shank and in the bowl. Sometimes I'll clean the bowl out with a paper towel. If I get some cake building in my meers, I'll use a dull knife to gently scrape out any cake build up.

As for ghosting, I've never had an issue with my meers ghosting. Depending on your beliefs, some say that meers don't ghost, though I imagine you could get a meer to ghost depending on what you're smoking and how often you're smoking said blend. I did have an estate briar that came with a ghost, and after multiple salt treatments, and cleanings I could not get rid of the ghost. I eventually moved it along noting that it had a ghost, so the next person wouldn't be caught off guard by the ghost like I was.

 

[Chasing Embers]

keep-it-clean & bright

For some reason my pipes just won't build cake so I've forsake cleaning save dumping the contents and blowing out the stem. After seeing centuries old heavily colored meerschaums with thick cake, I'm in the camp of the dirtier the better for coloring.

 

[Grangerous]

For some reason my pipes just won't build cake so I've forsake cleaning save dumping the contents and blowing out the stem. After seeing centuries old heavily colored meerschaums with thick cake, I'm in the camp of the dirtier the better for coloring.

I have an old meer- lined Grabow. It’s conical. A Dublin. It developed a very thin, hard glossy cake. I didn't do anything differently to create that. Odd how different surfaces react.

I had a Briar that did the same. I wish I knew the way to recreate that. (That briar broke in my pocket walking the dog.)

Not the typical undesirable soft, cake. Almost like a hard spit-shined boot. It would polish up each time I wiped out the bowl.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I have an old meer- lined Grabow. It’s conical. A Dublin. It developed a very thin, hard glossy cake. I didn't do anything differently to create that. Odd how different surfaces react.

I had a Briar that did the same. I wish I knew the way to recreate that. (That briar broke in my pocket walking the dog.)

Not the typical undesirable soft, cake. Almost like a hard spit-shined boot. It would polish up each time I wiped out the bowl.

My big Kenan skull is like that. Sort of like black porcelain.

 

[TheWhale13]

You definetly can build a real cake in a meer, which I think I have posted photos of. But it recquires some time. If you don't wipe the ashes out and just blow out the stem, it will eventually build cake. When you first get a meer though, it might seem as if they never build cake. It takes some time for it to stick.

 

[Chasing Embers]

You definetly can build a real cake in a meer, which I think I have posted photos of. But it recquires some time. If you don't wipe the ashes out and just blow out the stem, it will eventually build cake. When you first get a meer though, it might seem as if they never build cake. It takes some time for it to stick.

You have my sincerest envy. I can't even get cake to build in briars. I'm thinking I may smoke too slowly. Even the oldest new briar I got in '92 shows little sign of it and I've never used a reamer or sandpaper on pipes I've bought unsmoked.

The briar from '92.


This fellow didn't get this dark from seldom smoking it since 2020.


But little to no buildup and I can't blacken a meerschaum rim to save my life.


I have noticed that wet aromatics dissolve what buildup I've had though.

 

[LeafErikson]

You have my sincerest envy. I can't even get cake to build in briars. I'm thinking I may smoke too slowly. Even the oldest new briar I got in '92 shows little sign of it and I've never used a reamer or sandpaper on pipes I've bought unsmoked.

The briar from '92.
View attachment 272893

This fellow didn't get this dark from seldom smoking it since 2020.
View attachment 272894

But little to no buildup and I can't blacken a meerschaum rim to save my life.
View attachment 272895

I have noticed that wet aromatics dissolve what buildup I've had though.

Consider yourself lucky. The battering back of cake in the meers is a constant battle for me.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Consider yourself lucky. The battering back of cake in the meers is a constant battle for me.

My idea that cake is how the antique meerschaum is so heavily colored. I can just never get it to develop. As much as I smoke, I should have chambers full of it.

 

[didimauw]

My idea that cake is how the antique meerschaum is so heavily colored. I can just never get it to develop. As much as I smoke, I should have chambers full of it.

I've noticed that not only does Carter hall build cake extremely fast, but that all of the burley blends I smoke by C &D seemingly don't build cake at all.

Less additives, less cake?

 

[LeafErikson]

Meerschaum is better than briar. There I said it.

 

[LeafErikson]

I've noticed that not only does Carter hall build cake extremely fast, but that all of the burley blends I smoke by C &D seemingly don't build cake at all.

Less additives, less cake?

I almost exclusively smoke c&d blends in my altinay pipe and it builds cake kind’ve slowly. But, it’s such a hard cake that the only way to get all of it out safely is to sand it. I just end up leaving a thin layer.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Meerschaum is better than briar. There I said it.

With hundreds of deposits around the world, you'd think more carvers were using it. I do enjoy the novelty of owning and smoking meerschaum pipes but really find no material better than another.

 

[LeafErikson]

With hundreds of deposits around the world, you'd think more carvers were using it. I do enjoy the novelty of owning and smoking meerschaum pipes but really find no material better than another.

The only nice briars I own are Savinellis and they smoke as well as my meers. Most briars don't smoke as cool and dry as meers in my opinion. I'm just more of a meerschaum guy. At least at the moment haha.

 

[Chasing Embers]

The only nice briars I own are Savinellis and they smoke as well as my meers. Most briars don't smoke as cool and dry as meers in my opinion. I'm just more of a meerschaum guy. At least at the moment haha.

I need to get a catlinite block.

 

[Grangerous]

I need to get a catlinite block.

Ctlinite Block has been known to explode. (Here we go )

I had to look that one up. Native Americans carve that stone into jewelry and it polishes to a deep red.

A Pipe?