This episode of Country Squire Radio is brought to you by Missouri Meerschaum and the Tin Society. We thank them for supporting this show, and we thank you for supporting them.

Episode 237: Cold Weather Pipe Smoking

Welcome & Housekeeping: It’s International Pipe Smoking Day (Week)! Of course, our beloved The Country Squire will be giving us the goods from 2/20 - 2/24. Everything in the shop (and online use code IPSD10) will be 10% off, and all pipes get an extra 10% off. Spend $50 or more and get a sample of the exclusive Country Squire IPSD Blend! $150 or more gets a free Squire t-shirt (maroon or blue). $200 or more gets a tin of name brand tobacco! Dealers choice there.
Beau and Jon David touch on lunting (strolling whilst smoking your pipe) and the possibility of doing something in the near future with the International Lunting Society ( www.lunting.org ). Details to come, so stay tuned!
For those that are interested, Jon David gushes a little on his IPSD blend, which will be a pecan aromatic, but fairly light! If it gets enough traction, there’s a possibility of it becoming a house blend, so go, buy you some IPSD goodies from the Squire, get your ounce, and try it! Then, give him some feedback!
Also, 4 more members to announce for the International Country Squire Radio Pipe Club. All Squires! None of the pilgrim blasphemy! David Branch. Austin Horn. Steve Heyman. Satx Pipe. Welcome guys! If I misspelled your name, blame Beau. Someone’s gotta do it, and he failed miserably this time. Jon David and Beau couldn’t continue to do what they do without our support! You guys are the real MVPs!

Topic: Beau and Jon David took Rob Bowden’s suggestion, and made an episode! This week they’re discussing pipes that are best for smoking in the cold weather, especially since we’re in the last throes of winter in the south, and the north still has plenty of it, as well as offering some tips and tricks.
First thing discussed is those that insist on keeping pipes on the outside of their house, be it in the shed, car, or other means. Generally these are people that smoke a pipe to and from work, or perhaps a spouse that is pipe-smell sensitive. If that’s the case, and it’s terribly cold, you’re going to want to pre-heat that pipe before you load it. Get it up to room temperature, bring it inside at the very least, so you’re not giving it a temperature shock on first light. This can, and has, resulted in some cracked briar or other materials.
If the weather is freezing, the moisture in the pipe can and will freeze and that moisture won’t evaporate as easily and readily, and could, in turn, cause the pipe to taste funky or sour eventually! A corn cob pipe might be a better option for you in the long run. Durable, cheap, and light! One of the best go-to pipes hands down. If it does get damaged by the cold, just get another!
One material that is not suggested is meerschaum. They’re already fragile, but the stone itself is known to be even more brittle in cold conditions. However, a meerschaum-lined briar doesn’t suffer from this fragile effect. It helps protect the briar, and the briar gives the meerschaum the stability it needs to not crack. If briar is your material of choice, choose something that has a chunky bowl...my personal suggestion would be an author or tomato...maybe a pot. But the extra material helps with the sturdiness of the briar itself.
For the lighters themselves, you’ll want to keep your butane soft-flame lighters inside if at all possible. The cold weather seems to really affect how easily they light. You may need to pre-warm it if you insist on keeping it outside or somewhere it’s going to get cold. Think about a windcap as well. This are also handy when you’re outside in any kind of weather, be it windy, rainy, or especially when its cold! And since we’ve touched on lunting...lunt! Bundle up properly and get that blood flowing! Also think about wearing gloves with mitten caps or something with accessible fingers. Helps