Although less common today than in the past, clay pipes continue to arouse curiosity among enthusiasts, especially for their ability to extract "hidden flavors ” from full-bodied tobaccos, offering a unique smoking experience.
In this article we will explore the history, features, pros and cons of clay pipes.
History of clay pipes
In the past, clay pipes were widespread, indeed they were the most widely smoked until the late nineteenth century.
The French, Dutch, English and Belgian ones were the most popular and were made in different types and sizes.
Most were one-piece (like the one in the photo), with integrated stove and shank. Still others had only the clay stove, while the mouthpiece was made of wood.
Often, the stove of the latter depicted the heads of famous or unknown people or animals.
Apparently, the first clay pipes were made in England, with Holland later becoming the main producer.
From the city of Gouda, beginning in the 1600s, most clay pipes, even those of the present day, originate.
Clay pipes: characteristics
By now, clay pipes do not have the popularity of the past, but it is a truly underrated type, because it allows very delicate aromas to be extracted from the most full-bodied pipe tobaccos.
We believe that every enthusiast should try the experience of smoking a clay pipe at least once, because it offers a completely different perspective than briar.
But they also have downsides: they are very fragile, require a minimum of break-in when new, and risk scalding your hands handling them from the stove.
With use, the smoking gets better and better, and to avoid burns, just get used to holding the tobacco pipe by the shank.
The most suitable tobaccos for clay pipes are the simpler and stronger ones.
The reason is simple: the clay pipe reveals the hidden qualities of these tobaccos, on the contrary, a delicate and aromatic blend is more suitable for a briar pipe.
In addition to the classic expedients of the briar pipe, to smoke a clay pipe at its best, it is also good to follow these small rules:
- light it making sure that the entire surface of the stove burns evenly;
- do not use it outdoors when the temperature outside is particularly cold;
- smoke it in slow, even puffs, otherwise you risk creating burn marks on the stove.
What should a good clay pipe look like?
Our advice is to prefer ones that are not too long and from an established brand (Dutch and French ones tend to be the best). The burner should be smooth, free of glaze, uniform thickness and without cracks.
The mouthpiece should have the port centered, not too narrow, and flowing directly to the bottom of the stove, never over it, otherwise combustion will be problematic.
In our opinion, for those without a mouthpiece and with a shank integrated with the stove, it is preferable to avoid tooth contact with the clay.
In the old days, it was customary to wrap the end of the shank with string, but nowadays one can also use the handy protective mouthpiece grommets, designed to avoid ruining the ebonite ones on contact with the teeth.
Running in clay pipes
To perform at their best, clay pipes require break-in.
The French call this break-in “culottage” (we have delved into the culottage of meerschaum pipes here).
While it is true that all tobacco pipes, even briar pipes, tend to “darken” with smoking, true culottage occurs with meerschaum and clay pipes.
The best technique for breaking in clay pipes is to fill the stove to the brim with a dry, well-compressed tobacco and smoke it in small, even puffs.
After a few smokes, you'll notice that a yellow or brownish stain will form at the beginning of the burner, which will extend toward the entire burner.
After a few weeks of smoking, the entire tobacco pipe will be blackened, varying in hue from coffee-colored to deep black.
There are pipes that blacken only in the shank, others that blacken in the lower part of the shank as well.
The causes of different blackening are different, such as the quality of the clay and the moisture of the tobacco.
When you choose a very dry tobacco, making sure that it burns completely to the bottom of the stove (and cleaning the latter thoroughly after each smoke), it should only blacken the burner.
If you wished to blacken the bottom of the burner as well, the advice is to prefer a moist tobacco and smoke without consuming it entirely, leaving an unburned residue at the bottom, which should be removed after each smoke.
The puffs should be even slower and, at the end of each one, a small portion should be re-breathed into the shank so that a small coil of smoke can be observed rising from the stove.
One will have to be patient until the blackening goes up to the height of the unburned tobacco residue--but this does not necessarily happen.
There are tobacco pipes that, by their inherent nature, only blacken in the shank.
Interestingly, in the nineteenth century people turned to “culottage professionals,” figures who were commissioned, for a fee, to blacken tobacco pipes.
This profession began to wane in the second half of the nineteenth century, when artificially blackened clay pipes began to be produced. Apparently, this tobacco pipe was first heated and then dipped in a decoction of tobacco.