Missouri Meerschaum Ozark

drac2485

I picked up a Missouri Meerschaum Ozark and noticed the stain on the inside of the bowl. I haven't smoked it yet but am curious if any one has experience if it distorts the taste of the tobacco until it burns off. Should I sand it off before smoking?

PipeProfessor

I have never noticed any, but you may want to give it a quick sand or alcohol wipe. I hope they are not dip staining now. 

tomatobodhi

I would sand it with a fine grit and then clean it really well so that you aren't breathing in the particles (a ton of those stains and finishes produce toxic dust when sanded).

Sadly, Missouri Meerschaum's quality control has gone down the tubes in the past few years, with the worst offenses I've ever seen appearing in the past year.

I won't buy MM from their site anymore, because the QC is so poor. I think about a third or half of what they are shipping now are pipes I would sell as seconds. I am a huge MM fan, too, and I have a whole drawer full of MM cobs... I have started sanding, patching, and refinishing my old cobs rather than replace them with new MM cobs.

NOTE: They sell bags of seconds on the cheap. I have considered buying such a grab bag since their showcase pipes are pretty much seconds now, but I'm afraid that their 'seconds' will be more like thirds or fourths now and will go straight into the trash can.

I know a couple years ago they lost a ton of their crop of heirloom corn, so I am hoping that the QC issues will go away once they catch back up with demand, but for now I want to put my hands on a cob before I will buy it. Someone may say, "But it is only a cob!" Yeah, but smelly stain coating the upper half of the bowl makes a pipe pretty much unsmokeable (for health reasons, if no other) until you fix it, and who wants to buy a brand new pipe of any kind and have to refurbish it? Here's hoping it is a seasonal problem.

judandhispipe

I bought two pipes from MM at their website this year - a Patriot and a Washington. They're both fine. They're both a tad smaller than my preferred size, so they don't get smoked as much as my Country Gents or Mark Twains, but they are both decent enough cobs.

MatthewJames

I smoke these pipes quite a bit but yeah sand it and clean it first.  Really doesn't take much effort.

drac2485

Thanks for all the advice. I've always had great experiences with MM. There Ozark pipe line is a hardwood with a cherry stain on it. I've smoked there maple but it just had a clear coat on the outside. The inside of the Ozark is stained as well and I was wondering if anyone had experience with that. I may just find some sandpaper and try and sand it out.