Corn Cob Pipes – Almost 150 Years Old and 3,000 Produced per Day
- Homepage
- Industry Spotlight
- Corn Cob Pipes – Almost 150 Years Old and 3,000 Produced per Day
- Kevin Godbee
- Feb 27, 2011
- 1 min read
Corn Cob Pipes have many, many fans, probably way more than anyone knows. Of course, there are also those that treat the lowly corn cob pipe as if they were the Rodney Dangerfield of pipes … they get no respect. However, the history of corn cob pipes dates back to 1869 and over 3,000 are produced on a daily basis. Back in September 2009, we published the story of the Missouri Meerschaum company, the sole producer of the original corn cob pipe [Corn Cob Pipes, The Making Of at Missouri Meerschaum], which included photos showing the step-by-step process of how they are produced. Now, we have been granted the exclusive rights to re-publish a fascinating video originally produced by Aaron Mermelstein and published on HEC TV.
What many people do not know is that a special hybrid breed of corn is grown solely for the purpose of making corn cob pipes. This is why the recent cheap Chinese-made knock-offs do not work, and burn through the bottom after the first smoke. Missouri Meerschaum is also a vertically-integrated company. They own the farms and grow all of their own special hybrid corn to make their pipes. Of interesting note, when you watch the video, the narrator speaks of them having a 3-year supply of corn cobs. However, when I spoke to Phil Morgan, the owner of Missouri Meerschaum last week at the “St. Louis Pipe Show” (officially the “Gateway Area Pipe Show and Swap”), he told me that they are just barely able to keep up with their orders.
Thanks to HEC TV for granting permission to re-publish their video. Fill up your Missouri Meerschaum Corn Cob Pipe, light ‘er up, and then press play on the video below.
[HTML1]
This video was originally published on HEC TV on February 18, 2011
Shop for Corn Cob Pipes Here
Related Article: Corn Cob Pipes, The Making Of at Missouri Meerschaum
Here’s a photo shoot of Chelsea Smoking a Corn Cob Pipe
You can buy the pipe Chelsea is smoking here
Written by Kevin Godbee
View all posts by: Kevin Godbee
More Pipes and Tobaccos Articles
21 Responses
Smokingpipes.com Updates
Watch for Updates Twice a WeekSite Sponsors
Recent Posts
Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 606. Our featured interview tonight is with Per George Jensen. Most pipe enthusiasts know Per as the longtime Mac Baren Tobacco Company spokesman. Last year he made some changes in his life. He got married, moved to Germany and parted ways with Mac Baren, but not with the tobacco business. He is consulting with Sutliff Tobacco Co., and he created the popular and unique signature tobacco series, “Pipe Force”. Tonight’s discussion will include details on Per’s line of blending tobacco, which has something for everyone. You can smoke them straight, but if you want to blend tobaccos, we will have some good advice on this episode. At the top of the show, since it’s springtime, Brian will discuss seasonal tobaccos and answer two questions that come up often.
His grandfather came to the US with a $50 gold coin in his shoe, opened up a cigar shop, and his most famous customer was Babe Ruth. He holds the record for the longest slow smoke in the world at over 24 hours, and he is the only man who stopped Chuck Norris from round-house kicking the Nording Pipe Statue. The most interesting man in the world, Jonathan Goldsmith, stopped by the Chicago Pipe Show this year to get kissed on the cheek by Neal Osborn. Wait, what? OK, I kid. Jonathan came to honor his friend and fishing buddy Steve Norse of Vermont Freehand at the annual Doctors and Masters of Pipes award dinner. Steve was one of the two recipients of the Masters of Pipes award and asked Johnathan to show up and add some color to his acceptance speech. Slightly overshadowed but no less important! Jay Furman was also honored as this year’s hobbyist Master of Pipes, joining me and a pipe-star-studded list of great contributors to the hobby and profession of pipes. Jay is a character in his own right. While I don’t know him as well as I would like, I’ve learned that he’s a kind-hearted collector who started the Artisan Pipe Makers Club, a place where new artisans learn, grow, and are challenged. There are around 60 artisans who participate, collaborate, and learn. Jay and Mike Bishop also started the Long Island Pipe Club, which has around 50 members and meets twice a month on different sides of the island. What is not featured here are pictures of the Doctors of Pipes. Both recipients were unable to attend: Marco Parascenzo – Doctor of Pipes, Trade/Industry Regis MacCafferty – Doctor of Pipes, Hobby Please join us in congratulating these newly inducted Doctors and Masters of Pipes. It is a great honor, and each of these men embodies what our hobby and industry strive to do: grow, educate, and cultivate its future. I encourage everyone to attend the dinner next year as it’s always illuminating. And now, on with the show. Sort of. You may be wondering what the most interesting pipe smoker in the world smokes…. I didn’t miss the opportunity to chat with this incredibly nice man, whom Brian Levine and I also remembered from one of our favorite TV shows, the A-Team. He was also in many other shows from the 80s, such as Magnum PI, Murder She Wrote, Dallas, and MacGyver, just to name a few. Jonathan: I actually enjoy simple and readily available tobacco like Captain Black or some black cavendish from my local cigar and pipe shop in Vermont. What about your first pipe? Jonathan: I picked up my first pipe; I think it was a billiard when I was in London many years ago at a place called James Fox. How often do you smoke? Jonathan: Almost every day. I enjoy a pipe in the morning and a cigar in the afternoon. I want to thank Jonathan Goldsmith for taking a few minutes to sit down with me and being gracious enough to snap pictures with many of us at the show; it was a ton of fun and made this year’s show even more memorable! This year, the Chicago Pipe Show kicked it up a notch with a new location, new signage, new pre-registration and payment system, new show executive staff, and lots of new surprises. Now, Tim Garrity, President of the Chicagoland Pipe Club, tells me that over 400 attendees were at the show, but they are still tabulating the numbers too, so this is subject to getting updated and expanded. We do have our dates for next year at this same location – the first weekend of May at the Hyatt Regency, Chicago O’Hare. Of course, like any good Chicago show, there was plenty of room hopping and the announcement board. The signage this year was super helpful in knowing where to go when to go, and what tables our favorite vendors were at. While the show was jam-packed, the spacing of the tables allowed everyone to move around freely and didn’t feel over-crowded as the tables and isles were spaced out to allow room for vendors and collectors to stretch out. The smoking tent was hopping all the time, but luckily, air flow and some great air purifiers by Lake Air kept it fresh. As usual, there was a great sample table with tons of things to try in the tent, and on your way to the tent, there was a conveniently placed cash bar. This year the tent was 25% bigger than last year, although you wouldn’t notice because there were more people at the show! Kaywoodie is under new Management. At the show, I chatted with Nathan “Greywoodie” Davis about how he came to take over the 173-year-old company. Tell me how this happened. Nathan: This month is my 5th anniversary of Greywoodie opening. I was friends with Bill and had a huge collection of Kaywoodies – I approached him about having them available outside of brick and mortar. He had no online presence and didn’t sell direct. He said if I wanted them to be more available, the best thing I could do was quit my job and sell them myself. He was mostly kidding because I had a really good job in the legal profession, but I wasn’t happy so one day I did give him a call and said “hey whats your minimum order,” and he said “You didn’t just quit your job because I was joking?” I did and I started out that way as an online retailer. So, in working with him, we did exclusives, and I learned about pipe making from him, both production and hand-made. We brought back some historical lines as well, and soon enough, I was helping to make the pipes I was buying from him. It was great for him to get my labor […]
Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 605. Our featured interview tonight is with Pete Prevost. Pete is a pipe maker and the President of the BriarWorks pipe factory in Columbia Tennessee. BriarWorks is a a pipe maker co-op with several other pipe makers, including Todd Johnson, who co-founded it with Pete. Brian and Pete will be talking about what’s new at BriarWorks, and how they are getting ready to attend the Chicago pipe show. (This was recorded before the show that took place last weekend.) At the top of the show, Brian will give his report of his travels and what happened at the Chicago show.
When I first started with the pipe as a quirky and precocious teen, the only tutelage I had at my disposal were scenes from old movies in which a well dressed chap would stick his pipe into a pouch, scoop tobacco into the bowl and press it down unceremoniously with his thumb. Then, with great flourish, he’d strike a match and light the thing with all manner of cinematic excess, puffing up vast clouds of smoke falling just short of completely obscuring his visage. While it may look good on film, it’s a terrible approach to actually enjoying the thing. Somehow, though, this “technique” seems to have survived in the contemporary vernacular, at least to some extent, even with bit-loads of information handily at our fingertips that should dissuade us from the practice. But, at the time, this misguided approach was all I had; it’s no wonder my early days of puffing were fraught with difficult lighting, harsh, bitter smokes and tongue bite, all culminating in a fireproof mass of ye old soggy dottle in the bottom of the bowl. Ultimately, the resulting frustration made me give up the pipe, at least for a while. While the idea of it was still very appealing, the practice of it was not. It wasn’t until a few years later when, still full of curiosity and romantic notions of pipe smoking, I wandered into a real tobacconist’s shop, and learned my “method” was a long way from the techniques that would bring me to any sort of pipe smoking bliss. So, after my poor start, and under the guidance of someone who actually seemed to know how to do it right, I was given the opportunity to approach the process anew, this time with much greater success. It was only because I was both perseverent, and fortunate to have a local shop staffed with knowledgeable people, that I’ve been able to enjoy the experience ever since. At least mostly… How many fledgeling pipe smokers have simply given up on an enjoyable pastime because of similar early mis-starts? Fortunately, today, it’s not hard to find helpful guidance at the press of a key or ten. But, at the same time, not all roads lead to Valhalla, and sometimes the advice offered might well be labeled with, “Here be dragons.” The other day, I came across a short video on-line in which a well-meaning tobacconist suggested packing a bowl of an “English” mixture “nice and tight.” Perhaps somewhat ironically, I was smoking, or trying to smoke a bowl that I’d filled on auto-pilot, packed too tightly, and not only was having the devil of a time trying to keep it lit, I really wasn’t enjoying the acrid smoke the tobacco issued during the brief periods in which it was actually burning. “No, no, NO!” I found myself muttering at my pipe, and at the figure on the screen, my protests joined by the guttural growling noises that sometimes accompany my discontent. Defiantly, I grabbed a pipe nail, shoveled out the dense, asbestos-like clog from the bowl, swabbed out the shank with a pipe cleaner, more out of habit than need since I hadn’t actually smoked enough of the mass to foul the shank, and started over, this time paying proper attention to what I was doing. (For as long as I’ve been doing this, I still screw it all up sometimes.) Much better. This got me thinking about a couple things that are so important to the maximal enjoyment of our pipes, yet not often enough discussed, namely how different tobaccos respond to variations in filling density, and moisture content; two separate but related parameters. Once I’d been shown the proper way to fill the bowl, or at least a proper way, everything had changed for me. I also began drying my tobacco down as a matter of course. Suddenly, there was greater cooperation between leaf and flame, the smoke was rich and flavorful, and it burned mostly to the bottom of the bowl with few relights. Given that, at the time, I smoked latakia mixtures almost exclusively, there didn’t seem to be a reason to explore beyond my “new” approach. It wasn’t until my attention turned in the direction of Virginia blends that I had to look a bit deeper. The same technique that worked so well for me with latakia mixtures resulted in bland, and often harsh smokes with Virginias. I attributed this to the tobaccos, convincing myself that I just didn’t like the stuff. At one of our pipe club meetings, I was talking with a friend who smoked Three Nuns exclusively. When he offered me a bowl. I thanked him, and told him that I just didn’t seem to get along well with Virginias, that they weren’t for me. “Maybe it’s the way you pack them. Here, let me fill your pipe for you.” I watched as he rubbed out a few coins to fine ribbons, moister than I was then accustomed to, and filled the bowl carefully in stages, pressing it tighter than I would have. Prepared for a nightmare, I was instead treated to a pipe dream. The tobacco smoldered slowly and almost continuously, delivering a rich, cool, sweet and delicious smoke. After that, I spent some time exploring the impact of these two variables, moisture content and packing density, on different mixtures and blends, always with similar results. Latakia mixtures, and to a lesser extent, those with a high percentage of oriental leaf, taste and smoke better when they’re on the dry side and the bowl is filled loosely, while Virginia blends tend to work best with a little more moisture and a denser fill. Burleys seem to work best somewhere in between, except for cube-cuts, which don’t like to be packed with much pressure at all. (Gravity fill, tap the bowl to settle the cubes. Repeat until full.) For such a simple act, pipe smoking is filled with undefined complexities! The point behind all this? Often […]
Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 604. Our featured interview tonight is with Jon David Cole. JD is the Owner/Tobacconist at The Country Squire in Jackson, MS, and he is the former co-host of the podcast, Country Squire Radio, which ended their 10-year run last year. We’ll have JD with the “From the Country Squire” segment talking about all the new things happening at the store and in the business in general. At the top of the show, we’ll continue our audio tour of Brian’s pipe collection.
Before we begin, I should tell you: this tobacco review is being written by an A.I. Not the fancy new GPTs or their ilk; no, this is last century’s meat-and-bone, all-organic model. To be fair, a large part of what we call knowledge is merely the accumulated perceptions and impressions gathered from a life wandered through, synthesized into a spongy mass of what-it-is-that-we-think-that-we-know. The algorithm for this prompt is simple enough: pump thousands of bowls of smoldering plant matter into a gaping maw, cross-reference the chemical sensations with all other matter previously ingested or inhaled, sieve it all through the diffuse and fractal twin lens of memory and emotion, and churn out a panoply of adjectives that attempts to convey the sensations to someone who hasn’t experienced it yet. Odds are that a diligently trained monkey could succeed half the time; if this reviewer nears fifty-one percent then that would qualify as an unrivaled success. There must have been some similar musings perambulating through the mind of Per Jensen when he began his mad scientist routine at Sutliff with the Pipe Force project, which brings us to the current mixture under the microscope—Sutliff’s Pipe Force: Episode I. Here again are the unusual ingredients that engendered the series, with the stoved Rustica being the defining voice in this composition. From the tin: The Latakia-forward English mixture offers plenty of smoky flavor from the fire-cured leaf, which is artfully harmonized with floral, earthy Stoved Rustica. A mixture of high-grade Virginias imparts a natural sweetness. Katerini, the sole Oriental component, offers herb and spice notes bringing complexity and nuance to the flavor profile. It’s certainly Latakia-forward, with the stoved Rustica doubling up on the rhythm section like a second bassist. A first whiff from the tin releases the aromas of shoe leather and hide glue in a base of clay soil with a campfire wafted over it like last night’s beach party. Once it’s been accustomed to oxygen again, subtle hints of sweetness poke through from the Virginias: lemon rind, light milk chocolate, the dregs of a peaty Scotch, and muddled cherry. Old regulars like fresh-sawn oak and tilled earth are there, of course, with distinct notes of truffle, creosote, damp peat, and pine bark mulch. As an aside, I’ve been re-potting my camellias and the similarity of aroma to the ericaceous soil mix is notable; the Katerini really brings the unique depth of its vegetal complexion when supported by the Rustica and afforded more voice in the mix. The smoky Cyprian Latakia, in turn, is backed by equal earthiness from the Rustica, which overall exhibits a profile similar to dark-fired Kentucky; it leans more toward the woody and vegetal end of that spectrum, echoing and amplifying those traits of the other constituents. The tobacco is presented pressed and cut into a couple of thick, hearty flakes in the tin, lightly moist and easily crumbled to prepare—I prefer mine with a bit of drying time. The out-of-this-world tin art for this episode in the series is Major O’Meara smoking a cavalier. In the absence of confirmation, I’m going to hazard a guess he’s of the Ithklur species. The first taste from the light is sweet, with hints of that milk chocolate dancing around the edges. The Virginia leads the smoke through the top of the bowl, and orchestrates it well. Thoroughly smoky with lemony, grassy highlights from the Virginia spectrum, it soon segues into the mid-bowl profile: heartier, smokier, with the flavor leaning to the mildly acrid and tangy tinge that is the campfire-esque signature of English blends. Caution advised, it can turn overly bitter if pushed—this is where one’s sipping technique is required to maintain the fullness of flavor through to the heel. I did tend toward a lot of relights, though it may have as much to do with technique as with the blend. Pacing is also important as the nicotine starts to manifest; though the Rustica’s contribution has been tempered well by the stoving, it can certainly upend an empty stomach. At the end of every bowl, the mouthfeel somehow gets better. The balance of sugars in the tobaccos would seem to be spot-on in this regard. I started out my tasting in cobs, then cut short an unpleasant bowl in a meer, and finally landed on my best instrument with the lovely Dunhill 4427 pictured, a quaint group 4 shell briar with a gentle curve and Cumberland stem supporting a perfectly executed acorn bowl. It surprised me here, as I’ve learned through the years that I generally have the best experience with English blends in large, wide bowls. With this blend it seems that to get the best out of the Katerini’s somewhat diaphanous influence the smaller bowl fared much better. Room note is very English, so the company you keep will either love it or hate it, and it doesn’t linger too much. I find it paired best with a strong coffee; Sumatran beans complement the flavors well, as do Ethiopian if a lighter brew is preferred. Overall impressions of the blend are that it’s a curiously interesting take on the English genre, almost a reductive reconstruction of the theme using the unique components. This blend, if nothing else, expanded my vocabulary of sense perceptions with the uniquely treated leaf. While the average human can distinguish approximately one trillion (1,000,000,000,000!) different aromas, multiplied by seven basic tastes, and wholly dependent on variables from body chemistry to atmospheric conditions, our overworked and underpaid simian brains can’t effectively catalog them all. Our pet adding machines are exceedingly good at this, however, and someday soon they’ll be the ultimate and unequivocal authority on what something tastes, smells, looks, or even feels like. Until that time, friends, revel in the moments that can be stolen to savor over a bowl of Pipe Force: Episode I.
Wonderful pipes I have some cobs that have been around longer than many of my briar.
I’ll be damned if I put my $60/lb. tobacco in cob! That’d be like eating filet mignon with a plastic knife and fork on a paper plate! 🙂
I love MM cobs. I have an entire rack dedicated to them. Heck, check out my screen name.
I’m smoking an MM Country Gentleman as I post this.
Oh, I have a few briars, but I’m basically a cob snob.
Great video, and it’s nice to see Phil and Marilyn in action.
I LOVE my many Missouri Meerschaum pipes, and one day I hope to learn how to pronounce it!
b
And cortezattic, I’m glad you enjoy your non-cob pipes.
I remember seeing a bill board at a junk yard once that said something like “Remember, your car is running on used parts”. In the end, the man who eats filet with a plastic fork is still eating filet.
Love my cobs. Best vehicle in the world for burley tobacco.
Loved that video and I love my MM Cobs.
Nice vid — Gotta say MM is just about the only American made product I am glad to own. Part of me wishes that were otherwise for nationalistic reasons that are perfectly natural the past 100 years or so on the global scale, and let’s face it. . .since the very beginning for the U.S.
I own two cobs myself, one is not MM and I don’t like it (just shoddy quality — made in south america judging by the name) the other is a MM Great Dane (Egg) that I love. Very smooth, very sweet, very nice. I also own a MM Old Hickory that I love as well. They’re a great company that knows what they’re doing and are absolutely fantastig.
Cobs aren’t as pretty as briars and clays when you get down to it in my opinion, but damn they smoke fine and that right there is the thing now isn’t it? Everyone knows there are three factors in the price of a briar — size, grain, and craftsman. With cobs its been pretty standardized on all three marks by MM so we can get a quality pipe for an unbeatable price, every time. Damn fine deal if you ask me.
Love the MM Cob that I’ve got. Was my first pipe and still use it more than the other 3 briars I now have.
Great quality and a fantastic smoke for a really cheap price. Perfect!
Wonderful video, what a great addition to the content here. I love the bit where the woman’s talking about sending pipes off the the boys in Iraq, and says she raided the boss’s desk to get some matches to throw in…that just spoke volumes about the human quotient that we all too often lose sight of in the post-industrial age. I think I’m feeling compelled to go purchase a couple more cobs today, I’ve had my eye on a spool that just whispers to me!
I happen to love my MM cobs,I have one or a few of just about everyone that they make other than the general and freehand. There are just such a great sweet smoke! I think if you haven’t smoked one, you should because you just don’t know what your missing! They’ve got my vote for favorites by far.
When I buy a MM cob, I know several things:
I’ve got more quality than what I spent.
I don’t have to worry if I burn the rim.
I don’t have to wait till they become estate pipes to afford them.
I don’t have to feel like being a PITA because I’m a snob like some others.
I think smoking a cob pipe shows humility and character that you won’t see within our all too few ranks of pipe smokers.
No matter what I put blend of tobacco I put in it, I’m going to enjoy the act of puffin’ regardless.
Just my couple thoughts on it. 🙂
@ cortezattic I hope you’re married. Cause if you’re not, then you should get used to washing fine china and special care to the silverware from eating your filet mignon. IF she knows how to cook it. :))
I ordered 2 cobs through this site- a Country Gentleman and a Great Dane Egg. Incredible smokers. Sorry I took so long to take the plunge; I’m a believer.
I’m an unabashed MM cob lover. (Hence, my screen name.)
Frankly, I could care less what the briar snobs think.
Their closed minds are unlikely to open.
However, I can understand their intolerance. About 30 years ago I had a rack full of briars and cobs weren’t even on my radar screen. I thought what hillbilly would smoke those?
It turns out that I’m THAT hillbilly.
Now, I have a rack full of MM cobs and only a handful of briars. Oh, I enjoy looking at and smoking a fine briar and admire the design and craftsmanship of pipes from around the world.
But at this stage in my life, image is not a concern.
A comfortable pipe at an affordable price is.
But, no matter the price, cobs offer quality, character and a satisfying smoking experience.
To my mind — to my taste — they not at all inferior to briars.
But they are different.
They are uniquely American.
And most importantly, MM cobs are superb smokers.
Yes, I live in Missouri and appreciate this country’s history and literature, and perhaps that carries a certain prejudice, accounting to some degree for my cob preference.
It cannot be denied that the cob boasts a rich heritage.
It’s a source of pride to those who make it, smoke it and admire it from afar.
Genuine Americana.
Uh oh, I fear I’ve actually become a cob snob.
Kevin,
This video and write up makes me want to bust the MM diplomat again. Thanks for reminding us and giving good word to U.S. made products.
My first pipe (back in college days) was a Missouri Meerschaum. I have six now that I enjoy for a quick smoke.
VERY KEWL video! But it still didn’t solve the mystery of the lines with hardwood plug bottoms (and burn-stamp logos vs. the sticker labels)
Mr. Cortezattic, many would be grateful to even have $60lb tobac period. And Ya might even enjoy more of your blessed weed using cobs on occassion due to the fact that one needn’t be fussy about cleaning them as diligently as a $100+ briar which I’m sure you are familiar with.
Myself,I smoke glp Cumberland(for instance), and it’s $35 1/2lb. = $70lb., in cob, clay, and briar, and meer. Each mode of incinerating tobacco brings forth a different pleasant and rewarding experience. And neither mode of incineration devalues the very pricey blends we smoke. But that’s just me talkin’!
I’have been smoking almost only my new “legend” MM pipe during the last three months, so I think that I’m in love with this kind pipe.
Beyond all my expectations as quality of smoke and it is also very light:
ideal when you are out for a walk.
I love MM corncobs, too. I have 5 so far (and about same number of briars). My favorites styles are the Diplomats and Danish Egg — Legends aren’t bad either (I like them for burning flake). None of my cobs are anywhere near burned through, because I install a small heavy aluminum-foil perforated disk in the bottoms (I got the idea from Scott’s [www.aristocob.com] demo of the original Aristocob pipe system with the cob inserts). Also, I switch out the angular amber stems for the danish-style bent stems. I plan to keep on smoking cobs until the come and arrest me for using tobacco.
This video made me finally pull the trigger, and I bought two MM cobs pipes. Wow, is all I can say! They smoke beautifully, are cool, and as so uniquely American, that I just love them. I’ve owned $1000 Danish pipes and $600 Dunhills that don’t smoke as well as these corn cobs. I’m really serious. One day I’ll own a half dozen of these, and it’s just fun!
Tibbe is pronounced as tiebbeh isn’t?
I love corncob pipes :)!
Greetings from The Netherlands!