Corn Cobs - what’s the skinny?

[warren]

Cheap, disposable, perfect for when working. Oh... they smoke well also. Thousands, maybe millions, sold over the years. That should answer most, if not all of your questions which have been answered hundreds of times here. Again... over the years.

 

[renfield]

I’ve got cobs going on 20 years old. Quite a bargain based on that alone.

They smoke great. My only complaint is most cobs have a smaller chamber than I prefer.

Give a cob a try. Worst case you can use it next winter to build a snowman.

 

[BlueRidge]

worth finding out. as @renfield said (most) chambers are small but they smoke great. first few smokes may be off but then you're good to go. they last decades if not treated like throwaway tool. i favor the factory stems but you can upgrade to acrylic if that helps you

 

[upnorth1]

I have a half dozen and I’m happy with them. Go take a look online at what Missouri Meerschaum has to offer.

 

[burleybreath]

I suggest you read John Patton's Corncob Primer, or whatever it's called. The only place I can find it at the moment is here:
The Corncob Primer 3/03/2012 - https://www.brothersofbriar.com/threads/the-corncob-primer-3-03-2012.12942/

 

[burleybreath]

And here: Missouri Meerschaum Corncob Buying Guide - Pipedia - https://pipedia.org/wiki/Missouri_Meerschaum_Corncob_Buying_Guide

 

[elvishrunes]

The quality of cobs can vary drastically. I don’t like the flimsy plastic stems on the cheapest offerings. I prefer the reed stems on the Old Dominion pipes. Very lightweight and easy to clench. I have one of these with a narrow, and somewhat tall bowl. Great for smoking Virginia flake while fishing.

View attachment 394241

So that’s your secret trout fishing bait eh, panther martins tipped with tobacco

 

[LeafErikson]

Cobs are easily the best bang for the buck in pipe smoking. They smoke dry, sweet, cool, and as long as you have enough to rotate through, they’ll last you years. I suggest an unfiltered Missouri Meerschaum cob with an acrylic stem direct from Missouri Meerschaum if you’re going to pick one up.

I used to smoke cobs almost exclusively until I started smoking Savinelli briars and meerschaums. I still have those cobs around here somewhere.

 

[CurlingWisps]

Thanks all, inspirational stuff… I’m going to do it!
@ashdigger I think my sister will love it.

 

[karam]

I love'em, my little Dagner Poker is among my taster pipes because it gives a very clean taste of the blend. They're cheap, and they're funny to look at, especially the big rough ones, or when there's literally a twig stuck on a rough...corn cob. Only one I don't smoke is the MacArthur because the stem is quite flimsy and I do all my smoking while walking.

 

[Lumbridge]

They smoke very well, but have a wide open draw. Just something to keep in mind. They're basically immune to gurgle, so they're good for cold, wet weather smokes.

As for making them from a cob from your dinner plate, you certainly could, although Missouri Meerschaum apparently uses a special variety of corn bred to produce larger, denser cobs more suited to pipe making.

They're very cheap, so you haven't got much to lose by trying one.

 

[newbroom]

When I started smoking a pipe, it was a MM Legend from the corner drug store, eleven years ago.
I still smoke that pipe and have acquired several more cobs via various sources, not always directly from MM.
I've still got cobs from a bag of 'seconds' I bought that first year that I smoke regularly. I've messed up a few too, I won't lie, but it wasn't the cob's fault when something went amiss.
I think part of the pipe experience is the all American aspect even though they are a world wide phenomenon.
A cob then, is something of historic value and has followed the tobacco industry to thrive within its genre and initially, rather uniquely American.
I've purchased used cobs.
Here's one that is factory made with a really nice bamboo shank and a hardwood bottom on a size and shape that is typically pith bottomed. (no hardwood)

 

[Alejo R.]

It's worth the ten dollar risk to try it.

That's a hard argument to beat.

 

[karam]

As for making them from a cob from your dinner plate, you certainly could, although Missouri Meerschaum apparently uses a special variety of corn bred to produce larger, denser cobs more suited to pipe making.

I tried to get the biggest corn cob I could find, dry it, hollow it out and make a pipe out of it. It was successful and actually smoked but the walls of the MM cobs are far thicker and harder, and the pithy part is much wider than those of the commercial (food) cob. It's really not difficult to do though, but for the cost of getting a professional MM cob the home made one is more of a novelty.

 

[fr0st]

So that’s your secret trout fishing bait eh, panther martins tipped with tobacco

Have to get them hooked somehow.

 

[Copperhead]

Cobs are great once a nice cake is formed.

 

[ThermionicScott]

A cob was my second-ever pipe. I initially bought it as a cheap way to have more than one pipe, but it's a great smoker to this day. Now I have about a half-dozen, and my favorite is the Morgan.

 

[stoopidbaits]

Every time I come back to pipes after a break, I start with a cob. I usually start with a legend and a country gentleman. They both smoke great, the legend has a great little bowl for sampling new blends, and the gentleman makes it look like you're smoking something more than just a cob, if you're into the whole vanity thing.

That said, once I picked up the Falcons I haven't touched the cobs.

 

[anotherbob]

Have to get them hooked somehow.

either that or get them tangled in your net.

 

[Steddy]

I prefer the unfiltered cobs with acrylic stems. The draw is open but not as wide open as the filtered cobs.