Cob Over Briar

[stokesdale]

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.

Boy, that's a large briar you have in your mouth there ...here's another one...I see your holding a very large briar with bulbous bowl on it

 

[didimauw]

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.

One is all you need!

 

[mso489]

I like having both briar and cobs at hand. I enjoy the sense of permanence of briar, though my cobs have lasted long years. I like the greater variety of shape with briars, and the array of finishes. I enjoy owning a Meerschaum, thanks to the late great fish'n'banjo, and I like my clay pipes, and find my five or so Mountain Laurel pipes comparable to briars but with a different look. I think the mix is pleasing. Cobs can be a vacation and re-set from the other pipes. I feel no sense of superiority in what looks proper. I'd smoke a cob in a tux at a wedding, smoking permitted, or a good briar in the woods. I do find MM cobs remarkably dependable, and they tend to burn leaf almost completely.

 

[jpmcwjr]

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.

You can do a hot water flush on a cob, and that'll remove most or all of the "reek".

 

[stokesdale]

You can do a hot water flush on a cob, and that'll remove most or all of the "reek".

Thanks for the advice, but long ago I ruined several pipes by doing that (not right away, but by doing it repeatedly). And yes, I know there is a big debate about running water through pipes, but I am in the 'dry' camp for sure. Thanks again though.

 

[marlinspike]

An unfinished, unlacquered cob is a mighty fine smoking instrument. I've said it before, there are times I've kicked myself for buying a (relatively) pricey briar pipe that was only a mediocre smoking experience, and wished I had spent about $5-12 on a Missouri Pride or a MM Diplomat apple. The draw is almost always nice and open, and the absorbency and relative coolness of the cob works well with almost any tobacco blend.

 

[anotherbob]

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

I certainly think that could be a huge part of it. Some times certain blends are just perfect in a cob. Though for whatever reason some blends are just wrong tasting in a cob for me. That has never happened with briar. The ones I don't like in briar I also don't like in cobs. But I think if I smoked more burly and also the more biting of the aromatics I would just stick with the cobs for that.

 

[bnichols23]

I love the smell of burning varnish in the morning.

Smells like .. gasoline!

 

[Eaglesgift]

Smells like .. gasoline!

On a more serious note, the maple Great Dane Spool and Diplomat I just bought are unvarnished and the Country Gentleman only has varnish up to and including the rim on the outside - no varnish on the inside of the bowl. I’ve only tried the Country Gentleman so far and didn’t notice any offensive flavor, apart from the usual burning wood when I got down to the bit of the stem that intrudes into the bowl.

 

[saltedplug]

I smoked aromatics in cobs so as not to ghost a briar. Although I accepted the rustic materials and construction of cobs, I preferred the finished qualities of briar.

 

[Country Bladesmith]

On a more serious note, the maple Great Dane Spool and Diplomat I just bought are unvarnished and the Country Gentleman only has varnish up to and including the rim on the outside - no varnish on the inside of the bowl. I’ve only tried the Country Gentleman so far and didn’t notice any offensive flavor, apart from the usual burning wood when I got down to the bit of the stem that intrudes into the bowl.

I might be wrong but think the varnish comments were in reference to the hardwood pipes that MM also makes, not the cobs. I’ve never smoked a hardwood one. Only their cobs.

 

[BROBS]

Thanks for the advice, but long ago I ruined several pipes by doing that (not right away, but by doing it repeatedly). And yes, I know there is a big debate about running water through pipes, but I am in the 'dry' camp for sure. Thanks again though.

It will certainly ruin a cob over time.

 

[Eaglesgift]

I might be wrong but think the varnish comments were in reference to the hardwood pipes that MM also makes, not the cobs. I’ve never smoked a hardwood one. Only their cobs.

I'm talking about the hardwood pipes - the maple ones:

 

[BROBS]

I started out loving cobs.. smoking them almost exclusively, and even customizing them.
after a while I got tired of them muting the flavors. They are also much less resilient than briar. One got rained on quite a bit and cracked/deformed. I also got tired of people noticing the cob and thinking you’re a hillbilly or some otherwise jokester. A briar looks like a “real pipe” and people know what you’re smoking. I think some people thought I was smoking weed out of a cob.

when I went to Germany and France I was still in my cob phase and while it worked well for traveling, I wish I had a nicer pipe with me for some occasions. I think the Europeans really thought I was a hillbilly with my cob. ? Especially walking into a nice tobacco shop and picking out tobacco to smoke from my cob... while poo-pooing those overly expensive briar pipes. There’s a good reason they are more expensive.

 

[BROBS]

I'm talking about the hardwood pipes - the maple ones:

View attachment 31245

TASTE BAD NO-NO

 

[Eaglesgift]

TASTE BAD NO-NO

I like 'em, well, the one I've tried so far. But I am uncouth and a newbie too, so there's that to consider.

 

[BROBS]

The taste of the burning hardwood reminds me of if you made an entire pipe out of petrified bile.

 

[Eaglesgift]

The taste of the burning hardwood reminds me of if you made an entire pipe out of petrified bile.

The only burning taste I’ve noticed is the birchwood stem when I get to the bottom of the bowl, same as the cobs. But I’ve only smoked Warhorse Bar in it so far and I’m pretty sure I could smoke that out of an old tennis shoe and not notice anything amiss.

 

[derfargin]

I'm a big fan of cobs, although my ownership count doesn't reflect it. 4 cobs, and probably 10 briars? I'll tell you this, I have briars i've never smoked, and my country gent is probably the most used pipe in my collection. It's beat up and used, but smokes great. I think if I had to choose one pipe to smoke for the rest of my life, it would be a country gent.

 

[Country Bladesmith]

I'm talking about the hardwood pipes - the maple ones:

Gotcha. Didn’t realize they had similar names as the cob pipes. Thought you were talking about the cobs.