Question from a new pipe smoker

[Ron1YY]

Ok, so I have 2 questions.

1) What is the best, easiest way to clean a meerschaum pipe and how often?
2) what tobacco would you recommend for a newbie to pipes?

I want to have a good first experience and am looking forward to your advice.

Thank you in advance,
Ron

[croatan]

I don't smoke meerschaums often, so I'll leave that question alone.

As far as tobacco for a first-time pipe smoker, I would recommend that you go to a local B&M and ask if you can sample a couple of their house blends. This will give you an idea of what range of tobaccos you might enjoy. A couple of puffs from on an aromatic won't ruin your pipe and, if you don't like it, you just knock it out and try again.

Other than that, I would recommend--and have recommended on numerous times--Dunhill 965 as a good starter. I'm partial to English mixtures, which may cloud my judgment. However, I think this is a good starter because it's not too strong, and it's widely smoked. Makes for a good point of reference. If you think you can take a stronger tobacco, my favorite tinned mixtures of late have been Penzance, 1792 Flake, London Mixture, and Nightcap.

[madurofan]

Hi Ron,

This is how I clean my meers:

Use a pipe tool to remove the dottle (a light tap on the heel of your hand works as well but it's very easy to break a meer by whacking it on stuff :) ). Let the pipe cool completly then twist the stem out clockwise (most meers have a treaded tenon that will screw out if you go the other way). Run a pipe cleaner through the stem, repeat until cleaner comes through clean. Clean the end of the stem by folding a pipe cleaner in half around it. Wipe the stem off with a towel and it's on to the bowl. Take a bristle cleaner, bend it in to a U shape (about the size of the bowl) and use to clean the inside of the bowl. We don't want a cake to form up in a meer so try and remove all the ash. Then take a pipe cleaner and insert it where the stem goes in (some pipes need an extra thick pipe cleaner or just fold one in half). Use new pipe cleaners until they come out clean. A quick puff of air down the end (watch out for flying ash :) ) and a quick wipe with a towel and you are done. Reassemble your pipe, stem in clockwise, and display proudly.

Note on meers. Dont use solvents to clean. Wash your hands before you smoke them. The wax on some meers will pick up any oily fingerprint and the solvent will strip the wax.

I'll second Croatan's tobacco recomendations. 965 is always a good choice.