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What Makes the Meerschaum Pipe Unique?

Meerschaum PipePut simply, because it affords a unique smoking experience. Meerschaum is the most flavorful and beautiful pipe you can own. Meerschaum-one of the most porous substances found in nature-acts as a filter, absorbs tobacco tars and nicotine, and yields a most satisfying smoke. Meerschaum smokes cool and dry with a flavor unrivaled by any other pipe. As it ages, meerschaum colors a rich honey-brown, improving both in appearance and taste.

Meerschaum pipes-with a minimum of proper care-will last for a lifetime. They will not burn out as briars do. A meerschaum is an investment in smoking pleasure.

ENJOY THE ARISTOCRAT OF PIPES
As beautiful as meerschaum is to the eye, its true beauty must be experienced. A meerschaum is made to smoke. Hold it. Enjoy its light weight and silky feel, its distinctive taste, its ripening to a mellow golden-brown. Justly deserving its reputation as the “aristocrat” of pipes, the meerschaum is not meant for the connoisseur alone. All pipe smokers can appreciate the unique pleasure of meerschaum.

MEERSCHAUM-A GIFT FROM THE SEA
“Meerschaum” is a German word meaning literally, “sea foam,” alluding to the belief that it was the compressed whitecaps of waves. Meerschaum is a mineral-hydrous silicate of magnesium-of organic origin. Composed of the fossilized shells of tiny sea creatures that fell to the ocean floor millions of years ago, meerschaum is found in red clay deposits. The average size of the meerschaum blocks extracted from the clay is about the size of a grapefruit.

CRAFTING THE WORLD’S FINEST PIPES
Nearly 300 years ago, the first meerschaum pipe was carved by hand. And today, these unique pipes are still carved by hand. The carver, a craftsman of unique ability and long experience, examines each piece of meerschaum, calculating the lines of cleavage along which it should be split. The split block-meerschaum is soaked in water for 15 to 30 minutes until the material achieves a cheese-like consistency.

Working with the softened material, the carver determines the rough shape of the pipe before the bowl and draft hole are bored. Like all fine hand-crafted articles, no two meerschaums are alike. The carved meerschaum goes into a kiln at high temperature, a process that removes all moisture from the mineral. The shank is threaded and fitted with a stem.

After meticulous polishing with the finest grade abrasives, the meerschaum is ready for waxing. Though there are many different wax formulas, beeswax alone yields the rich coloring associated with the finest meerschaums. Melted and then bleached, the beeswax is ready to receive the pipe itself. The subtle differences in color and tone among some brand pipes are intentional, achieved by careful dipping of the pipes a specific number of times. Smoke your favorite blend in your meerschaum. Each pipe will color differently. However, this process depends on how often you smoke, not on what tobacco you smoke.

Shared by http://www.therightpipe.com/

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