IMP Meerschaum: Smooth Coloring Bowl (with Case) Tobacco Pipe

An ever-popular pipe making material and a prevalent predecessor of briar throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, meerschaum is a medium prized for its flavor-neutral smoking properties and unique ability to patinate as it's smoked. Meerschaum is also immune to "ghosting" — absorbing a specific tobacco's flavor — making it idea for sampling a variety of different blends. A porous mineral more scientifically known as sepiolite, its common name comes from the German word for "sea foam," and is a reference to the naturally pale white coloration of the material. Its relative ease of carving while moist allows for the rendering of highly figural, sculptural pipes that are rich with detail, and this is something that Turkish workshop IMP prides themselves on. Carved from solid-block meerschaum sourced directly from mines in Turkey, their pipes are handmade by some of Turkey's most experienced meerschaum carvers. IMP's portfolio typically focuses on more traditional designs, as opposed to the commonly seen figurals in meerschaum pipe making. This isn't a pipe, however, it's a coloring bowl, an indispensable part of any meerschaum smoker's arsenal. The coloring bowl is a secondary bowl that sits snugly in the bowl of the primary pipe via its cork base, treating its resting spot similarly to the secondary chamber in a reverse Calabash pipe. This allows moisture to condense and smoke to cool, distributing it through all sides of the bowl before it makes its way through the draft hole. This process encourages the singular colors of patina to develop evenly and, as is the case with this lattice example, can even compliment the look of your meerschaum pipe.