EBay Mini Meer arrived! A humble review

[the_edski]

(For reference and enabling purposes here is the link)

My first foray in the field of meers and after one smoke, I am quite happy with it. I will start off with a pic

View attachment 321535

The package came lovingly wrapped, all the way from Turkey. After carefully opening everything I saw that I received the pipe, a carrying case, 2 tampers attached to a jeweled chain, a pouch, a care card and a business card bearing a nice message from the seller, Nicky.

The pipe is indeed mini, it barely measures 4 inches long. It is very light, but it doesn't feel fragile. As recommended on the care card I didn't touch the bowl with my fingers, it was very easy to load when clenched in my mouth and didn't need any support from my fingers to smoke. Here it is in my pipe rack for comparison



I proceeded to load it up with some SG Firedance Flake that was gifted to me by someone I only know as the sea-faring Don of enabling.
I was greeted with a very cool, dry and pleasant smoke with nary a hint of bite from the aromatic in the bowl. The jeweled tampers feel a little flimsy and slight to do the job, but no worries, a czech tool tamper fits comfortably.

After about 10 minutes, the flavor started to wear away so I decided to dump the bowl. There was very little dottle, so this seems about the limit of this pipe, but I will do some experimenting.

As a first meer or for someone looking for a smaller pipe, I wholeheartedly recommend this. $33 bucks for the whole thing shipped, worth the money to me!

 

[oc_in_fw]

Cool, Ed. I am awaiting mine from the same seller (although a little larger). This would be right up my alley for a quick work break smoke.

 

[Rockminer]

That's a good looking pipe Ed. I haven't decided if I want to try this pipe thing yet but I've been lurking.

On a construction note, is there anything better than a fat max tape measure? I love mine.

 

[the_edski]

Oh, trust me. You want to try

That's a good looking pipe Ed. I haven't decided if I want to try this pipe thing yet but I've been lurking.

On a construction note, is there anything better than a fat max tape measure? I love mine.

 

[oc_in_fw]

Oh, trust me. You want to try

I think we can recommend a good tobacco for him.

 

[the_edski]

Something with a basement...no wait, a cellar, right?

I think we can recommend a good tobacco for him.

 

[Rockminer]

Something with a basement...no wait, a cellar, right?

Is Frog Morton's Cellar the Pilot metropolitan of the Brown Leaf ?

 

[the_edski]

As far as me and Owen are concerned, I would say yes. Others would disagree. I suppose you could also argue that an OTC aromatic like Captain Black would be the Pilot Metro. YMMV like everything else.

Is Frog Morton's Cellar the Pilot metropolitan of the Brown Leaf ?

 

[Rockminer]

As far as me and Owen are concerned, I would say yes. Others would disagree. I suppose you could also argue that an OTC aromatic like Captain Black would be the Pilot Metro. YMMV like everything else.

So if I get a Meerschaum corn cob pipe and some cellar, that would be a good first smoke? Is the cellar something I can find in a smoke shop? Or do I need to order it?

 

[syngent]

3 oak syrian, or frog morton Christopher are my usual selections, but only because i havent had any cellar yet, and i dont want to fight you looking for the hard to find stuff i really really like,

Nice pipe Ed, you know they always seem cheap, till you love them enough to get the cool looking full sized ones

your enable i dont think is over yet lol

 

[the_edski]

I know I rarely say this, but in the interest of money and for ease of purchase, I'd say just go with the cob first. You can get a Missouri Meerschaum cob in most chain drugstores (Walgreens, Rite Aid, etc...heck you can even get them on Amazon for cheap) and you can get OTC tobacco like Captain Black there as well. If you have a real smoke shop or tobacconist close by (not a "head shop" masquerading as selling legit tobacco), you can go there and see what they recommend for a beginner. Unless you already know you like tobacco that is really on the "smoky" side of the flavor spectrum, I wouldn't make your Frog Morton Cellar your 1st purchase, save it for the 2nd purchase!

So if I get a Meerschaum corn cob pipe and some cellar, that would be a good first smoke? Is the cellar something I can find in a smoke shop? Or do I need to order it?

 

[nortac]

So if I get a Meerschaum corn cob pipe and some cellar, that would be a good first smoke? Is the cellar something I can find in a smoke shop? Or do I need to order it?

The semi local Tinder Box B&M store has some Frog Morton blends sporadically, the other mom & pop B&M store I frequent carries mostly their own bulk blends. You may have to order online, but that's no problem.

 

[oc_in_fw]

I know I rarely say this, but in the interest of money and for ease of purchase, I'd say just go with the cob first. You can get a Missouri Meerschaum cob in most chain drugstores (Walgreens, Rite Aid, etc...heck you can even get them on Amazon for cheap) and you can get OTC tobacco like Captain Black there as well. If you have a real smoke shop or tobacconist close by (not a "head shop" masquerading as selling legit tobacco), you can go there and see what they recommend for a beginner. Unless you already know you like tobacco that is really on the "smoky" side of the flavor spectrum, I wouldn't make your Frog Morton Cellar your 1st purchase, save it for the 2nd purchase!

I love enabling, but fully agree with this. A cob pipe is a good, inexpensive way to see if you like pipe smoking. Most decent sized cities will have a tobacconist where you can get samples of different varieties to find what you like.

 

[Boro62]

I really don't think you should start with any of the frog morton stuff unless maybe your a cigar smoker. The smokey latakia has a room note and flavor that can be hard to get used to for a newbie. Maybe a McClelland Premium Aromatic Best of Show of if you want to stay with something cheaper some of the OTC stuff like capt black.

 

[Rockminer]

I really appreciate everyone's suggestions. I probably shouldn't have mentioned lurking around here because this thread has gone off track a little. I apologize Ed, I never meant to take away from you showing off your new pipe.

 

[Hunter]

What a Beaut! Though now that you have dipped your toe and tested the waters your next step is to jump right in!

 

[oc_in_fw]

I really don't think you should start with any of the frog morton stuff unless maybe your a cigar smoker. The smokey latakia has a room note and flavor that can be hard to get used to for a newbie. Maybe a McClelland Premium Aromatic Best of Show of if you want to stay with something cheaper some of the OTC stuff like capt black.

I don't know- aromatics tend to bite real easy. The Latakia in Frog Morton is pretty subdued and take a back seat to the Virginia.

 

[Hunter]

I like my aromatics, but I smoke them really really slowly. I can smoke my English blends faster but I run the risk of burning off the flavour.

 

[Argonaut]

I don't know- aromatics tend to bite real easy. The Latakia in Frog Morton is pretty subdued and take a back seat to the Virginia.

Frog Morton is a fairly mild lat blend and should be ok for beginners, most serious latakia lovers consider it an aromatic, but who cares? On the other hand, if you figure out how to smoke drug store aromatics(OTC's) without burning your tongue, you can smoke just about anything after that.

 

[Boro62]

I don't know- aromatics tend to bite real easy. The Latakia in Frog Morton is pretty subdued and take a back seat to the Virginia.

When i first started this whole pipe thing, i had tongue bite with everything I tried. It wasn't the tobacco as much as me smoking too fast.

My train of thought is, regardless of what a newbie is smoking, he is generally going to get tongue bite because of improper smoking. That + the smokey latakia would be a little harsh for someone just starting out. However if their getting tongue bite, but a nice sweet taste and room aroma, it would help them along and keep trying the hobby.

BTW this might just be my own gorilla logic at work here...so YMMV