I have two one has cracked. I had it banded and that has slowed down crack growth but not arrested it. I find that Morta is more neutral than Briar, not as neutral as Meerschaum. I won't be adding more Morta pipes to my collection.
Your Opinions on Morta
- Thread starter Peterson314
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I don't know if this is a 'hot take' or not, but: I find briar to be the worst tasting of the lot. I think the happenstance of tradition has made it the de facto material pipes are made from, but corncobs, meerschaums, and mortas all taste 'better' or in the case of the two latter pipes more neutral than a briar.
I prefer pure virginias in a fresh cob and latakia blends in morta pipes.
Or you could just read this article found after a intensive 8 second search.
An In-Depth Guide to Morta Tobacco Pipes | Smokingpipes.com
Learn more about one of pipe-making's lesser known hardwoods in this in-depth guide to morta tobacco pipes.www.smokingpipes.com
I love Truett (both his writing and him on those silly YouTube videos) but maybe OP was looking for a more honest source than 'man who works for tobacco/pipe selling website imploring you to buy more pipes'.
Clay is also more neutral...
Morta didn't work for me, almost tasteless with my latakia blends. Maybe I didn't give them a long enough opportunity.
Wow, really? I'd like to hear more about. Haven't tried one yet but I've heard they smoke hot, comparitavely. Which seems to make sense. What made you decide to hoe that row?@PipeIT I only smoke clays
@halfdan I certainly know you only smoke clays.
@obc83 I’m not sure if he mentioned it, but knowing halfdan around here, let me see if I get it right.
I believe it’s because he loves Old England, the days of the Red Coats, and maybe even further back, to the days of Knights and Old, a day pretty much when Clays were the tradition.
Oh, and clays are inexpensive and neutral tasting, so you get a pure tobacco taste, so I’m sure this is also a big reason too.
Did I get it right @halfdan?
I've never tried one. But I do know @cosmicfolklore has had bad luck with em.
I don't like the idea or look of em.
I don't like the idea or look of em.
Yeh, mine burned out first smoke. Slow and cool didn't seem to matter. I think @georged can better explain why many mortas are just a risky gamble.
My replacement morta just sets on a rack looking pretty.
My first few mortas were Morettis - because I liked their looks and the price was right.
And Marco was a gentleman and very easy to work with.
After that I did a lot of legwork researching other morta workers and picked the ones whose work and work ethic I liked
There were a couple of brands I was attracted to, but very pleased I didn’t buy based on reviews and complaints from dissatisfied owners
As mentioned the only pipe I had issues with (very early burn spots) was a Moretti light coloured morta.
Entirely my fault as I specifically requested a light coloured morta.
I have bought 2 other light coloured mortas as gifts. No complaints from their owners
And Marco was a gentleman and very easy to work with.
After that I did a lot of legwork researching other morta workers and picked the ones whose work and work ethic I liked
There were a couple of brands I was attracted to, but very pleased I didn’t buy based on reviews and complaints from dissatisfied owners
As mentioned the only pipe I had issues with (very early burn spots) was a Moretti light coloured morta.
Entirely my fault as I specifically requested a light coloured morta.
I have bought 2 other light coloured mortas as gifts. No complaints from their owners
This is just an observation of some of the pictures posted as I've never gotten a close-up look at a Morta.
In some of the Pics the grain of the wood looks a little different. It appears, to me, that sometimes the rings of grain are somewhat eroded away. Could it be some form of Rustication?
Maybe it is just the picture, or the way it was made...Does anyone else see the variation in the grain?
In some of the Pics the grain of the wood looks a little different. It appears, to me, that sometimes the rings of grain are somewhat eroded away. Could it be some form of Rustication?
Maybe it is just the picture, or the way it was made...Does anyone else see the variation in the grain?
Love my Morta pipes. They smoke just as well as briar to me and there is no discernable flavor or break in taste like some mention.
Maybe I was just lucky, but I reach for them just as often as my other pipes. They also do not seem to ghost as easily as briar.
This is my favorite that I own:
Maybe I was just lucky, but I reach for them just as often as my other pipes. They also do not seem to ghost as easily as briar.
This is my favorite that I own:
I really like my Moretti Morta. I don’t have many Morta pipes but from what I can tell Moretti’s mortas are the best bang for your buck.
@PipeIT You certainly did!@halfdan I certainly know you only smoke clays.
@obc83 I’m not sure if he mentioned it, but knowing halfdan around here, let me see if I get it right.
I believe it’s because he loves Old England, the days of the Red Coats, and maybe even further back, to the days of Knights and Old, a day pretty much when Clays were the tradition.
Oh, and clays are inexpensive and neutral tasting, so you get a pure tobacco taste, so I’m sure this is also a big reason too.
Did I get it right @halfdan?
@obc83 I'd seen re-enactors smoking them at living history events. Yes they do smoke hot so don't puff too hard
The Josef Prammer in post #18 was the one I was thinking about
It is the rustication! It looks so intricate, I thought it may have been natural to the grain itself.
My eyes must have been playing tricks on me, so pardon me for any confusion.
Yup. No rustication on the Prammer
Just a smooth finish
The Reiner Thilo (post #18) has the deepest sandblast I’ve seen on a morta