Meerschaum ghosting--is it possible?

[KarlMaldensNose]

Getting psyched up for March and planning some of my first few smokes in the virgin Baki. While I don't have any outright Lakelands, soapy, floral or perfumey blends, I do have a couple that some might argue have a lil' sumfin' funny going on underneath the tin lid, e.g. St. Bruno and GH Dark Flake U/S. I'm not too concerned about those, as others have already told me not to sweat the St. B, and whatever grannie's panties-ness I've noticed in Dark Flake U/S is so mild and intermittent that I'm certain a Meer can candle it. However...

I do have my sights set on some Condor Plug, RB Plug, Ennerdale, and a couple other stink bombs in the not too distant future (it takes some talkin' yourself into, that stuff does). Meers are famous for apparently being able to remain ghost-free; however, I can't help but wonder if some of the saucier sauced British blends are simply too much for even a Meer to handle. I'm curious if anyone has experience smoking these kinds of tobaccos in Meerschaum pipes and how it turned out. Also, how exactly does Meerschaum repel ghosts? Is it less porous than briar, and therefor doesn't absorb any/as much smoke and flavour? That doesn't seem right to me, because they're supposedly drier smokers due to their ability to absorb a lot of moisture. Am I missing something?

 

[Price]

Meerschaum is porous, but it's capillary - it draws the moisture out through the air pockets in the stone, but the mineral itself doesn't absorb it. Smoke a few bowls of Ennerdale in a briar and you'll need an exorcism to get the taste out; whereas, with a meer you might notice it slightly in the next bowl, but it's quickly gone. Also, you shouldn't allow a cake (which has a huge capacity to retain flavors and odors) to build up in a meer, as it has the potential to crack.

 

[cursethis]

Meerschaum is porous, but it's capillary - it draws the moisture out through the air pockets in the stone, but the mineral itself doesn't absorb it. Smoke a few bowls of Ennerdale in a briar and you'll need an exorcism to get the taste out; whereas, with a meer you might notice it slightly in the next bowl, but it's quickly gone. Also, you shouldn't allow a cake (which has a huge capacity to retain flavors and odors) to build up in a meer, as it has the potential to crack.

I think it's good with a few bowls of a Lakeland, but if you put through a tin or two of a powerful one, it'll stink of Lakeland goodness. I have a meer that I dedicate to Lakelands... and I can't see it ever coming back to fully neutral at this point.

 

[Borderdog]

I think it's good with a few bowls of a Lakeland, but if you put through a tin or two of a powerful one, it'll stink of Lakeland goodness. I have a meer that I dedicate to Lakelands... and I can't see it ever coming back to fully neutral at this point.

Who would want a meer of neutral flavor, when you can have one reeking of the glorious goodness of Ennerdale?

 

[cursethis]

Who would want a meer of neutral flavor, when you can have one reeking of the glorious goodness of Ennerdale?

It's fun to occasionally put a random non-Lakeland blend in there, just to see what it would taste like if it were a Lakeland afterall.