Pipes

Pipes come in a huge variety of materials. And some pipes are truly gorgeous. They can appear as exquisite works of art. Let look at a few different materials and pipes. Here you will find three of the most notable types of pipes, from works of art to inexpensive beginners.

Peterson Shannon Briar Where elegance and quality go hand in hand

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Meerschaums

genuine Turkish Meerschaums

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Pipes Galore Tobaccos

1st – This is the first choice of pipe among pipe smokers, the tradional Briar Pipe. It is made from a tough little tree called Erica Arborea, also known as the White Heath Tree, a member of the heather family. It is a squat, hearty, shrub-like plant which grows primarily in the dry, rocky lands around the Mediterranean Sea. It is not actually the tree that Briar pipes are made from but the burls, found just under the ground, the meeting place for the trunk and the roots, typically deformed knobs which form in the roots. Burl wood has a very distinctive and complex grain which many people find attractive.

Briar Burl is great for making pipes; it’s tough, porous and nearly impervious to heat. It is a close-grained, extremely hard wood. The careful curing and aging process brings out the finest smoking qualities of a briar pipe. It allows the pipe to breathe, to absorb moisture and oil from the tobacco, assuring a cool, dry smoke.

2nd- Lets look at Meerschaum. Do you know what Meerschaum is? Meerschaum is s a very rare mineral, hydrous magnesium silicate, a kind of soft, opaque, white, grey or cream colored clay like mineral of the soapstone family. Phew, what a mouthful. Although sometimes it is found floating on the Black Sea and seems rather suggestive of sea-foam, it is actually mined 30 to 450 feet below the surface of the earth. But whatever its composition, meerschaum is NOT the bone of the sepia or cuttlefish, the residue or fusion of decomposed sea shells, petrified sea foam or a clay composition. It is a mineral! Because of it’s clay like composition it can be readily scratched with the nail. When first extracted, meerschaum is soft, but it hardens on exposure to solar heat or when dried in a warm room.

The light and porous structure of the pipe keeps the smoke cool and soft. The pipe itself is a natural filter which absorbs the nicotine causing meerschaum pipes to slowly change their colors to different tones of gold and dark brown over time and use. Some of the intricately carved antique Meerschaum pipes have actually ended up as museum pieces.

3rd – Last look at the "corncob" pipes, which are often regarded as inelegant. They are very inexpensive and really truly come from corn cobs. Humm makes you look at that ear of corn a bit differently now Huh? But don’t think they are used right off the table. No, they are first dried for two years. Then they are hollowed out to make a bowl shape. The bowls are dipped in a plaster-based mixture and varnished or lacquered on the outside.
They remain extremely popular today because 1) they are inexpensive and 2) require no "break-in" period like briar pipes. For these reasons, corncob pipes are often recommended as a "Beginners pipe." Experienced pipe smoker also highly value the little corncob too. Remember it gives a very “clean “ smoke . For this reason pipe smokers will keep a supply of corncobs so they can sample a wide variety of different tobaccos and blends without "carryover" from an already-used pipe, or to keep a potentially bad tasting tobacco from adding its flavor to a more expensive or favored pipe.

So there you have it just a little look at three different pipes.

The Tinderbox does offer a large selection of tobacco and pipes.