Is there a *wrong* tobacco type for Meerschaum?

tomatobodhi

At a recent pipe club meeting, a long time piper saw me smoking a meerschaum sultan and asked me what I was smoking in it. I told him it was Jackknife Plug. He raised his eyebrows and said, "In a meerschaum? Interesting."

Looking back, it made me curious. Are there certain types of tobaccos more expected to be smoked or more appropriate for meerschaum pipes? Are some less appropriate? Or is it all a matter of perception?

Woodsman

I don't know of any particular tobacco to avoid except one's that might Ghost strongly. I've heard Black Cavendish will give you a redder coloring.

Padraig

The obvious answer is any blend you don't like, but that'd apply to any pipe. I haven't had any problem smoking everything from aros to vapers to English. There may be some slight ghosting but it doesn't seem to last long if you keep your meer halfway clean.

Subtilis87

Smoke what you want, don't worry. I have also heard what @woodsman said, about black cacandusb coloring meerschaum. I smoke C&D Apricots and Cream out of mine.

tomatobodhi

Thanks for the replies. I always understood the strong aromatic and black cavendish coloring thing, but wanted to make sure my pipe club pal didn't have some similar legitimate reasoning for surprise that I didn't know about.

idbowman

@Padraig nailed it.  The only "wrong" blend to smoke is the one you don't enjoy.

PappyJoe

I've never heard of a Meerschaum ghosting. It is recommended that you don't let cake build up in a meerschaum and that you wipe out the bowl after smoking to prevent the build up. I have heard it said that black cavendish will help color the pipe faster.

xDutchx

One aspect of meerschaum that makes it a different smoke than briar and cobs, is that meer's don't absorb moisture from the smoke stream. This is why meers don't need resting time to dry or be rotated. Having said that, some flakes such as Sam Gawith, which typically hold a lot of moisture, might give the smoker more potential for steam bite in a meer. As for JackKnife Plug, I wouldn't think that particular cut would deliver noticible steam bite, compared to most ribbon cuts of ready rubs.