Is There Such Thing as the Right Pipe for Any Tobacco

[daniel7]

@Cosmic, I agree, everything tastes terrible from a cob. I'm still trying to find out why people say that it is good, it just adds a terrible taste to the tobacco even after the 5th bowl. Horrible. Meer, pear wood, briar, they are all ok for pipe material, but this corn... I just want to give up on it.

 

[warren]

I'm still trying to find out why people say that it is good

Why? Isn't it sufficient that you can't figure a cob out and others, to their satisfaction, can? Why keep beating yourself up over your inability to enjoy a cob. Go with the pipes you find satisfying.
I think "self-fulfilling expectations" play a role in the cob discussion. Many smokers get a great experience from the lowly corn cob. Some smokers can't tease an acceptable smoke out of a Peterson according to their posts. Others hold steadily to the idea that price plays a role in how well a pipe smokes. The pipe is an individual experience with different expectations. I need a bent pipe, fitting the hand comfortably and attractive to the eye, correctly packed, to get the most from a bowl. But, I can get an enjoyable smoke from a cob or a birch pipe, freshly carved by my old hunting partner (He was a wonder!), out in the middle of No-where, Alaska.
Personal biases, preconceived expectations, and the like play an important part pipe smoking. If one anticipates a bad smoke, one will most likely get a bad smoke.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Best pipe I've ever owned.

 

[npod]

I think Warren nailed it. Expectations play a huge role in the enjoyment of pipe smoking and perceived taste.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I'm still trying to find out why people say that it is good

There are people in this world that snort fermented feces for a high, people that pay money to have a big fat naked woman spank them with frozen fish, people that smoke tobacco that smells like dead grandmas, and people that smoke corncobs. I have no idea what circuits got crossed in some people that makes them like weird things. Maybe their mothers were too strict or the grandparents didn't let them play outside. No telling. But, variety is good. At least it makes them one less pipesmoker buying up the good pipes. ::

 

[Chasing Embers]

good pipes

For us laymen, that means pipes that shatter like glass when you drop them.

 

[olkofri]

In a way, but it varies by person since we all smoke differently starting from the fact that the mouth anatomy of each one of us, albeit similar, is ultimately unique.
Straight pipes might be best, for example, for blends that generate lots of moisture, as some people can insert a pipe cleaner mid-smoke more easily than in an Oom Paul.
Wider bowls might be best suited for some blends; stacks might be best for flakes; chibouks might be the thing for blends that burn super hot....
You have to find what works for you.

 

[tschiraldi]

I do. Consider group 4 medium. 1s, 2s, 3s, are smaller, 5s, magnums, Geatlines, etc. are bigger. So, group 4 equals medium to me.

 

[anthonyrosenthal74]

people that pay money to have a big fat naked woman spank them with frozen fish

8O Crap! Who squealed!

 

[brian64]

There are people in this world that snort fermented feces for a high

Ok, I think you just made that up (at least I hope so).

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I think it's like aging. It doesn't necessarily get better, it gets different. I don't think there's a question the bowl size and shape affects flavor. Better or worse depends on the person putting on the pipe.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I think it's like aging. It doesn't necessarily get better, it gets different. I don't think there's a question the bowl size and shape affects flavor. Better or worse depends on the person putting on the pipe.

 

[mso489]

Vanity sneaks in there somewhere too. How people think they look smoking a pipe, even if they smoke mostly alone. Some don't like the smoking characteristics of corn cob pipes, for example, but I think at least as many are turned off by the image they associate with Mammy Yokum and Huck Finn. If you feel like you look foolish smoking a pipe, you won't enjoy it much. I think most of us know some pipes we don't want to smoke. Cavaliers strike me as ostentatious in my mouth, but fine for some other folks. I'd feel like I was in a stage play.

 

[cortezattic]

If you're seeking advice, then Harris's suggestion is the most practical:

"I also dedicate all of my pipes into either genres or specific blends."

 

[bnichols23]

at least as many are turned off by the image they associate with Mammy Yokum and Huck Finn. If you feel like you look foolish smoking a pipe, you won't enjoy it much.

Tom has spoken!
Gotta agree with you on the Cavalier thing, mso; I can't conceive of me with one of those .. THINGS .. in my mouth, ever. Under any circumstances. Except maybe a bad photoshop. Really REALLY bad.
And no, all my ee-vyl friends, that should NOT be construed as a challenge! }}
Bill

 

[bnichols23]

At least it makes them one less pipesmoker buying up the good pipe

And this is the man who talks about "cob thugs"....

spank them with frozen fish
[8O] Crap! Who squealed! []

I'll tell -- it was Jay.
I paid him to do it. }
B