| A finely crafted meerschaum pipe can be the best | | | | Breaking In : No need to break in your new pipe. Unlike |
| material to use for fine tobacco pipes for many | | | | Briar, the natural mineral quality of Meerschaum needs |
| reasons. Below, you’ll find a list of them | | | | no caking to enjoy the true, pure taste of your favorite |
| 1 * Meerschaum is lighter than briar. This particular | | | | blend. Fill it gradually, remember it only needs to be filled |
| material is that it is very light when compared to other | | | | half way. Now your ready to light it so strike a match |
| claylike minerals after the water has been removed | | | | or flick a lighter and apply the flame. As the heat from |
| from it. | | | | the flame comes in contact with the tobacco the |
| 2* Meerschaum is porous and acts as a filter, drawing | | | | tobacco will expand up towards the top of the bowl |
| tars and moisture out before it reaches your mouth. | | | | so grab your tamper and apply pressure to the |
| 3* Meerschaum is neutral and imparts no flavor to the | | | | tobacco, but don’t stop puffing. |
| tobacco like a briar pipe might. This allows you to get | | | | Care : There are many misconceptions surrounding |
| the true flavor of the particular blend you are smoking. | | | | Meerschaum pipes. Remember, just as no two pipes |
| * Meerschaum will not burn like briar. Since you cannot | | | | are exactly the same, no two pipe smokers are |
| catch a meerschaum pipe on fire, there is no need to | | | | exactly the same. Don’t be afraid to hold and |
| build a cake of carbon around the bowl to protect it. | | | | handle your Meerschaum pipe. Smoking your pipe is a |
| 4* You can safely smoke any number of different | | | | traditional pleasure and watching it color adds to your |
| types of tobaccos (aromatics, English, Virginia, burley, | | | | enjoyment. If your pipe becomes soiled or dirty, use |
| etc) back to back without fear of muddling the cake | | | | cotton or a soft cloth with just a drop of after shave |
| with different flavors/aromas like you do with a briar | | | | lotion or similar product containing a slight trace of clear |
| pipe since you don’t need a cake. I can safely | | | | alcohol and gently wipe it clean when the pipe is cool. |
| smoke a bowl of English and Aromatic later without | | | | Never boil or scrape your pipe. If a cake starts forming |
| having the aroma or flavor from one, affect the other. | | | | in your pipe, which is not unusual, lightly ream it out |
| 5* Meerschaum Pipes don’t need to rest between | | | | being careful not to scrape or dig into the pipe itself. Be |
| smokes. Because the stone absorbs and gives off | | | | gentle and use a pipe cleaner when cleaning inside the |
| liquid much quicker than briar and it also cools quicker, | | | | stem and shank. Most Meerschaum Pipes now use a |
| you don’t need to let your pipe rest after smoking | | | | push-pull type tenon to connect the stem to the shank, |
| it. This means that you will need to keep fewer pipes in | | | | remember to hold the shank and ALWAYS turn the |
| your rotationn and you can still smoke as much as | | | | stem CLOCKWISE while pulling out or pushing the |
| you’d like. | | | | stem back in. |