Meerschaum?

[afilter]

So, I think my pipe collection will stand as is (3) til x-mas. I am considering adding a meeschaum to my x-mas wish list.

I just want to make sure I understand their use correctly as I am fairly new to pipe smoking in general. Am I correct in thinking they can be smoked multiple times with no rest period? Different tobaccoo blends can be smoked in them without leaving a ghost? They should be cleaned more regularly as forming a cake is not as important(may bot be beneficial)?

From what I have read smoking them more often actaully will enhance the color change.

If I am correct on the above I am also considering picking up a cheap Missouri meerschaum just for the pupose of trying new blends.

TIA,

Aaron

[dmkerr]

Originally Posted by afilter

So, I think my pipe collection will stand as is (3) til x-mas. I am considering adding a meeschaum to my x-mas wish list.

I just want to make sure I understand their use correctly as I am fairly new to pipe smoking in general. Am I correct in thinking they can be smoked multiple times with no rest period? Different tobaccoo blends can be smoked in them without leaving a ghost? They should be cleaned more regularly as forming a cake is not as important(may bot be beneficial)?

From what I have read smoking them more often actaully will enhance the color change.

If I am correct on the above I am also considering picking up a cheap Missouri meerschaum just for the pupose of trying new blends.

TIA,

Aaron

Correct! I have a treasured Meerschaum that I smoke while working in the garden. Great smoker! Winds don't make it burn out (although it does make the tobacco burn hotter, hence tongue bit, so care should be taken) and I smoke straight virginias, perique blends and latakia blends in it with no "melding of flavors".

A cake won't hurt a meerschaum but it will impede the coloring process. And yes, the more you smoke, the faster they color. Just don't touch them with your fingers, as the oil from your skin will cause the wax to evaporate. I have one nicely colored meerschaum that Ismet Bekler made for me when he was visiting pipe shops in the U.S during 1986. His English consisted of "Women" and "Whiskey - No Coke". Or at least that's all he ever said in English.

P.S A Missouri Meerschaum is a corncob, not a meerschaum - despite the name.

Happy smoking!

[afilter]

Originally Posted by dmkerr

P.S A Missouri Meerschaum is a corncob, not a meerschaum - despite the name.

Happy smoking!

Yes I know it is a corncob, just wanted to make sure I understood that I could use either without "resting" them and try different blends.

Looking at ordering a english blend and a diplomat for now to try differnt blends in and put a block meershaum on the wish list.

Thanks,

Aaron

[dmkerr]

Originally Posted by afilter

Yes I know it is a corncob, just wanted to make sure I understood that I could use either without "resting" them and try different blends.

Looking at ordering a english blend and a diplomat for now to try differnt blends in and put a block meershaum on the wish list.

Thanks,

Aaron

Hmmm... someone that knows something about cobs should speak up but I seem to recall they do have to rest. Perhaps I'm wrong about that. I know they are prone to burn out but not sure about the resting part. Are you sure about this? I may certainly be wrong.

[afilter]

Originally Posted by dmkerr

Hmmm... someone that knows something about cobs should speak up but I seem to recall they do have to rest. Perhaps I'm wrong about that. I know they are prone to burn out but not sure about the resting part. Are you sure about this? I may certainly be wrong.

No, I am not sure...just been reading as I am a newb. I was assuming that since they fell into the meerschaum catagory they were similar in character.

Am I correct that you can smoke different blends in a corncob? The only reason for getting one for me is to try different blends as my only pipe I hsave is a briar and the two I have coming are also briars.

[dmkerr]

Originally Posted by afilter

No, I am not sure...just been reading as I am a newb. I was assuming that since they fell into the meerschaum catagory they were similar in character.

Am I correct that you can smoke different blends in a corncob? The only reason for getting one for me is to try different blends as my only pipe I hsave is a briar and the two I have coming are also briars.

Cobs don't really fall into the meerschaum category - its just part of the company's name "Missouri Meerschaum"... kind of like calling alligator "Louisiana Beef". And I do know that you don't want to smoke a particularly wet tobacco in a corncob or it'll burn out pretty fast. As for flavors melding, I"m not real sure. Maybe you should try a clay pipe instead? They can be had for pretty cheap and they definitely absorb the previous bowls flavor and odors fast, as a meerschaum does. Do a google search for Lepeltier clay pipes or just clay pipes. The Lepeltiers are nice because they are shaped more like a modern pipe and they are light enough not to have to hold since clay bowls are hot to the touch.

[Dgar]

I regards to the comment of, not touching a meer while your smoking it, would someone add some insight, I think Meers look cool granted I've never smoked one, but I like the idea of owning one someday, but whats up with not being able totouching them while your smoking, I understand or should say I read the dirt from your hand can stick to the warm wax on the meer, staining it?? But really how carefull do you have to be... I'd like to watch one color up over time, but if I have to handle it with Kids gloves, I may end up messing things up... Thoughts? Thanks from a newbie pipe dude.

[dmkerr]

Originally Posted by Dgar

I regards to the comment of, not touching a meer while your smoking it, would someone add some insight, I think Meers look cool granted I've never smoked one, but I like the idea of owning one someday, but whats up with not being able totouching them while your smoking, I understand or should say I read the dirt from your hand can stick to the warm wax on the meer, staining it?? But really how carefull do you have to be... I'd like to watch one color up over time, but if I have to handle it with Kids gloves, I may end up messing things up... Thoughts? Thanks from a newbie pipe dude.

If you touch the pipe, particularly when it's warm, it won't color properly at those spots. It doesn't affect how it smokes, only how it looks. I have meerschaums that I take pains to make sure color properly and some I just smoke and don't care about the color. They both smoke wonderfully.

So you'll have to decide if you want to suffer through the pain that coloring a meerschaum gives or just smoke the thing. Either way, you have a great pipe! I'm definitely a meerschaum fanatic.

[Nabinger16]

I may be wrong, but it's my understanding that cob pipes don't need to rest due to if they do crack or burn out it only cost a few bucks to replace them. If you want to keep one for a long time it probably would be a good idea to let it cool and dry out between smokes.

[Big D KC]

Being a newbie myself here is what I (thought I) learned while doing my pipe smoking homework..

1. Meerschaum pipes can be smoked repeatedly without the 24/48hr resting period a briar requires. This is not to say that you will not need to allow the pipe to atleast cool down between bowls for optimum enjoyment.

2. Meerschaum pipes do not "hold the ghost" or absorb the flavors of the tobacco smoked in them. Hence why alot of people enjoy them for the versatility.

3. Meerschaum pipes should NOT be allowed to form a cake in them! They should be cleaned after each smoke. (basically just like a briar with pipe cleaners, but also an extra step of wiping out the bowl to prevent cake buildup) If a cake forms it could crack the bowl due to the difference in heat & expansion between the cake and the meerschaum. And the cake will also hold flavors or "ghosting" itself.

4. Meerschaum pipes will color over time, if you want the best most even coloring possible you should not touch the bowl ever. When smoking it or not. However they will all color, and after all isn't it about the smoke anyway? Though I can see the point from a collector I guess.

5. Corn cob pipes can be smoked the same as meerschaum if you don't care to make it last forever. The thinking is: "They are $5 bucks if it cracks or burns out you buy another".

6. Corn cob's also do not "hold the ghost".

7. Corn cob's also should not be allowed to form a cake for the same cracking/ghosting reasons as meerschaums.


Again this is just what I have picked up doing my research on the subject. I am by no means an expert, and maybe wrong on all acounts!

My own meers I handle the whole time I am smoking them, and they are coloring ok so far. I bought cheapies to try out and to smoke so I don't care what they end up looking like. Neither one has had any flavors stay over from bowl to bowl either. Those things I can verify atleast in the 2+ weeks I have been smoking them!

[afilter]

Originally Posted by Big D KC

Being a newbie myself here is what I (thought I) learned while doing my pipe smoking homework..

1. Meerschaum pipes can be smoked repeatedly without the 24/48hr resting period a briar requires. This is not to say that you will not need to allow the pipe to atleast cool down between bowls for optimum enjoyment.

2. Meerschaum pipes do not "hold the ghost" or absorb the flavors of the tobacco smoked in them. Hence why alot of people enjoy them for the versatility.

3. Meerschaum pipes should NOT be allowed to form a cake in them! They should be cleaned after each smoke. (basically just like a briar with pipe cleaners, but also an extra step of wiping out the bowl to prevent cake buildup) If a cake forms it could crack the bowl due to the difference in heat & expansion between the cake and the meerschaum. And the cake will also hold flavors or "ghosting" itself.

4. Meerschaum pipes will color over time, if you want the best most even coloring possible you should not touch the bowl ever. When smoking it or not. However they will all color, and after all isn't it about the smoke anyway? Though I can see the point from a collector I guess.

5. Corn cob pipes can be smoked the same as meerschaum if you don't care to make it last forever. The thinking is: "They are $5 bucks if it cracks or burns out you buy another".

6. Corn cob's also do not "hold the ghost".

7. Corn cob's also should not be allowed to form a cake for the same cracking/ghosting reasons as meerschaums.


Again this is just what I have picked up doing my research on the subject. I am by no means an expert, and maybe wrong on all acounts!

My own meers I handle the whole time I am smoking them, and they are coloring ok so far. I bought cheapies to try out and to smoke so I don't care what they end up looking like. Neither one has had any flavors stay over from bowl to bowl either. Those things I can verify atleast in the 2+ weeks I have been smoking them!

We must have read the same things.

Thanks

[Dgar]

Thanks D...

Like I said I'd like to pick up a Meer sometime, I was just curious how much normal handling during a smoke would effect the coloring, but you say yours are coloring up, cool....

[dmkerr]

Originally Posted by Big D KC

3. Meerschaum pipes should NOT be allowed to form a cake in them! They should be cleaned after each smoke. (basically just like a briar with pipe cleaners, but also an extra step of wiping out the bowl to prevent cake buildup) If a cake forms it could crack the bowl due to the difference in heat & expansion between the cake and the meerschaum. And the cake will also hold flavors or "ghosting" itself.

...I think this is correct. I don't clean them after each smoke and they all have a light cake in them but I've always been careful not to let it get too caked up. I think the bowl cracking is more theoretical than actual but I wouldn't care to test that! Reason being is that I have some older meerschaums that I abuse and if a cake could cause a crack, it would have in these pipes. But better safe than sorry! I'd say your points are correct in all cases.

[IKMeerschaum]

Originally Posted by dmkerr

A cake won't hurt a meerschaum but it will impede the coloring process. And yes, the more you smoke, the faster they color. Just don't touch them with your fingers, as the oil from your skin will cause the wax to evaporate.

Our experience is a bit different on these two points.

Cake: We've always advised that customers NOT allow cake to form on their meerschaum pipes for the same reason that someone mentioned earlier. Thick cakes have the potential to expand at different rates while heating than does the stone so we've seen some cases of this leading to bowl cracks. It also puts you back into the whole "ghosting" or muddling of flavors when you mix tobaccos so why even go down that route when just folding over a pipe cleaner and running around the inside of the bowl after a smoke session will keep this from happening.

Touch: Again, we are strong proponents of touching your pipe while smoking. We find that overheating your pipe is the surest way to evaporate or drive off the wax on your pipe, not holding it.

• Holding or touching your pipe allows you to better keep track of how hot you are letting your pipe get and take corrective actions before it is too late. Getting it too hot will lead to either driving off the wax that aids in the coloring process or it will blacken the bottom of the bowl/shank of your pipe. Most people prefer blackened effect on their cajun food, not on their meers. And since the wax is what draws the color out to the surface of the pipe, you don't want to "boil" that off the stone.
• Provided your hands are relatively clean (don't touch a hot bowl after reading the Sunday newspaper or after changing the oil in your car without washing up), our experience has been that the oil from you skin can help encourage the coloring process. While on some pipes you might find this will lead to some areas coloring more rapidly than others, we've mostly seen the additional coloration as a good thing. After all, they used to coat meer pipes using sperm whale oil rather than wax and human skin oil should work pretty much the same.

You can learn more about coloring pipes at http://meerschaumpipes.com/ColorYourMeerschaum.aspx

[Vrbas]

Originally Posted by dmkerr

Just don't touch them with your fingers, as the oil from your skin will cause the wax to evaporate.