For this reason, clay pipes in particular are often held by the stem. Meerschaum pipes are held in a square of chamois leather, with gloves, or else by the stem in order to prevent uneven coloring of the material. Many modern briar pipes are pre-treated Pipe Tobacco in Bags by the manufacturer to resist burning. Another technique is to alternate a half-bowl and a full-bowl the first several times the pipe is used to build an even cake. With care, a briar pipe can last a very long time without burning out.
Beneath the bowl is an air chamber which serves to cool, dry, and mellow the smoke. These typically do not have an air chamber and are so named only because of their external shape. The stem needs a long channel of constant position and diameter running through it for a proper draw, although filter pipes have varying diameters and can be successfully smoked even without filters or adapters. Because it is molded rather than carved, clay may make up the entire pipe or just the bowl; pipes made of most other materials have stems constructed separately and detachable.
Cigarette companies snap up most of the Turkish leaf production, and the remainder is made into a generic Turkish blend. This is the Oriental tobacco (often referred to as “basma”) Pipe Tobacco in Cans that one finds either in bulk, or in ready-made blends. Generally speaking it’s best to keep tobacco out of direct sunlight and in a cool dry place which has a stable temperature.
Old, well-smoked meerschaum pipes are valued by collectors for their distinctive coloring. It is often said by pipe smokers that they will dedicate certain pipes to certain tobaccos. This makes some sense in that tobaccos do leave some residual taste (sometimes called a “ghost”). Many smokers will not go so far, but might dedicate pipes to certain blends or types of tobaccos. One set of pipes for, say, Cavendish blends and another set of pipes for aromatics and Orientals.
These torquettes are put into barrels under extreme pressure, and allowed to cure in their own juices (which collect as run-off at the top of the barrels). Over the course of many months, these bundles are periodically “turned”, and then placed again under pressure in the barrels. Without any air to interact with the tobacco, Perique ferments anaerobically, producing the distinctive taste. Oriental tobacco plants characteristically have a great deal of small leaves. The finished product ranges in color from yellow to brown, and is strongly aromatic. Its smell is reminiscent of used horse bedding, which could possibly explain why it’s often mixed with Latakia.