Corn Cobs Questions

[rondyr]

I'm a Missouri Meerschaum fan myself. While they certainly lack the pleasing aesthetics of quality briar pipes, I firmly believe that a Cob or two belongs in every piper's rotation, and if you refuse to smoke one because of how they look or because you think that they are not refined, I have to say that, at least IMHO, you are really missing out.
The best part of all? The price. If I'm out fishing and I accidently drop a Missouri Meerschaum that I paid $5.99 for into the water, I'm going to be mad for about one minute for each dollar I spent on it. If I drop a $200.00 pipe into the water, I am going to be P***ED for 200 hours!!
So please allow me to throw in my support behind the all-too-often neglected Cob, and to second (and third... and fourth...and) everyone else in this thread - when you want a Cob it's either a Missouri Meerschaum (or a Cob you've made yourself) or nothing. You'll like a Cob you make yourself because you made it yourself (duh), but there is no company on earth (that I am aware of) that can make a Cob that comes anywhere near the quality of a Missouri Meerschaum Cob.
Happy Cobbing!

 

[vinvin]

I've used some cheapo Chinese made cobs and I have smoked an MM Legend. Of course the Legend is much better overall in quality but even my Cheapo cobs never burned up like that... I agree with a previous comment, are you sure no one soaked it with lighter fluid before you bought it? lol
@Philip Which forever stem should I get for the MM Legend?
edit: nevermind, figured it out! haha

 

[doctorthoss]

Well, that was certainly an entertaining read? I have to ask -- as has been asked before -- if you're "punking" us. If not, then I think you certainly need to try a Missouri Meerschaum. I think cobs smoke better than anything other than a very well broken-in briar, and they're dirt cheap to boot!

 

[joshwolftree]

No I'm not punking you

But after careful thought and research, I may have figured out the perfect storm that caused this.

1: verified that the basket O pipes I picked this one out of is indeed Cheaply made foreign cobs

2: my first smoke out of it was while I was driving. I clench while I'm driving and rarely remove the pipe from my mouth unless its done or I'm stopped

3: at some point during the drive I had a burn out on the side of the pipe

4: this being my first cob I did not notice the burn out until I had stopped the vehicle. by this point the side of the pipe near the top was burnt through in a space roughly the diameter of a pencil, with the edges of the burn out still smoldering
At this point realizing that the pipe was a goner I left it outside on a windy day on a stone ledge at my buddies house(this being where I was driving). The pipe continued to smolder until what was left was the stem and base. I then realized that the odd flavoring was not in fact the Borkum Riff pouch I was trying for the first time but the pipe itself burning. Pulled out my trusty doc grabow briar and enjoyed the Apple butter festival with my briar firmly in place on the corner of my mouth. (as a side note I'm not a fan of Borkum Riff with bourbon whiskey flavor. Besides the fact it's nearly twice as expensive as the house blends the good tobacconist sells, it just doesn't taste as good.)
Ah well...every day a chance to learn something new exciting and sometimes related to fire

 

[judcole]

Welcome to the forum.
I had a similar experience, not long before I joined this forum. I went into this B&M to get a cob. They had a MM - a smaller bowl size - and another cob with a slightly larger bowl. I had purchased off brand cobs from my local drugstore - since that was all they had - and they were OK, so I picked one of these up,'cause the bowl was larger. I'm over at my daughter's, helping her scrape paint on the garage, puffing away, and I started to notice the thing was tasting funny. Took it out of my mouth, and the darned thing was smouldering! I dumped it, and took it back later, got a refund, and bought the MM. :rofl:

 

[mick]

Josh and Jud, those are both great stories. :clap: :lol: I appreciate MM more than ever now.

 

[doctorthoss]

Josh --fair enough! I'm sorry you had that bad experience. Definitely try the MM - I've never had a problem with them, except that their stems are kind of loose fitting.

 

[rlunderhill]

The MM Cob bowls are made somewhere else and brought in to be assembled in Missouri. Probable China or Mexico. The ::

 

[sparroa]

The cob bowls are imported? That's the only part made out of corn, though. So why do they go to the trouble of growing their own strain of corn and why are we out of larger cobs due to a drought in the Midwest?

 

[joshwolftree]

my mm grab bag o seconds just came in. They even feel sturdier than the cheap(I say that now but it was more expensive than any one of these pipes) corncob I picked up at the Chain B&M pics to follow in a different thread

the other thread
Edited:added link to thread contain picks for those interested