Compressed Meerschaum Question

[The Janitor]

I recently picked up a compressed meer, and although it has become one of my favorites, I have noticed one small problem with it. It seems that everytime I smoke it, the stem turns brown. The first couple times I was able to buff it back to the original black, but now it seems that it is stuck with the colouring. While I feel this simply adds character to the pipe, iI would like to know if this is a common problem?

The Janitor

 

[Natch]

Meers are supposed to color over time, part of the patina and charm of them. But to happen so quickly is rather odd, and compressed meers in my experience don't color well (if at all!).

Natch