I actually like clay a lot too except for the fact that it can break if stare at it too hard. Otherwise smokes great. Never tried morta. I want to but the trick is finding one I really like because the styles they're normally carved in are fine and even good looking but not my personal taste.Haha! Well, I wouldn't go quite that far. Everyone has their own taste and style, and should just find out what works best for them without listening to experts. I don't like briar pipes all that much, for example ~ I prefer clay and morta. Some people would probably kick me out of the club for that! LOL
And as far as the difference between a snob I mean expert and you with your opinion is the fact you're not stating that clay and morta are just better then briar. You know like a lot of things in life. The difference is subtle and small yet vast in it's implications.