Today, briar is the go-to choice for pipe makers and pipe smokers in the world of pipes. Yet, briar is a relatively new pipe and material. Clay and meerschaum pipes predate briar by a few hundred years. Briar only landed on the pipe makers’ desk in the mid-1800s. Meerschaum is still the most common historical material today, and artisans carve most pipes in Turkey.
Besides being historically significant, meerschaum pipes also hold an air of mystery. Intricate designs range from fanciful animals to detailed faces to everyday scenes—something for everyone. If an artisan could dream it, they could carve it. These pipes still captivate the attention of pipe smokers around the globe. The pipes are carved from a unique mineral prized for its absorbent qualities without changing the taste of your tobacco.
We will provide guidelines on how to get a new pipe, break it in, maintain it, and care for your prized pipe.
A Lil’ Bit of History
The name meerschaum is derived from two German words: “meer” (sea) and “schaum” (foam). Translation: “sea foam.” Some smokers poetically refer to meerschaum pipes as “the white goddess,” and it is easy to see why. Meerschaum is world-renowned for its extraordinary attributes in pipe crafting and smoking.
Dating back to the 18th century, Meerschaum pipes have long held a place of reverence and admiration. During the nineteenth century, these pipes reached their peak. European bourgeoisie, nobles, and aristocrats regarded these pipes as luxurious and of refined taste. Most often, the pipes were furnished with silver lids and mountings. The pipes were equipped with long, carved wooden stems to deliver smoke at the optimal temperature, finishing the picture of refinement.
The source of Meerschaum, also known as sepiolite block, lies in the plains of Eskisehir, Turkey. Highly skilled artisans carve cut and meerschaum blocks into intricate yet functional art pieces.
Types of Meerschaum: Buyer Beware
The best quality natural meerschaum originates from the deposits near Ekisher in Turkey. Artisans craft their masterpieces directly on-site from cut blocks of Meerschaum because Turkey has banned block export of this natural mineral.
As the block and name suggest, Pressed Meerschaum is inferior in quality to the natural raw material. Leftover Meerschaum is washed, ground, mixed with a light, neutral binder, and pressed into blocks. These blocks are processed and carved like the rest of their natural counterparts.
Amboseli meerschaum is mined in Tanzania, but the quality is generally lower when compared to its lighter Turkish cousin. It is lighter and lacks Turskish meerschaum’s natural porousness and light absorbency.
Unfortunately, the eye and the smoker all meerschaum pipes look identical to the untrained smoker. Always buy a meerschaum pipe from a trusted tobacconist to ensure you get the real deal. If you’re interested in buying a meerschaum pipe online, follow this link.
Choosing and Preparing a Meerschaum Pipe
Let us begin our journey by selecting and preparing your prized Meerschaum pipe. Acquiring the highest quality Meerschaum pipe transcends choosing an instrument. It is akin to picking a masterpiece. Prioritize pipes carved from top-tier Meerschaum to ensure an unparalleled experience. After acquiring your selected pipe, clean and season it before your inaugural smoke. Cleansing and cleaning your pipe before breaking it in is essential to eliminate impurities and help you develop that sought-after patina. Delicately handling Meerschaum is imperative, as its nature demands a gentle touch.
Do’s and Don’ts
Please don’t buy Meerschaum pipes made from pressed blocks. The crucial factor in buying a Meerschaum pipe is the quality of the block from which it’s crafted. Meerschaum pipes available for sale are typically made from blocks sourced from Turkey or, less commonly nowadays, Africa due to mine closures.
Blocks mined at greater depths, often 200 feet or more, are of exceptionally high quality, while those nearer the surface are of lower quality. The pressed block, which you should avoid, is created from lower-quality Meerschaum chips, dust, and a binding agent.
Pipes made from pressed blocks lack the desired porosity. To illustrate this, try applying moisture to both a high-quality and a low-quality Meerschaum pipe simultaneously. The high-quality one will absorb it completely, while the low-quality one will leave moisture on the surface.
Always check the dimensions and weight before making a Meerschaum pipe purchase, especially if you buy online. The Meerschaum smoking experience depends on the comfort and fit of the pipe in your hands.
If the pipe is too large or too small when it arrives, you might use it less than you’d like. Check the website to ensure your new pipe will meet your preferences in size and weight. If you are still waiting for this information, contact the seller before buying your pipe.
Opting for a larger pipe over a smaller one is generally advisable. Larger pipes are easier to fill and clean and can hold more tobacco, providing a more extended smoking experience. However, be mindful not to go to extremes like the oversized pipe in the image above—moderation is key!
Best Practices: Smoking Meerschaum Pipes
This section will delve into the best practices and provide guidelines to help you experience the best smoking experience.
Breaking your New Pipe In
The glorious day has dawned! You’ve got a brand new meerschaum pipe in your hands. But what do you think you should do next? While there are various theories on how to break in a pipe, we’ll guide you through the method most pipe smokers recommend.
1. Gradual Introduction: Your first few smoking sessions with the new pipe shouldn’t involve filling the bowl; instead, opt for half-full bowls. The goal here is to develop what’s known as the ‘cake,’ a protective layer on the bottom half of the bowl. For the initial five or six smokes, load the bowl halfway with tobacco, applying even pressure without compressing it too much, and smoke it down to the bottom. Smoking it all the way down is crucial because an uncharred section at the base of the bowl can lead to an uneven smoking experience.
2. Patience is Key: Allow a 48-hour resting period for your pipe between these initial smokes. Cleaning the pipe should also be avoided until it has completely cooled down. The carbon layer that begins to form after smoking is delicate initially and can be easily removed if you attempt to clean the pipe while it’s still warm. Cooling it down properly enables the carbonized layer to bond more securely to the bowl’s interior.
3. Full-Bowl Smoking: After those initial five or six half-bowl smokes, you can start filling the bowl when smoking the pipe. However, it’s crucial to smoke these bowls at least halfway down, ensuring that the ‘cake’ on the upper part of the bowl overlaps with the layer already formed on the bottom half of the pipe.
4. Cake Management: At this stage, it’s essential to manage the thickness of the carbon cake as it continues to develop. It could block the air hole if it becomes too thick, leading to an uneven burn. This process is known as reaming, and the ideal thickness for the cake layer is approximately 1/16th of an inch. Some smokers disagree and advise against building up a carbon cake. It is up to you (and your pipe) to find whether this works for you or not.
5. Types of Bowl Finishes: It’s worth noting that there are generally two types of finishes found inside the bowls of new pipes: naked and pre-carbonized. The former is entirely clean, while the latter already has a thin carbon cake inside the bowl, making forming a good ‘cake easier.’ Proper care can help your pipe last a lifetime; breaking it correctly is the first step toward achieving that goal.
Breaking in your pipe is part of the journey. If you follow these steps, you’ll ensure many years of happy smoking pleasure.
What’s the Advantages of Breaking In Your Pipe?
The last thing you want to do is undo all the hard work after your pipe is finally ready to smoke. But what are the advantages of this process, you ask? You will reap the following benefits:
- Build-Up a Carbonized Layer for Protection: Breaking in a new pipe involves creating a carbonized layer inside the bowl, known as ‘cake.’ This layer acts as a protective shield for the pipe’s material during smoking, preventing damage from intense heat. It’s similar to the refractory brick in a furnace, allowing the pipe to withstand high temperatures.
- Avoid a ‘Sour Pipe’: Smoking tobacco in a new pipe can produce sugars and juices as byproducts. Without the carbon layer, these substances may reach your mouth and taste unpleasant. The ‘cake’ absorbs these juices, ensuring you enjoy the genuine flavors of your chosen tobacco blend. It also promotes a smooth, even burn, enhancing the overall pipe smoking experience.
- Remove Manufacturing Stains: New pipes might have residual staining from the manufacturing process, potentially affecting the smoke’s taste. Properly breaking the pipe in by developing the carbon layer helps burn off these stains, ensuring a clean and untainted smoking experience.
Selecting the Right Tobacco
With your Meerschaum pipe primed and ready, choosing the perfect tobacco companion has come. Meerschaum pipes are celebrated for their ability to accentuate the tobacco’s nuances, so you must choose them carefully. Opt for tobacco blends harmonizing with the best practices of smoking meerschaum pipe’s inherent smoking characteristics.
Factors such as moisture content, cut, and flavor profiles come into play. Strive for a non-moist tobacco to avoid moisture-related issues during smoking. Equally important is ensuring compatibility between the chosen tobacco blend and the Meerschaum pipe’s refined essence.
As you explore the delicate art of Meerschaum pipe smoking, you’ll need to critically choose the right pipe tool, tobacco, and pipe cleaners.
Meerschaum pipes boast unique qualities that shape the smoking experience. Renowned for its neutral taste, Meerschaum lets the pipe smoker thoroughly savor the tobacco’s essence. Meerschaum pipes are the gift that keeps giving, so pipe smokers choose tobaccos with intricate flavor profiles.
Before we continue, you might find it rewarding to read our previous post about tobacco blends here.
Virginia Tobaccos: Among the finest partners for Meerschaum pipes are Virginia Tobaccos. Virginia’s mild and nuanced flavors seamlessly integrate with Meerschaum’s characteristics. Virginia tobaccos offer an expansive array of taste experiences, ranging from citrusy and grassy to naturally sweet and tangy. The Meerschaum’s capacity to absorb and enhance these flavors transforms each smoking session into a delight for the senses.
Oriental and English Blends: Devotees of Oriental and English blends discover an ideal canvas in the chamber of the mouth of their Meerschaum pipes. The Meerschaum’s neutrality serves as a harmonious backdrop, allowing the intricate dance of Perique, Latakia, Turkish, and Virginia tobaccos to shine. Each layer will get a chance to shine and delight your palate.
A word of caution: avoid oily tobaccos like Ten Russians, Penzance, and Gaslight. I hear you cry out that you love them and cannot live without them! Fear not; these are fine to smoke in your briar pipe, but the oils will eventually clog the porous stone in meerschaum pipes. Why is that bad? Because when the stone becomes blocked, it cannot disperse heat, and you’ll never have a nice cool smoke again. Tongue burn galore and over-heated smoke are your future, I’m afraid.
Aromatic Tobaccos: Aromatic tobaccos are another avenue to explore with your Meerschaum pipe, provided you choose quality blends with natural flavorings. The Meerschaum’s talent for absorption and mellowing elevates the notes of vanilla, fruit, smoke, or other natural essences in tobacco, enhancing the smoking experience.
Cautions with Heavy Cavendish: While Meerschaum pipes accommodate smoking a range of different tobaccos well, exercise caution with heavy Cavendish blends and smoked or excessively cased tobaccos. The Meerschaum’s propensity for absorbing flavors could lead to an overpowering, unpleasant taste that eclipses the smoked tobacco’s subtleties. Some pipe enthusiasts call this ‘sour pipe,’ which is not a delightful experience.
In subsequent sections, we will seamlessly meld these insights with preparing and smoking your Meerschaum pipe, enabling the rest of you to embark on a journey of unparalleled flavor and smooth draw.
Packing the Pipe
You’ve selected the perfect tobacco that won’t clog your pipe. On to the next step! Packing the bowl for a delightful smoking experience. Here are some tips and tricks:
- The process and method of packing your Meerschaum pipe hold immense sway over your smoking experience.
- Unlike briar pipes, Meerschaums prefer a looser pack that facilitates proper airflow, resulting in an even burn.
- Refrain from the temptation to pack too much tobacco tightly; gentle packing ensures a balanced smoke.
- Patiently explore various packing methods until you find the way that resonates with your pipe and tobacco blend.
Lighting and Smoking
Ah, the enchanting moment of igniting your pipe arrives! But! Within this seemingly simple act lies an art. Gently and evenly light the tobacco, allowing the light of the flame to dance across the surface.
Meerschaum pipes treasure a slow and measured approach to smoking. Embrace gentle puffs, relishing each draw’s nuances. Unlike briar pipes, Meerschaums thrive without the need for forceful puffing. A deliberate pace prevents the flame from overheating and guarantees the full spectrum of flavors.
Temperature Control and Patience
Meerschaum pipes demand patience. Monitor the pipe’s temperature vigilantly. If it becomes scorching, exercise restraint and allow a few hours for it to cool before resuming. Grant your Meerschaum pipe smoker the luxury of moments between puffs for recovery; this preserves the pipe and chamber’s structural integrity and prevents overheating. While enthusiasm can quickly sweep you and many pipes away, remember that this is a journey, not a race.
Cleaning and Maintenance
Maintaining your Meerschaum pipe is an act of devotion. After every smoke, delicately cleanse the inside of the bowl with a pipe cleaner to eliminate residual smoke and ash. Exercise caution to prevent scratching the surface, as Meerschaum is susceptible. As time passes, your pipe bowl and stem will develop a warm, golden patina—an outward reflection of your commitment. Regular maintenance safeguards against excessive cake buildup, preserving the pipe’s graceful aging process. If you’re a visual learner like myself, look at this visual guide to learn about cleaning.
Storing and Displaying Meerschaum Pipes
Storing your Meerschaum pipe necessitates thoughtful consideration. Shield it from direct sunlight and extreme temperatures, as Meerschaum is sensitive to both. Choose a designated spot showcasing its beauty if you want to display your new pipe anywhere. The act of display transcends aesthetics—it is an ode to the artistry woven into its creation.
To Dedicate a Pipe or Not
It is up to you to decide whether you want to dedicate your pipe to a particular tobacco. Reserving a pipe for a single tobacco is a heated debate among pipe smokers, with some arguing you should and others warning against it. The decision lies with you.
If you’re a newbie to pipe culture, “dedicating” means you reserve the pipe for a single type of tobacco. Pipe smokers prefer dedicating a pipe because they don’t like the residual flavors that remain after they’ve smoked one type of blend and then switch to another. Here’s another new pipe term for you: ghosting. The lingering effect of a previous tobacco blend, when you smoke an entirely different one, will be a “ghost” flavor, and this is why some pipe smokers dedicate a pipe to a certain blend or brand.
Let’s look at some of the benefits and drawbacks of dedicating a pipe:
The benefits of dedicating a pipe are:
- You’ll always experience the authentic taste of your pipe tobacco
- The intended aromas will be unadulterated
- Meerschaum pipes allow you to enjoy a cool smoke
On the downside, you might not always find your preferred blend, and your pipe will sit idly because you want to avoid experiencing ghosting. Moreover, you will need to purchase separate pipes for each dedicated blend, and you’d have to label them to avoid confusion. But then again, isn’t it a pipe smoker’s dream to have a vast collection of pipes?
Conclusion
Within pipe smoking, Meerschaum pipes stand as an embodiment of elegance and finesse. These pipes let you slow down, indulge in the moment, and savor life’s nuances. By following these time-honored and best practices for smoking meerschaum pipe, you not only ensure a gratifying pipe smoking experience but also assume the role of a guardian of this timeless tradition. Your Meerschaum pipe transcends being a mere pipe smoking tool; it becomes a companion on a journey through flavors, aromas, and history. So, take your time, light up with reverence, and allow your Meerschaum pipe to guide you along a path of refinement and enjoyment. Happy Smoking!
