Best of Chiminea - The Traditional Mexican Outdoor Fireplace

Two types of outdoor fireplace are available to the interested homeowner: portable ones to move around in your garden, and built-in ones. Of the portables ones, the most common ones in the U.S. are chimineas. They are traditional Mexican fireplaces and consist of a bowl-shaped lower part and a much narrower chimney on top.

In Mexico, chimineas were already in use centuries ago to provide heat and a place for cooking to their owners. Their bowl-shaped firebox has an opening to one side and is therefore known as a frontloader. Due to this construction, the heat is radiated to one side only, which is useful for keeping warm during chilly nights. The bowl shape also helps to improve air circulation within the firebox. The long chimney releases the smoke above the heads of the people sitting around the outdoor fireplace, which helps to keep them mostly smoke- and ash-free.

Depending on the material used for construction, chimineas have specific advantages and disadvantages. Typical materials are clay, which is the traditional choice, and metal, mostly cast iron and aluminum. The main advantage of clay chimineas, also known as ceramic or terracotta fireplaces, is their lower price and the fact that they are usually delivered fully assembled and ready-to-use. Clay stores heat very effectively and much longer than metal, while not becoming as hot, especially on the outside. Clay models are, however, mostly very heavy, which somewhat diminishes their use as a portable fireplace. Also, clay is a very brittle material, which is prone to develop cracks after prolonged use, especially in humid climates. Clay chimineas therefore break more easily than metal ones, particularly at the bottom of the bowl-shaped firebox, where the wear is greatest from the extreme heat. In rare cases, the bottom may even fall out due to widening cracks. As humidity increases the risk of breakage, clay chimineas must never be used while still wet, for example due to rain or watering. Clearly, quality is of major importance under these circumstances and a thorough comparison of models should always include a check for manufacturing quality and durability. Their fragility also requires more maintenance, including protection from humidity and regular cleaning.

In comparison, cast iron and aluminum chimineas are much less maintenance-intensive and more durable than clay models. The main difference between the two variants is the significantly higher weight of iron and its susceptibility to rusting in humid environments. Both usually need some sort of assembly before being ready for use.

Selecting the right material therefore is the most critical step when buying a chiminea to ensure it meets your personal criteria for price, durability and maintenance requirements.