White Elephant 9 mm Meerschaum Filters

As a pipe smoker for almost sixty years, I'd never used a filtered pipe until six months ago, when I acquired six pipes requiring a 9 MM filter. I purchased Vauen charcoal filters and some Denicool crystals. Wow, what a revelation! Regardless of blend or brand of tobacco, the smoke was cool and dry, and there was never a trace of tongue bite. On an internet pipe smokers' forum, I read about WHITE ELEPHANT 9 MM MEERSCHAUM FILTERS and thought, "Why not give these a try," and I purchased a box. In my experience, they do not function as well as charcoal filters and, in terms of consistency, they are somewhat lacking. The smoke isn't as cool and dry and, periodically, the draw is impaired. I only smoke "English" blends which I have self-blended and comprise a minimum of 40% latakia. This may have something to do with the difference that I have found with filtration. An aromatic smoker of heavily flavored tobacco may have a completely different result.

Great filters

Having used charcoal filters for years, I finally decided to try meerschaum filters and am very glad I did. They do not seem to absorb as much "stuff" from the smoke stream, but they are neutral in flavor and provide a dry smoke with an easy draw.. They are slightly larger in diameter than VAUEN filters and need to be modified to engage the VAUEN conex system. I peel one layer of the paper off one end and find they then slide snugly into the conical section of a VAUEN stem. Otherwise, they work fine with other 9mm pipe brands I have. I like them so much I bought 300 more.