MM Cob Love

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RookieGuy80

Part of the Furniture Now
Jul 6, 2023
633
1,950
Maryland, United States
I love my cobs. Nothing like a well worn Country Gentleman full of Carter Hall with that first cup of coffee.

I'm admit there is no better doing other things pipe than the humble cob. In a boat rocking 5 foot swells trying to horse in a black drum, it's a cob. Between my teeth as I'm feeding lumber through a bandsaw is a cob. Yes it's cheap, that's part of it. Elephant is addressed. But it also damn near smokes itself if my mind is not on it. Forgiving someone said, and that's a great word for it.

But it is truly selling a corn cob pipe short to relegate it to a shop/fishing pipe. The darn things smoke so well. Not for what they are, not for the price, for for how they look. They smoke well period.
 

Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
43,860
111,589
I don’t know guys, I have a nice custom cob and a cheap one. I like them for certain things(mainly a quick, short bowl), but for most of the time I just prefer my English briars. I think they taste better for most blends and smoke slower due to the tighter draw.
I've got an artisan cob buy all of my briars and meerschaum pipes have wide open draws and very large chambers.

20230427_121422.jpg
 

Sobrbiker

Lifer
Jan 7, 2023
2,864
36,167
Casa Grande, AZ
I liked my cobs when I started out.
They’re cheap, but honestly they get soggy and smoke poorly faster than my briars do.
If you’re one to rotate and rest your pipes as is the current vogue, you may have a different opinion or experience. Me, I’m a blue collar guy that chain smokes pipes during the course of my day, much as if imagine the majority of pipe smokers did back in the day when pipes were ubiquitous.
During the work week, I usually carry two briars that get smoked 3-4 times each day for four days straight, and not babied by any means (raise your hand if you’ve ran a jackhammer lately while smoking).
At the end of four days, a run through with alcohol cleaners and an overnight rest and they can get right back at it. I’ve tried, and my cobs just can’t hang without getting soggy/sour.
Can I pluck nuances out of blends, oh heck no. Can I enjoy the heck out of my smokes, yup!
If I smoked inside and relaxed at a slow cadence, I may feel different but currently I usually use my cobs around the house when I’m doing stuff that can physically jack up a pipe.
Of course, YMMV
 

Ahi Ka

Lurker
Feb 25, 2020
6,684
32,007
Aotearoa (New Zealand)
Sitting on the verandah rather than waist deep in a trout stream
Taking out the 1898 Barling Durandu Kalmasch and an MM cob.

With bowls of Dunhill Durbar

View attachment 315761

The Barling is a hefty hunk of briar. The thick walls meant it never got past warm. Despite its heft, the bent stem made it an easy clench. In fact it rested very comfortably on the chest for most of the smoke.

View attachment 315762

The cob, despite being lighter, was not a clencher. It too smoked cool. But its open draw resulted in some loss of flavour.

The Barling’s tighter draw brought out nuances in the Durbar that was missing from the cob - altogether a much more enjoyable bowl.

While the silverwork is an admirable feature of the Barling, it is really an implement for the age of servants and valets - polishing all that bling is best left to Jeeves 😏

The cob is so much more practical.
I can see why the no nonsense vibe of cobs appeals to so many
Ok you fancy bugger. Maybe we need to hook you up with a cob like this for your Durbar.

30DD3888-77FF-4B41-A5C4-3CBF8A73AC70.jpeg862FE903-9D54-438E-9ED1-4F482A1BE311.jpeg

While it has lost its branding I think it’s a Dewey made by the Phoenix American Pipe company sometime between 1915-1953. It has a bone stem, with an integral threaded tenon and orific bit.


 

LingerMore

Lurker
Jun 1, 2024
13
30
Lafayette, CO
I haven't been smoking as much lately for one reason and the other, but while the kids are away with grandparents I've been treating myself to more time with a pipe. I had picked up a couple of estate bent briars and been smoking them with some frustration, but yesterday I decided to pick my cobs back up. They really are so easy to smoke. I've had fewer relights and much less dottle. It's just been pleasant.

Today I tossed my newly arrived Picayune Pancake into a cob and enjoyed it with blueberry coffee from a local coffee roaster while looking over the Sunday school lesson for this weekend, and the whole experience felt less fiddly and more relaxing than it has in a while. It was so nice that after lunch I took the same combo out on the deck again.

I mostly lurk, but I just wanted to say again how much I appreciate everyone sharing their knowledge and enthusiasm.
I am new to pipes smoking and feel the same. I have a few briar pipes but really like how easy the draw is on my MM cobs. Mine are all filter pipes that I smoke sans filter. I was wondering if it was just me.
 
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OzPiper

Lifer
Nov 30, 2020
6,106
33,078
71
Sydney, Australia
I am new to pipes smoking and feel the same. I have a few briar pipes but really like how easy the draw is on my MM cobs. Mine are all filter pipes that I smoke sans filter. I was wondering if it was just me.
Some love pipes with wide open draw and some don’t.
Indeed some go to the trouble of enlarging the airway of their pipes.

Try the same tobacco out of a pipe with an open draw and compare with one with a tighter draw to see if you can discern the difference.

No right or wrong.
Just what works best for you puffy
 

LingerMore

Lurker
Jun 1, 2024
13
30
Lafayette, CO
Some love pipes with wide open draw and some don’t.
Indeed some go to the trouble of enlarging the airway of their pipes.

Try the same tobacco out of a pipe with an open draw and compare with one with a tighter draw to see if you can discern the difference.

No right or wrong.
Just what works best for you puffy
Strangely enough I smoked a bowl of HH Bold Kentucky in a Morgan bones then a bowl in a cob. I was curious what I would find. Still prefer the cob.

I heard this applied to whiskey. Drink what you like how you like it. It's your whiskey and your time. Do what works for you. Same in pipes.
 

PiperCalvinist

Starting to Get Obsessed
Apr 9, 2024
117
306
South Texas
After 3 months I’m up to 3 briars, but most of the time I use the MM Legend. I took it out this morning with some Chocolate Supreme, and it seemed to stay lit and taste better than my estate briar did. That’s all anecdotal, of course, but it felt that way. I think it feels like the cob performs better because I expect less of it…maybe?
Yes - The Legend! That was the first pipe I smoked. It’s only 2nd to my Peterson 221 in pipes I’ve smoked the most. I think a lot of our “experience” in judging our own pipes is largely shaped by personal nostalgia.
 
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Cracklin' Tobaccy

Starting to Get Obsessed
Mar 3, 2024
109
845
60
Slaughterville, Oklahoma
I have several briars and smoke them regularly but for me the cob is where it's at. I have a Missouri pride dedicated to Newminster 400, a Shenandoah dedicated to Five Brothers and a Mark Twain for Virginias. The cob fits well with my tastes and is an iconic fixture in American culture. I've been on the hunt for a new one for general Burley smoking. They sure make some amazing ones these days.