Cobb vs briar flavor?

[jbmills]

So I had my first bowl out of a Cobb today thanks to the very generous donation from lonestar (my pipe collection has now reached a whopping 2 :D) and I noticed the flavor seems different than out of my briar. First I seem to get more of the flavor from the tobacco which is awesome but there was a little bit of a kind of musty (?) aftertaste. Is there a break-in period for Cobb pipes or does it have to do with the fact that it is a vintage Cobb? I also just got over a flu bug, could it have to do with that? I love the Cobb and will have many more bowls out of it I'm sure, just curios about the varying flavors. Thanks to all in advance for any help.

 

[baronsamedi]

Yeah cobs smoke clean. That's one reason I like 'em. I'm not sure about break in. I just started smoking full bowls right out of the box. "Break it in like you're gonna ride it" has always been my policy, so I just smoked it how i was going to smoke it.

 

[jbmills]

Cool deal, thanks baron.

 

[baronsamedi]

Me too. And a Meer. I was just thinkin if you took any meds for the flu, that can send your taste buds straight to the crazyhouse.

 

[papipeguy]

Got my 2 cobs a couple of months ago and I'm happy about that decision. No frills straight ahead smoke and I don't worry about dinging them like I would my more expensive pipes. Load 'em, light 'em and love 'em.

 

[unclearthur]

For me, where cobs really shine is with burleys and good old time geezer tobacco.

 

[olderthandirt]

Cobs will usually taste different than a briar for me.

Blends with Red Virginia taste sweeter, those with plenty of Perique are milder. Blends that are forward in either Latakia or other Orientals generally seem muted in a cob. YMMV

 

[hilojohnny]

My "codger burleys" smoke best in an MM cob. For everything else it's a briar.... :clap:

 

[lonestar]

I cant remember what cob I gave you, but I think it was a 70' or 80's vintage pipe. Old cobs can definitely pick up smells from their environment over the years. Keep smoking it, if theres any off flavor after a couple of bowls send it back to me and I'll put it through an Ozone generator. That will nullify any lingering ghosts, which I usually try to do with old cobs anyway.

It definitely could be the flu though. Thats always the first sign that I'm catching something, things suddenly start tasting weird

 

[jbmills]

Yeah lonestar it was a sweet 70s cob I believe, I'm pretty sure it is the flu I had. My foods been tasting a bit off too but I just figured the wife was trying to off me for that life insurance policy. :D thanks guys. I'm digging the cob and am definitely gonna have to get a few more.

 

[tiltjlp]

Flu or a cold does affect your taste buds. While an unsmoked cob might need 4-6 bowls to season itself, I've found that most tobaccos taste truer in a cob. You might want to check out my Primer for more information on corncob smoking and care.
http://pipedia.org/index.php?title=The_Complete_Corncob_primer

 

[ace57]

Tiltjlp, I just read Your cob story. Thank You it is good to know all that.