Cob Over Briar

[Richmond B. Funkenhouser]

I smoke both, I have more briars than cobs. Its not that one is better than the other to me. It takes a while for them to get good and charred up, so they don't have that fresh cob taste. I have a couple of MM Hardwoods that I smoke as well, those also take some breaking in to be enjoyable

 

[Chasing Embers]

I think I had plans to be a refined pipe smoker, pontificating over the merits of various English blends whilst gesturing with my Dunhill pipe

Overrated

 

[bent1]

My experience, Given 10 cobs vs 10 quality machine made briars, 9/10 cobs would be good smokers. Of the briars, 6/10 would be good smokers, 4/10 not so much. Of the 6 good smokers, one would/could be a great smoker with the right blend.

 

[olkofri]

I have a couple of MM Hardwoods that I smoke as well, those also take some breaking in to be enjoyable

Yeah, you have to smoke out the taste of varnish.

 

[Eaglesgift]

Yeah, you have to smoke out the taste of varnish.

I love the smell of burning varnish in the morning.

 

[Country Bladesmith]

I’m disappointed in myself really: I think I had plans to be a refined pipe smoker, pontificating over the merits of various English blends whilst gesturing with my Dunhill pipe but after a month, I seem to spend more time smoking strong Virginia/Burley blends with plum casings or similar, out of a Legend, Devil Cutty or Maple Country Gentleman.

Meh, plans change. All good.

 

[64alex]

[Always a cob over briar for me, but I rarely smoke anything but Meers... ]

+1 when we are talking of smoking capabilities. Meers, morta and clay for me are far superior in terms of smoking capabilities. Then cobs and last briars.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Meh, plans change. All good.

Yep, I'm primarily all about Virginia/Orientals and Aromatics.

 

[Chasing Embers]

[Always a cob over briar for me, but I rarely smoke anything but Meers... ]

+1 when we are talking of smoking capabilities. Meers, morta and clay for me are far superior in terms of smoking capabilities. Then cobs and last briars.

I really notice no difference in any of them save the wide open draw in a cob.

 

[didimauw]

I prefer the way the cobs smoke, the way they taste, the way they look when they age, the weight. Yes I prefer cobs over briars any day.

 

[smokeyweb]

I prefer briars. I enjoy seeing the beautiful grain of a smooth finish pipe while smoking it, and enjoy watching them darken over time. Cobs are nice while camping or doing yard work... but when it’s time to relax, hand me a briar!

 

[Eaglesgift]

Overrated

View attachment 31129

This is what the sophisticated Englishman is smoking nowadays

 

[olkofri]

War Horse Bar: one of the few pipe tobaccos that has given me a nicotine hit.

 

[davek]

I much prefer cobs, myself. YMMV. (don't want to be a "thug")

A friend of mine got into refurbishing estates about a year ago. He is someone I have traded for tobacco with and he has given me presents of tobacco. Good guy. So, I actually got all my briars together but one and gave them to him. I've missed having that selection, but not much. One good smoking briar has been enough for me.

 

[anotherbob]

prefer briar. Cobs are great and perfect for some blends. But honestly there are just some blends that don't taste as good in a cob.

 

[davek]

prefer briar. Cobs are great and perfect for some blends. But honestly there are just some blends that don't taste as good in a cob.

There is that.
Wonder if blend preference has anything to do with preferring cobs or not. I smoke mostly Burley.

 

[prndl]

Briar, here.

I like cobs. I just don't like the way my favorite tobaccos taste in them.

 

[Casual]

Given the vast number of briars, this result surprises me. I thought they had an obvoous superiority along a few dimensions to justify their popularity.

Personally I’m on a meer kick right now, once I decided to dive in head first and spend real money on a few. I don’t know yet if it’s the novelty but I’m enjoying them more than briar, even if not to the complete exclusion of briar. They seem to smoke smoke drier, can’t be charred, and are easy to clean hot.

I wonder how long it will last.

 

[stokesdale]

I am just wondering if anyone ever preferred a cob over a briar. I own more briars than cobs but I smoke my cobs more than the briars

I love the flavor of cobs. I can taste the cob itself because I don't let a lot of cake build up (and yes, I do go through cobs more than most because of it). Adds a nice flavor to all of the virginias I smoke. That said, cobs reek more than briars when just sitting around and my wife doesn't like that at all, so I keep them out in my barn, meaning, I smoke them less than the briars (usually when I'm working on farm equipment or putting up hay). So, I would prefer to smoke the cobs, but smoke more briars for convenience more than anything.

 

[NomadOrb]

I smoke mostly meers now, but briar feels better in my hand and mouth (make your jokes), so if I had to choose, I'd go with Briar.

Although, there's something about smoking a burley blend in a cob.