first "real" meer

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J

jj1015

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I've been smoking briars and cobs for nearly 18 years now, but the only meers I've owned are the small, cheap, and somewhat foul-tasting pipes that are available for less than $30 at our local strip mall retail tobacco shops. I'd smoke them a few times and then get fed up with tongue bite and the nasty, soap-like flavor that seemed to accompany every blend I smoked in them. I had one friend tell me that these pipes aren't "real" meerschaum in the first place and are largely marketed to the same crowd that buys water pipes. When my tax refund came in recently, I hopped online and ordered a large IMP meer that's absolutely beautiful for just over $100. But now, as I sit here and contemplate what I want to smoke in it for its first outing (I'm leaning toward a Balkan), I realize that I really don't know that much about the care of meers. Any basic rules I should know about this type of pipe before I get started (i.e. how does it differ from briar and cobs)? I understand that I shouldn't allow cake to build up, that handling it with my fingers while it's hot is a bad idea, and that under no circumstances should I smoke it outdoors when it's really cold. Assuming those are all good bits of advice, that's about all I know.
 
Yo jj, I have 3 meers one an IMP calabash, I don't baby these pipes, I treat them with the same respect as I treat my Briars, and I don't wear a white glove when I smoke one :) , Ken
pacem en Puffing! :tongue: :pirat:
 
Just make sure your hands are clean and don't let a cake build up. IMO they are great pipes to smoke. Some will smoke a little differant than briars but that is really no prob. As always don't drop or knock it against anything and enjoy the process of watching them color. It does take some time depending on how much you smoke it. I have 9 of them that I've gotten over the years and love them all LOL :cyclops: :sunny: :sunny:
 
JJ,,,,Totally agree with the two gentlemen above. The idea of breaking in your Meer with a Balkan blend is excellent IMHO!! I smoke only Balkan/English blends in my Meers; just seems natural! However, a good buddy of mine smokes Cherry Blend in his all the time...so what the hell do I know?????? FTRPLT
 
After it is sufficiently colored, you can handle as you would a briar. That's the beauty of meerschaum as you can smoke about anything in it without leaving a ghost.
 
I absolutely love my meer. really enjoy it when I want to get a "true" taste out of a new blend.
 
I just smoked my first bowl in it -- 50-50 parfait of GL Pease Abingdon and Oullette's Larry's Blend. Really OUTSTANDING experience, and the pipe hardly even grew warm over the course of a 70-minute smoke! I could get used to this....
 
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