Corn Cob Pipe

madox07 · Dec 17, 2016

After my recent experience and experiments I have decided to pull out my better briars out of the aromatic business. Therefore I have decided to experiment with corn cob pipes for aromatics. I remember reading somewhere that many people prefer them for aromatics, as they smoke cool and preserve much of the aroma. Although I have bought one because it was cheap, I have never used it - I guess I had some sort of prejudice against it. Any road, before lighting my first I thought I should ask the corn cob gurus here a few questions. Does it need breaking in? How long can you use it before you throw it away and buy a new one? Is cake ok with corn cobs - some articles suggest there shouldn't be any cake, while others seem to imply that some cake is ok for prolonging the pipe's life. Any other tips are welcome, guys.

ray47 · Dec 17, 2016

Q: Does a cob need breaking in.

A: Not really, but you may get an off taste for about 5 bowls.
Q: How long can you use it before you throw it away and buy a new one.

A: I've got cobs that are 10+ yrs old and they get smoked nearly everyday. Their still going strong.
Q: Is cake okay in cobs.

A: Some say yes and some say no, it's up to you. I prefer no cake, but I have some with cake, I find no difference
I only smoke aromatics in cobs. They taste better in a cob.

judcole · Dec 17, 2016

A cob can last a long time if it is properly cared for. The only ones I have thrown away were ones that broke. It does require a breaking in period - there's a noticeable taste at the beginning. I don't keep much cake - I wipe out the bowl with a paper towel after a smoke, just like I do my briars.

pagan · Dec 17, 2016

Cobs don't need breaking in or building cake, smoke it ans wipe the bowl and run a pipe cleaner thru it after and that cob will last you a good long time

aldecaker · Dec 17, 2016

Cobs only need breaking in insofar as that off flavor ray47 mentions, but not in order to smoke cool and dry. They do that from the first smoke.
Cobs are not really disposable; they will last a lot longer than you think, and then keep going. They will look like they are no longer any good for years before they are actually ready for the trash bin.
Cake is certainly OK with a cob, if you want it. I stick to minimal cake even in my briars, so I certainly don't like it in my cobs. One thing to think about, though. Common counsel is that too thick a cake can swell enough to crack a briar pipe; imagine what it can do to a corncob!

Strike Anywhere · Dec 17, 2016

For what it's worth, I don't think cobs have an "off taste" at the beginning. If anything, I think the cob adds a light sweetness to any blend (at the beginning). If you are getting a very bitter, acrid, harsh taste near the bottom of your bowl, it's not the cob, it's the wood stem/shank. Stop smoking. My grandfather only smoked cobs, Grabows, and Kaywoodies. The briar pipes were for leisurely smoking and the cobs were for everything else. He abused them, and from what I've been told, he wouldn't smoke them much past the point they stopped adding that slight sweetness. He would buy them by the "card". My other grandfather was pretty "frugal" and I inherited two of his cobs after his death. They look like they've gone to hell and back.

newbroom · Dec 17, 2016

Because of the typically open draw of a cob, I think you might tend to smoke it hotter and faster till you learn its 'nuance'.

I also think that any pipe should get special attention when first smoked a few bowls. Consider it a conditioning process that slowly cures your cob and helps eliminate any residual moisture as it hardens to a protective carbon wall inside.

perdurabo · Dec 17, 2016

.....and a Button Nose!!!!!!!

rhoadsie · Dec 17, 2016

Buy 4 cobs and perform a 2X2 factorial experiment with break-in and cake as factors, i.e. break-in and cake, break-in and no cake, no break-in and cake, no break-in and no cake. Let us know in 6 months, 1, 3, 5, 10 years (or when they meet their lifespan) how they smoke. :puffpipe:

shutterbugg · Dec 17, 2016

I admit I have a prejudice against corncobs. I grew up in the boonies hating the ignorant redneck mentality of the people, got out as soon as I was legally able, and never looked back. But it left its mark on me and I won't buy a pickup or wear camo, and I would never smoke a corncob in public. That said, I do have a couple I smoke when nobody's looking and they are great smoking pipes. I like the looks of the Old Dominions best, but I find the round stems impossible to clench comfortably and have to hold them in my hand. The MM's are something of a hybrid, but the stems are more clenchable, albeit they're pretty flimsy and easy to bite through if you clench hard. No real reason to, as they are very light. And no way I'll spend twice the cost of the pipe buying an aftermarket stem. One other thing, if you buy an MM, either get the unfiltered kind or be prepared to always use a filter of some sort. The draw on the filtered type without a filter is really open, and detracts from the smoking qualities.
As for breaking it in, well, I never broke in any pipe, so I'd say no. As far as them lasting, I have one that's probably 40 years old, although I don't smoke it all the time. Who cares though, they're dirt cheap as pipes go.

mawnansmiff · Dec 19, 2016

"I do have a couple I smoke when nobody's looking..."
A vain pipesmoker, who'd have thunk it : puffy

:
Regards,
Jay.

markus · Dec 19, 2016

I have 4 corn cob pipes, 2 MM Country Gentlemen, 1 Great Dane and a Dagner Poker cob. They are all 4 years old, with the exception of the poker, which I just bought.

I take as good care of my cobs as I do my briars. They look as good as the day I bought them and they all smoke fantastic. I reach for them as often as I do my briars.

There is a break-in period (if you want to call it that) of a few smokes.

only one of them has a little bit of cake in it, but it's not very much and I try to keep it that way.

I wipe them out after smoking them just like I do with my briars.

pastorpiper · Dec 19, 2016

I abuse my cobs and they just keep going strong. Cobs are very forgiving pipes and can take neglect fairly well.

Chasing Embers · Dec 19, 2016

Lots of cob love here!

madox07 · Dec 20, 2016

Wow, not that's a collection of cob pipes. chasingembers the last one on the left has a paper in it. When I bought my MM it had something similar too. I threw it away .. and later i found a leaflet of cardboard filters that you just roll and stick it in the pipe stem. Honestly it doesn't seem to make much difference to me. So is that pipe meant for filter, do they do anything for you?

Chasing Embers · Dec 20, 2016

The filters really don't make much of a difference to me as the cob itself is extremely absorbant. That one was new when that photo was taken, and I had yet to remove it. Most Missouri Meerschaums are made for filters, but perform perfectly without them.

coffinmaker · Dec 20, 2016

I don't like filtered anything pipes, throw the durn stems away and get stems that do not take filters. More power to the cob!! Many times I make a plactic or a part from a broken stem to fit the cob stem to restrict the draw.

madox07 · Dec 20, 2016

So i keep experimenting with my cob, and i find that not all aromatics yield a perfect smoke. For example a ribbon cut virginia and cavendish is fantastic. At the same time a flake cut virginia, burley and cavendish .. well different story. For,some reason i have issues with packing this cut in the cob. It stays lit, but bites a bit .. also tends to smoke a bit hot and fast. the same tobacco smokes great in briar. Do you think it is the cut, the packing or something else?

Perique · Dec 20, 2016

I grew up in the boonies hating the ignorant redneck mentality of the people, got out as soon as I was legally able, and never looked back.

We prefer the term "Appalachian American".

Chasing Embers · Dec 21, 2016

I'll take redneck, but really enjoy hillbilly. :mrgreen:

Corn Cob Pipe

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