Clay Pipes
jfreedy
Master
So I bought one of those clay German Tavern pipes from SmokingPipes last week ($11). I had been considering getting one for some time and finally pulled the trigger. I smoked a couple of bowls with a buddy of mine last night, and I have to say I was impressed. Not only do you get the pure taste of the tobacco, but every bowl seemed to stay lit much better. Both bowls of Bag End (broken flake) as well as a bowl of 1Q (ribbon cut) smoked great. I will definitely be smoking this pipe a lot. Any other clay pipe owners out there? What’s been your experience?
Comments
Don't drop the pipe.
https://www.pipesandcigars.com/shop/old-german-clay-pipes-brand/1702161/
Old German Clay Pipes
Old German Clay Pipes are high-quality clays that are manufactured using the same techniques that were used centuries ago. Each pipe is cast in molds that are between 100 and 200 years old. Most modern clay pipes are slip-casted, which produces a pipe that is very delicate and fragile. Old German Clay Pipes casts each pipe for a solid, sturdy and old-world quality clay that is second to none. For a true clay pipe experience, Old German Clay Pipes offer a variety of styles to choose from.
You should avoid building much of a cake in a clay pipe as the cake can expand and cause the bowl to crack. Here's the proper method to eliminate the cake according to the manufacturer:
Fire up some charcoal in your grill, or get your gas grill going. Remove the stem (if it has one), and put the bowl in the coals or place it above the gas flame. Give the pipe about 15 to 20 minutes. In that time, the cake should burn off. Remove the bowl using tongs and allow it to cool and the cake should be gone. Repeat, if necessary. Please note - black clay pipes will turn white after doing this.
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The modern Clay pipes with the vulcanite or Lucite mouthpieces aren't as radical a departure as you would think. There are pipes from Jamestown with the bowl made of clay and the stem made of reed or wood. These were from the 17th century so the idea is about as old as the "traditional" Clay pipe.
Preparing to smoke a clay pipe
http://www.aspipes.org/smoking-clay-pipe/'Shakespeare' Clay Pipe
https://www.eacarey.co.uk/tobacconist/pipes/shakespeare-clay-pipe.htmlHilarious: There's a "Gordon" clay and a "Gladstone" clay.
Cambridge Archaeology Field Group November 2012
Evolution of clay tobacco pipes in England (attached as .pdf)
Two things I like about clay pipes:
1. They are great for sampling or smoking a new blend for the first time. The tobacco flavors come though unaffected by the cake built up in a briar.
2. For a smaller size bowl, the ones I have seems to actually give me a longer smoke than what I get in a briar, cob or meerschaum. I've also never had dottle left in the bowl.
I've thought about buying a LePeltier pipe a couple of times. To me those are porcelain more than clay.
Do you think your experience with lack of dottle could be explained due to the ease of heat transfer to the bottom of the bowl, thereby promoting a continued burn?
I don't own a clay pipe, so I'm just thinking...
That has basically been my theory. The bowl get so hot it prevents moisture from collecting. I think it also promotes a cooler smoke.
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