The Ultimate Guide to Choosing Pipe Filters

Smoking with a filter is not a binary option. You may find filters enhance certain blends. You may find smoking with a filter for a few days after suffering tongue bite helps you heal faster. You may go through periods of smoking with a filter and periods without. You may find using a filter in every smoke provides a better experience. There is no wrong way.

Smoking with a filter is a very subjective experience, just as subjective as the taste of different blends. The only way to know if using a filter is right for you is to experiment. The purpose of this guide is to try to point out objective information about filters to make your experimentation easier.

Lastly, like with all guides, I may make mistakes and everything said here needs to be taken with a grain of salt. I do not have much experience with filters so additional research will help. I will say that I do not see how trying filters can hurt you in any way. You may find like I did that they create a better smoking experience, or you may hate them which is totally fine.

Activated Charcoal Filters
These are the gold standard. Nothing filters more moisture and particles than charcoal, and nothing prevents tongue bite better. I have smoked some of my most biting blends like a locomotive and the smoke just remains cool until the bottom of the bowl.

6mm charcoal filters significantly affected the draw and flavor in my experience. This was a problem as it was just too much. They still provided complete protection from tongue bite. 9mm charcoals were dramatically different. I cannot emphasize this enough. 9mm filters barely reduced the draw and the flavor was enhanced on my favorite blends. My advice would be to start with 9mm if you can. If you have some 6mm pipes already then I would try it as it may be good for you. I will go into later how I preferred 6mm meerschaum filters to 6mm charcoal.

9mm charcoal filters are my favorite filtration method by a wide margin, and I will likely be using them for every smoke going forward. I tested out the cheapest to the most expensive and I found the brand names such as White Elephant, Vauen, Peterson, Savinelli, were better and worth the money. However, you may find the cheapest filter to work just fine for yourself.

A big benefit of charcoal filters for me was the flavor seemed to remain constant even to the bottom of the bowl. I used to only smoke 2/3rds of a bowl, but with a charcoal filter I can smoke them all the way down to the dottle and enjoy the flavor. This is a nice benefit, but YMMV.

I replace my filter after every smoke but I suggest experimenting for yourself to see how often you feel you need to replace it.

Meerschaum Filters
Meerschaum filters are second only to charcoal in filtering ability. They make fantastic filters that remove moisture and particles. They affect the draw less than charcoal and they also affect the flavor less. The downside is there is some more tongue bite with meerschaum filters, but I am pretty certain it will be enough protection for many smokers.

6mm meerschaum filters have much better draw than 6mm charcoal, and this factor alone may cause people to choose meerschaum for a 6mm pipe. However, for 9mm the draw is the same. My recommendation is for anyone interested in filters to try meerschaum filters, especially if you like cobs as they only accept 6mm.

Meerschaum flakes are just as effective at filtering as meerschaum filters. You just dump them in the bowl at your desired quantity and smoke away. If you don't have flakes you can also cut open meerschaum filters in a pinch.

Balsa/Paper Filters
Balsa and paper filters remove some moisture from the smoke, keeping your pipe cleaner, and reduce gurgle. They also do not impede the draw or flavor. They do not filter out moisture and particles nearly the level of charcoal or meerschaum, but you may find that balsa or paper improve your smoke enough. They may just be that little extra that helps you stay away from tongue bite. They are worth a try, but keep your expectations low as their are an ultra light filter. But if you are lucky and find they keep your tongue cool you are in great shape because they do not affect the taste of tobacco.

Denicool/Keystones
I found these inferior to meerschaum flakes or charcoal pellets in every way.

Other systems
I tried other systems, but I found they were just overcomplicated systems that balsa usually just solved better. Brigham does have a system similar to balsa that only requires replacing the filter every 20 smokes, but I was not a fan of their pipes to be honest. YMMV.

Conclusion
This guide is just my experience and highly subjective. Use it as just one tool to help you get the best experience from smoking a pipe. If a brand new pipe smoker came up to me and asked me if they should start smoking with or without a filter, I would tell them to start with a 9mm charcoal filter.

Smoking with a filter is not a binary option. You may find filters enhance certain blends. You may find smoking with a filter for a few days after suffering tongue bite helps you heal faster. You may go through periods of smoking with a filter and periods without. You may find using a filter in every smoke provides a better experience. There is no wrong way.

Smoking with a filter is a very subjective experience, just as subjective as the taste of different blends. The only way to know if using a filter is right for you is to experiment. The purpose of this guide is to try to point out objective information about filters to make your experimentation easier.

Lastly, like with all guides, I may make mistakes and everything said here needs to be taken with a grain of salt. I do not have much experience with filters so additional research will help. I will say that I do not see how trying filters can hurt you in any way. You may find like I did that they create a better smoking experience, or you may hate them which is totally fine.

Activated Charcoal Filters
These are the gold standard. Nothing filters more moisture and particles than charcoal, and nothing prevents tongue bite better. I have smoked some of my most biting blends like a locomotive and the smoke just remains cool until the bottom of the bowl.

6mm charcoal filters significantly affected the draw and flavor in my experience. This was a problem as it was just too much. They still provided complete protection from tongue bite. 9mm charcoals were dramatically different. I cannot emphasize this enough. 9mm filters barely reduced the draw and the flavor was enhanced on my favorite blends. My advice would be to start with 9mm if you can. If you have some 6mm pipes already then I would try it as it may be good for you. I will go into later how I preferred 6mm meerschaum filters to 6mm charcoal.

9mm charcoal filters are my favorite filtration method by a wide margin, and I will likely be using them for every smoke going forward. I tested out the cheapest to the most expensive and I found the brand names such as White Elephant, Vauen, Peterson, Savinelli, were better and worth the money. However, you may find the cheapest filter to work just fine for yourself.

I will now discuss using activated charcoal pellets dumped inside of the bowl. This method is just as effective as using charcoal filters and significantly cheaper (10x to 50x even). It does require an extra step and some space in the bowl (very little), but the draw is not affected even the slightest. You are also in full control how much charcoal you want to use for which pipe and blend. I put down just a small amount of tobacco first to make sure pellets are not sucked into the pipe. You can also mix with meerschaum flakes for added effectiveness. I know many smokers have hesitation about putting anything other than tobacco into the bowl and I completely understand this. If you have no problem putting charcoal inside the bowl you can save significant amounts of money by buying activated charcoal in bulk for dirt cheap.

A big benefit of charcoal filters for me was the flavor seemed to remain constant even to the bottom of the bowl. I used to only smoke 2/3rds of a bowl, but with a charcoal filter I can smoke them all the way down to the dottle and enjoy the flavor. This is a nice benefit, but YMMV.

I replace my filter after every smoke but I suggest experimenting for yourself to see how often you feel you need to replace it.

Meerschaum Filters
Meerschaum filters are second only to charcoal in filtering ability. They make fantastic filters that remove moisture and particles. They affect the draw less than charcoal and they also affect the flavor less. The downside is there is some more tongue bite with meerschaum filters, but I am pretty certain it will be enough protection for many smokers.

6mm meerschaum filters have much better draw than 6mm charcoal, and this factor alone may cause people to choose meerschaum for a 6mm pipe. However, for 9mm the draw is the same. My recommendation is for anyone interested in filters to try meerschaum filters, especially if you like cobs as they only accept 6mm.

Meerschaum flakes are just as effective at filtering as meerschaum filters. You just dump them in the bowl at your desired quantity and smoke away. If you don't have flakes you can also cut open meerschaum filters in a pinch.

Balsa/Paper Filters
Balsa and paper filters remove some moisture from the smoke, keeping your pipe cleaner, and reduce gurgle. They also do not impede the draw or flavor. They do not filter out moisture and particles nearly the level of charcoal or meerschaum, but you may find that balsa or paper improve your smoke enough. They may just be that little extra that helps you stay away from tongue bite. They are worth a try, but keep your expectations low as their are an ultra light filter. But if you are lucky and find they keep your tongue cool you are in great shape because they do not affect the taste of tobacco.

Denicool/Keystones
I found these inferior to meerschaum flakes or charcoal pellets in every way.

Other systems
I tried other systems, but I found they were just overcomplicated systems that balsa usually just solved better. Brigham does have a system similar to balsa that only requires replacing the filter every 20 smokes, but I was not a fan of their pipes to be honest. YMMV.

Conclusion
This guide is just my experience and highly subjective. Use it as just one tool to help you get the best experience from smoking a pipe. If a brand new pipe smoker came up to me and asked me if they should start smoking with or without a filter, I would tell them to start with a 9mm charcoal filter.

I had asked a YouTube Piper who has done a series of videos on pipe filters about adding charcoal in the bottom of the pipe bowl and he said it would not work. Redcoat‘s Return: "No…its not good idea….half down the bowl….those charcoal chunks in your bowl will burn very hot…and burn in your briar and your tobacco will go into flames and gives you a burnt tongue too. Active charcoal is a special grade of charcoal…with a high surface to absorb water vapor, tar and some nicotine. It only works at the cartridge in the stem and shank…and the ceramic caps protects the charcoal and the paper cartridge from the glowing burning tobacco…just the smoke….goes through the filter cartridge and it condenses and absorbs the steam and nasty components of the smoke. You can use…Nording Stones, Denicool crystals, meerschaum granules in your bowl….they are all made of minerals….that don’t burn at all. I hope this info helps you."

I know most don’t like any filters but I promised my children and family I would use them. I do have a single 9mm pipe but all others are 6mm.

I had been using the paper filters but recently also tried the balsa filters. For me I have good flavor with either so not complaining.

I am confused on which one filters out the most tar or bad stuff? I found this table (pic) online and it seems to imply balsa is better for trapping tar and paper is only for moisture.

However I can physically see my paper filter turn black after 2-3 smokes but cannot see any black or discoloration on the balsa filters.

I will use both but my logical reasoning tells me this table (pic) is wrong, or is the balsa doing something I cannot see?


I think filters are the least well explained feature of pipe smoking, so each new pipe smoker has to make a personal study of them and pick up the lore as they go along, sometimes at wasted time and expense.

A one pager on this for every new pipe smoker would be excellent, at least make them all aware of the issue.

I've used all three kinds of filters -- balsa, paper, and charcoal. Since I smoke an average of one bowl/chamber a day, I don't often use them. I think they are useful for moderate smokers for situations where they smoke more than usual, like at the pipe show or club, or sampling at a pipe shop.

I guess that charcoal ( 9 mm filters) remove the most particulates, tars, and ash. Balsa and paper get some of that, but are more moisture traps to dry out the smoke and prevent tongue bite.

Most pipes designed for filters smoke perfectly well without them, but this is on a pipe-by-pipe basis, and how restricted or airy you like a pipe. Adaptors are good to tighten the airway a little, but are not usually necessary.

I hope this thumbnail fills in some gaps in info. It all depends on what you want the filter to do. Any of the types of pipe filters will catch some particulate, but they are all primarily designed for absorbing moisture. If you just want to absorb moisture, the paper filter will work fine. If you are looking for heavier filtration of particulates, etc., then you should go with a charcoal filter.

If and when I use a filter, I prefer a balsa wood. I will however use a charcoal filter from time to time if that is all I have available. I've posted a couple links for you to explore on the subject.

Pipe Tabacco and Cigarette Tabacco: Windy City Cigars

Pipe tobacco and cigarette tobacco are tobacco products, they have distinct differences in terms of moisture, flavor, and nicotine content.

Pipe FAQ - PIPES and CIGARS

Find out everything you need to know about pipes here at PIPES and CIGARS!

The different kinds of filters available

There are several types of pipe filters available on the market. How to choose between a metal filter, a 9mm filter or a paper filter? Learn about the pros and cons of each... Thanks everyone. I guess my promise to my family was to try to remove more harmful substances. I don’t think they make a 6mm charcoal but will look. I have 2 briar 6mm, 4 cob 6mm, and 1 pear 9mm I use for Aros or a Lakeland if I ever try one.

I think seeing the dark black collected in the paper filters logically tells me it’s trapping tar so I will stick with those for now. As I get more pipes in future I might go 9mm and use charcoal.

It’s all good either way. Who knows in a couple years I may be filterless.

Two additional points. Any filter requires additional regular purchase of the filters, thus adds to the expense of pipe smoking. The expense is modest, but continual.

This leads me to wonder if some or all filters make pipe smokers tend to smoke more often to get the nicotine or flavor they want, thus somewhat negating the benefits of filtering, if you are cleaning up the smoke to a degree but smoking significantly more.

This is pretty much it, the aerosol is changed but not significantly. With a big enough carbon filter, no smoke would come out the other end, it would all be trapped. Liberated nicotine is contained in within the this aerosol, it gets trapped in filters.

Filters will change the concerntration of varying sized particulates, making the smoke drier and absorbing heat from the aerosol. Filters are self defeating for one who is looking for satisfaction from X bowls of tobacco, the total sum of nicotine is the total sum of other volatiles also with it in the aerosol.

Single bowl a day, it does not matter that the filter isn't seperating nicotine from the other volatiles in the areosol. Even so the filter is very negligible with regard to levels harmful particulates removed. Perhaps there is some miniscule objective benefit, i.e. it is stopping large particles like ashy bits or peices of tobacco from entering the mouth. 6mm charcoal filters exist but they often block the draw too much, specially when they get soaked.
9mm charcoal are nice, I'm using them the most but they affect the flavors somewhat. It also feels disgusting to use them more than once. When you are looking forward to taste a nice smelling tobacco and instead you get all the nasty stuff from the previous bowl.
I'd go with 9mm pipes, buy a ton of filters and forget about worrying for a year or two.

A one pager on this for every new pipe smoker would be excellent, at least make them all aware of the issue.

Some guy that used to lurk here wrote a bit on this topic...

Paper & charcoal filters will remove moisture and particulate from the smoke stream through dint of surface area alone; balsa, being wood, is cellularly hygromorphic so will absorb a great deal more moisture than one would think; between the two, paper & charcoal will remove more particulate--the tar that seems to be at issue. Use them, get used to smoking with them (some cadence and technique adjustments will be necessary), and it sounds like everyone involved will be a little happier! As for the cost, adding another 2-5 bucks on top of my average 100$+ orders is worth it for the enjoyment I gain from the pipes.

Thanks everyone. I guess my promise to my family was to try to remove more harmful substances. I don’t think they make a 6mm charcoal but will look. I have 2 briar 6mm, 4 cob 6mm, and 1 pear 9mm I use for Aros or a Lakeland if I ever try one.

I think seeing the dark black collected in the paper filters logically tells me it’s trapping tar so I will stick with those for now. As I get more pipes in future I might go 9mm and use charcoal.

It’s all good either way. Who knows in a couple years I may be filterless.

Vauen makes 6mm filters. Dr Perl. I agree with all of the above sound advice and commentary. I would only add that you have to try different filters with each pipe. I have tried to switch to 6mm charcoal filters for my savinelli's and found that the balsa works best in the (full bent) while the charcoal works best in the 128 (straight). Also its possible to get two bowls out of balsa but not a good idea with charcoal as mentioned above. Savinelli has info on their studies on their site somewhere. The balsa filters 66% of tar and nicotine. Charcoal which is newer and blocks presumably more. But that really only matters if you inhale into lungs. Otherwise its just to block dottle and ash into mouth (imho). I don't have a 9mm pipe. Best of Luck in your own studies !

I agree with all of the above sound advice and commentary. I would only add that you have to try different filters with each pipe. I have tried to switch to 6mm charcoal filters for my savinelli's and found that the balsa works best in the (full bent) while the charcoal works best in the 128 (straight). Also its possible to get two bowls out of balsa but not a good idea with charcoal as mentioned above. Savinelli has info on their studies on their site somewhere. The balsa filters 66% of tar and nicotine. Charcoal which is newer and blocks presumably more. But that really only matters if you inhale into lungs. Otherwise its just to block dottle and ash into mouth (imho). I don't have a 9mm pipe. Best of Luck in your own studies !

Thanks for info . 66% is good. I will che k out their website.

Some guy that used to lurk here wrote a bit on this topic...

Paper & charcoal filters will remove moisture and particulate from the smoke stream through dint of surface area alone; balsa, being wood, is cellularly hygromorphic so will absorb a great deal more moisture than one would think; between the two, paper & charcoal will remove more particulate--the tar that seems to be at issue. Use them, get used to smoking with them (some cadence and technique adjustments will be necessary), and it sounds like everyone involved will be a little happier! As for the cost, adding another 2-5 bucks on top of my average 100$+ orders is worth it for the enjoyment I gain from the pipes.

Thank you for this article !! It summarizes in one place all of the information I have read separately elsewhere !! I am not IT inclined but believe the moderators should link this article right up front under one of the newby threads that come up first when you enter the site. (I don't know if that's the correct language to describe posting it on first page.)
And as for balsa, the article states: "The filter works by collecting moisture that condenses as it passes over the wood; balsa can surprisingly hold on the order of eighteen thousand times its weight in water. They also claim to absorb 77% of the nicotine and 91% of the tar from the smoke stream, as tested by independent laboratories." I know that was two separate university labs.
I wonder what tests charcoal has undergone and what results ?
Thanks again romeowood !! ???