Pipe Shapes

Pipe Types

BRIAR: This is the closely-grained burl joint between the stem and roots of the White Heath, a tree found on the hillsides of Mediterranean countries, like Greece, France, Italy, and Algeria. Underground, this burl protects the briar wood, which is tough, close grained, porous, and nearly impervious to heat. Good briar is hard to find. The larger shrubs take a long time to mature...and the older the shrub the better the briar and thus your pipe. The most suitable root may be 80 to 100 years old, and the finest pipe briar may be from a shrub over 200 years old... aged and mellowed by time. Good briar is further aged after it is dug up. Some pipemakers age theirs for up to 30 years. The more years the better. A few years ago their was a concern that pipemakers would run out of briar, now the problem is that few people want to do the hard work of roaming the Mediterranean mountains with a mule to gather briar root. Briar pipes and created using sander and lathes. Briar is, hard, tough, light in weight and has a grain. A straight grain briar pipe can extremely beautiful.

MEERSCHAUM: A German word meaning literally, "sea-foam. Meerschaum is a mineral - hydrous silicate of magnesium - one of the most porous substances found in nature. Composed of the fossilized shells of tiny sea creatures that fell to the ocean floor millions of years ago, meerschaum is found inred clay deposits. Meerschaum deposits of the highest quality are found only in one place in the world - Eskishehir, in central Turkey.

Meerschaum - is extremely light in weight, lighter than briar, very porous, and cool smoking. Its disadvantage is that it is very delicate and if dropped shatters. Pipes of meerschaum are made by carving. And then finished with a beeswax polish.

• AFRICAN BLOCK MEERSCHAUM comes from Tanzania, Africa and is usually stained in varying shades of brown, black and yellow. African meerschaum is general nowhere near as good as Turkish.

• MISSOURI MEERSCHAUM: The All-American Corncob pipe. It is a length of hollowed-out corncob, usually from a special hybrid variety of corn, with a straight wooden stem and, sometimes, a inexpensive plastic mouthpiece.

  Some veteran pipe smokers buy corncobs by the dozens, smoke one until it burns out or goes sour, then throw it away and light up another.

CALABASH: A South African gourd similar to a squash grown specifically for use in pipes. The shape is determined as the gourd grows by placing small blocks under the stem, forcing it into a gentle curve. The mature gourd is cut and dried, then fitted with a cork gasket to receive a meerschaum bowl.

A calabash pipe is probably the coolest, driest smoke there is. They tend to be large, delicate, and certainly are not for easy carrying around. A Calabash pipe should always be bought with a fitted case.

Immortalized in the movies, books, and television shows of Sherlock Holmes. Even though the pipe smokers patron saint smoked briars and clays more than anything else.

CLAY PIPE: Clay or pottery pipes were what people smoked before the discovery of briar. In London coffee houses and clubs, long-stemmed "Church wardens" and "London Straws" were universally accepted. Clays pipes bowls get very hot but deliver a cool smoke. They can be cleaned by heating fire. Needless to say they break very easily. It always fun to have one or two around.

NARGIHLA or HOOKAH: Often called a WATER-PIPE. The hookah is common throughout the middle east. In most old style coffee shops you can order a coffee and a pipe. Sanitation of mouthpieces is not a concern, you are warned. The pipe filters the smoke through water for extra coolness. Many styles of hookah exist including those with multiple mouth pieces so that several may enjoy the tobacco simultaneously.

The tobacco used in the hookah is usually dried whole leaf, soaked and crumbled, or canned, mixed with various herbs and flavors. The very moist tobacco is heaped into the bowl and covered with a small charcoal fire. The problem with water pipes is that they filter out much of the taste of modern pipe tobaccos. So if smoking one, smoke a very strong tobacco.

If buying a hookah make sure it doesn't leak. Many of those sold to tourists have poor fittings and will never smoke properly.