Just one guy's opinion
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According to a 2010 PipesMagazine.com survey with 867 respondents, when asked "What type of pipe do you like best?",
93.3% said briar, 2.8% said Meerschaum, and 4% said "other". I think these results justify cigrmaster's confidence in
recommending that a newbie should try a briar first, since the overwhelming majority of pipe smokers like them best.
93.3% said briar, 2.8% said Meerschaum, and 4% said "other". I think these results justify cigrmaster's confidence in
recommending that a newbie should try a briar first, since the overwhelming majority of pipe smokers like them best.
The more recent survey results were similar, but meerschaums seemed to pick up a tiny bit.
It is question 12 here:
http://pipesmagazine.com/wp-content/2012/pipe-smoker-survey-2012/Summary-Report-Jun-18-2012-PipeSmokerSurvey-2012.pdf
If you want to discuss the above link, here is the discussion thread:
http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/pipe-smoker-survey-2012-summary-report
It is question 12 here:
http://pipesmagazine.com/wp-content/2012/pipe-smoker-survey-2012/Summary-Report-Jun-18-2012-PipeSmokerSurvey-2012.pdf
If you want to discuss the above link, here is the discussion thread:
http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/pipe-smoker-survey-2012-summary-report
It is a good point numbersix but it still leaves me thinking this...
I think we all agree that most beginners do want to spend as little as possible to try things out first.
A new pipe smoker will have say 1 briar to try out the hobby.
Most probably a few blends to try.
Following rest patterns for briar would result in 1 smoke a day or multiple smokes one day then resting for that many days 2 bowls = 2 days, rest 5 bowls = 5 days rest.
Mixing tobaccos in the one bowl could result in ghosting or at least enough flavor coming through in the next smoke. Meaning if a tobacco is really disliked it could put someone off before they get going.
Now with cobs being so cheap spending enough to get a few cobs to try out results in being able to smoke more bowls and less chance of having to put up with a ghost or at least a horrible taste coming through.
Regardless of which is a better pipe or what someone may prefer the above reasoning alone would always make me suggest a cob first. I would however suggest other options pointing more to what they could do if they decided they liked what the hobby has to offer so far.
I think the above though more than anything is why cobs get suggested more than any other pipe to beginners.
I think we all agree that most beginners do want to spend as little as possible to try things out first.
A new pipe smoker will have say 1 briar to try out the hobby.
Most probably a few blends to try.
Following rest patterns for briar would result in 1 smoke a day or multiple smokes one day then resting for that many days 2 bowls = 2 days, rest 5 bowls = 5 days rest.
Mixing tobaccos in the one bowl could result in ghosting or at least enough flavor coming through in the next smoke. Meaning if a tobacco is really disliked it could put someone off before they get going.
Now with cobs being so cheap spending enough to get a few cobs to try out results in being able to smoke more bowls and less chance of having to put up with a ghost or at least a horrible taste coming through.
Regardless of which is a better pipe or what someone may prefer the above reasoning alone would always make me suggest a cob first. I would however suggest other options pointing more to what they could do if they decided they liked what the hobby has to offer so far.
I think the above though more than anything is why cobs get suggested more than any other pipe to beginners.
sixmp, I understand your point, but cobs have lousy stems and that alone could put people off. What is wrong with someone buying a new briar and one blend. If they like that blend then they smoke a bowl every other day. If they do not like that blend, they try another and unless they are smoking a Lakeland, the ghost will go away easy enough. As the survey stated over 90 percent of smokers prefer briar pipes, that in itself is a strong argument for starting with a briar pipe.
It could put them off. So could being only able to try one blend. So could anything out of all the choices available to them. The point is this though. Cobs enable the beginner to get more out of the hobby quickly. More pipes. More choices of blends. More bowls per day and as the survey states most people prefer to smoke multiple bowls per day.
Cobs may not be perfect but it does give the beginner more options.
Cobs may not be perfect but it does give the beginner more options.
Cobs offer a smoke superior to briar.
Cobs are flavor neutral.
Cobs don’t ghost.
Cobs keep time accurate to 1 microsecond per year.
Cobs have been shown to increase the intelligence of chimpanzees and dolphins to that of child who has just fallen on his/her head.
Cobs can cause erections lasting more than 4 hours.
Cobs are faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, but can only leap tall buildings in TWO bounds.
Cobs can convert a Hoover upright vacuum cleaner into an M-1 rifle.
Cobs once punched Chuck Norris so hard that his parents died.
Cobs landed on the moon a full 7 months before Neil Armstrong, but you don’t see them going around bragging about it.
Cobs once made Charlize Theron cry in a public restaurant, and the next day she called and apologized.
Cobs are flavor neutral.
Cobs don’t ghost.
Cobs keep time accurate to 1 microsecond per year.
Cobs have been shown to increase the intelligence of chimpanzees and dolphins to that of child who has just fallen on his/her head.
Cobs can cause erections lasting more than 4 hours.
Cobs are faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, but can only leap tall buildings in TWO bounds.
Cobs can convert a Hoover upright vacuum cleaner into an M-1 rifle.
Cobs once punched Chuck Norris so hard that his parents died.
Cobs landed on the moon a full 7 months before Neil Armstrong, but you don’t see them going around bragging about it.
Cobs once made Charlize Theron cry in a public restaurant, and the next day she called and apologized.
sixmp, regarding your post about briars and rest times; allowing a briar to rest is in fact ideal (no one would question this). However, it is not necessary. Ever met an old timer who had one pipe he smoked all day every day? One of my uncles does this. His pipe doesn't spontaneously combust. Is he getting the best possible smoke...nope, is he happy doing it...well apparently. When I started I had one briar for several months, smoked all different kinds of blends in it, I didn't know better, and honestly until my technique and palette got a bit more refined, I probably wouldn't have been able to tell the difference.
All of sixmp's latest points are spot on, in my opinion.
Cobs don't require as much rest and they are more affordable. As a result, the beginner can afford multiple pipes which will enable them to experiment with a wider variety of blends. Finding a tobacco you enjoy to smoke is the key to success in this hobby - otherwise you are forcing yourself to do something for its own sake.
Roth, I agree that one shouldn't go into pipe smoking in the search of instant gratification. To suggest that trying a variety of blends is indicative of that, however, is fairly misleading.
I will say that when one finds what they like that they should stick to one brand for awhile until they hone their skills a little better, because if you are constantly smoking new tobaccos then you will never find any consistency. To get to that point in the first place, though, one needs to sample widely and I think that cobs are the perfect vessel for such an endeavour...
Bigvan, cobs are not magical pipes with dazzling properties but you should definitely give them more credit than you do. To everything there is a season...
Gary, one can definitely smoke the same briar over and over again but I would not recommend it! Even the best pipes will suffer from such an arrangement. I had some bone dry Sam's Flake in my Grabow Viscount earlier - alas, the pipe was full of moisture even though I smoked slow and kept inserting a pipe cleaner throughout the smoke. Imagine the sorry state it'd be in if I smoked a tobacco with PG in it several times a day for a week or more... I think the beginner would quickly notice the difference between that and a fresh cob each and every time.
Cobs don't require as much rest and they are more affordable. As a result, the beginner can afford multiple pipes which will enable them to experiment with a wider variety of blends. Finding a tobacco you enjoy to smoke is the key to success in this hobby - otherwise you are forcing yourself to do something for its own sake.
Roth, I agree that one shouldn't go into pipe smoking in the search of instant gratification. To suggest that trying a variety of blends is indicative of that, however, is fairly misleading.
I will say that when one finds what they like that they should stick to one brand for awhile until they hone their skills a little better, because if you are constantly smoking new tobaccos then you will never find any consistency. To get to that point in the first place, though, one needs to sample widely and I think that cobs are the perfect vessel for such an endeavour...
Bigvan, cobs are not magical pipes with dazzling properties but you should definitely give them more credit than you do. To everything there is a season...
Gary, one can definitely smoke the same briar over and over again but I would not recommend it! Even the best pipes will suffer from such an arrangement. I had some bone dry Sam's Flake in my Grabow Viscount earlier - alas, the pipe was full of moisture even though I smoked slow and kept inserting a pipe cleaner throughout the smoke. Imagine the sorry state it'd be in if I smoked a tobacco with PG in it several times a day for a week or more... I think the beginner would quickly notice the difference between that and a fresh cob each and every time.
Really.
I don't think too many people would say that cobs need as much rest as a briar.
If somebody finds that their cob needs MORE rest than a briar then perhaps they should stop trying to smoke shisha or chewing tobacco in it and they will find better results...
I don't think too many people would say that cobs need as much rest as a briar.
If somebody finds that their cob needs MORE rest than a briar then perhaps they should stop trying to smoke shisha or chewing tobacco in it and they will find better results...
shisha sounds pretty good about right now. I might have to break out my hookah. Mint is amazing! Cobs, Briar, and Meerschaum all seem to have their benefits and flaws.
Here is how my first experience with a pipe went down.
I was a cigar smoker for about 6-7 years, but i got tired of always waking up the next day and still tasting the stale smoke. I decided to give a pipe a try and went to a B&M that i knew dealt in pipes. I had never been there before but it was right down the street and had been recommended by someone i work with. During a deployment I was on the owner sent numerous amounts of cigars to us. But i digress. I walked in knowing nothing about smoking a pipe and told the owner as much. He handed me a little pamphlet print out and told me to read it (i had already read it on the shops website but i humored him anyway). I told him i was ready to give the hobby a shot, but didnt want to spend a ton of money. We started looking at pipes and he told me to pick one that was aesthetically pleasing first but not to pay attention to price. I was drawn to the 1/4 bent pipes and the first one i grabbed was $80. I put it down and told him i was wanting to spend half that. He found me a 1/4 bent no name with 'Israel' stamped on the shank and no other markings. It was $40. We then went to the bulk tobacco selection. He suggested a few blends, and even though i was coming from cigars, he suggested i stay away from latakia and perique. Im glad he did this. He pointed me to some light aromatics which i later found where Lane blends. At the end of the purchase i had spent $40 and had a briar (which i still smoke, dedicated to english blends), a roll of pipe cleaners, an ounce of tobacco, a czech pipe tool,a and a rolling eyed wife all for $40. He taught me how to pack and light the pipe, and i enjoyed a nice smoke for my first time. During that first smoke the owner said, 'once you get the hang of it, you oughta try a corn cob. I smoke one regularly and it is a different experience.'
Fast forward about 2 months and i was in Alabama at the in-laws and we went to a local B&M and i grabbed my first MM corn cob. I loaded it up and smoked it and HATED it. Like Harris stated it was hot, wet, and goopy. But i didn't give up just yet. I tried it again, and again, and again. I had the same experience every time. I have since gotten rid of the pipe, but i will give it a try again one of these days. My local B&M sells MM cobs, and i feel like my skills are better than they used to be.
I think all types of pipes have there place, and to each there own. IMHO had i been given a corn cob by the owner, i never would've stayed with the hobby. Not knocking any people who love corn cobs, but they arent for me. At least not right now.
I was a cigar smoker for about 6-7 years, but i got tired of always waking up the next day and still tasting the stale smoke. I decided to give a pipe a try and went to a B&M that i knew dealt in pipes. I had never been there before but it was right down the street and had been recommended by someone i work with. During a deployment I was on the owner sent numerous amounts of cigars to us. But i digress. I walked in knowing nothing about smoking a pipe and told the owner as much. He handed me a little pamphlet print out and told me to read it (i had already read it on the shops website but i humored him anyway). I told him i was ready to give the hobby a shot, but didnt want to spend a ton of money. We started looking at pipes and he told me to pick one that was aesthetically pleasing first but not to pay attention to price. I was drawn to the 1/4 bent pipes and the first one i grabbed was $80. I put it down and told him i was wanting to spend half that. He found me a 1/4 bent no name with 'Israel' stamped on the shank and no other markings. It was $40. We then went to the bulk tobacco selection. He suggested a few blends, and even though i was coming from cigars, he suggested i stay away from latakia and perique. Im glad he did this. He pointed me to some light aromatics which i later found where Lane blends. At the end of the purchase i had spent $40 and had a briar (which i still smoke, dedicated to english blends), a roll of pipe cleaners, an ounce of tobacco, a czech pipe tool,a and a rolling eyed wife all for $40. He taught me how to pack and light the pipe, and i enjoyed a nice smoke for my first time. During that first smoke the owner said, 'once you get the hang of it, you oughta try a corn cob. I smoke one regularly and it is a different experience.'
Fast forward about 2 months and i was in Alabama at the in-laws and we went to a local B&M and i grabbed my first MM corn cob. I loaded it up and smoked it and HATED it. Like Harris stated it was hot, wet, and goopy. But i didn't give up just yet. I tried it again, and again, and again. I had the same experience every time. I have since gotten rid of the pipe, but i will give it a try again one of these days. My local B&M sells MM cobs, and i feel like my skills are better than they used to be.
I think all types of pipes have there place, and to each there own. IMHO had i been given a corn cob by the owner, i never would've stayed with the hobby. Not knocking any people who love corn cobs, but they arent for me. At least not right now.
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