Missouri Meerschaum Seconds Arrived Today

[matchstickman]

I just got my package with the ten Missouri Meerschaum seconds pipes and I am utterly thrilled. The package had a very nice variety of pipes and I don't think I had any repeats in the batch. I nabbed a nice Country Gentleman which I have been wanting to try for a long time, and the package also netted me another General, of which I have 4 now. Now about them being "seconds" pipes? I have to tell you guys that concerning the look of the pipes...?
There was almost nothing wrong with any of them. In all honesty, I could only find a couple of aesthetic flaws in the whole batch. I know the Country Gentleman pipe has a flame applied to the outside to darken the bowl, and on this particular Country Gentleman, the burn pattern looks slightly off, like they burned it more in some places than they did others. One of the other smaller pipes had an almost microscopic chip that came off near the rim on the inside of the bowl, but it was nothing to get worked up about. I barely noticed it was gone. In all honesty guys, if you want some pipes at a dirt cheap price, this is the way to go, especially if you are a cob collector. The only other real drawback was that they included a pipe that was "unfinished", meaning it didnt have the lacquer or shellac or whatever they use applied to the bowl. I dont care for the way those pipes smoke, so that one probably wont get any use, but all the rest of them look like they are going to be great smokers. I cant tell you guys how stoked I am. Gonna fire up the Country Gentleman later tonight and let you guys know how it smokes. I would post pics but my camera battery is charging right now. Ill probably post some pics when I get home from work tonight.

 

[bigmike]

Great follow-up info. Just may have to order me a set too..........Thanks

 

[matchstickman]

You definitely should. It is a great value and a great way to own some really great pipes. There are some smaller cobs in my set, I think I got a Missouri Pride and an Eaton, that are going to be work pipes. The Country Gentleman is deceptively large and will make a fantastic smoke. The only question is what to smoke in them first? Carter Hall anyone? :mrgreen:

 

[weezell]

Carter Hall & a new MM Cob...BLISS ::

 

[grizzly86]

I'll have to give this a try.

 

[markw4mms]

That's cool. I didn't know MM even sold seconds.

 

[gwtwdbss]

That's good to hear. Anyone try the Ozark Mountain Hardwood Pipe from MM yet?

 

[rickpal14]

Love CH in my Country Gent!!! Made for each other!!!
Just ordered a set!!! Thanks for the heads up Pipe Novelist!

 

[tiltjlp]

You're the first person I've heard say that they didn't prefer the natural cobs to the finished models. Just proves there are no absolutes.

 

[matchstickman]

You're the first person I've heard say that they didn't prefer the natural cobs to the finished models. Just proves there are no absolutes.

I got one unfinished one from the local B&M a long time ago and something about it just didn't appeal to me. It seemed to smoke overly hot but maybe that was just newbie technique at the time. Bad mojo I guess. Maybe I'll keep it around and see how it breaks in. I have to ask, John, in your experience, is there any upside to the unfinished cobs as opposed to the finished ones? I'm curious as to whether or not they have better smoking qualities than the finished cobs.

 

[tiltjlp]

Yes, if you dry your tobacco and smoke slowly, the naturals smoke both cooler and drier, and are a slight bit lighter than the finished models. They also breathe better, absorb and dissipate moisture better, and color more evenly than the finished models. My current favorite is the Great Dane Spool, and the naturals are much better over all than the finished version, and I have many of both.

 

[matchstickman]

OK, I want to give everyone an update as to these corn cob pipes. I have smoked 7 of them so far, and I have started to find the asthetic flaws with each pipe, though they are minor. The Country Gentleman that I mentioned has one side of the chamber wall that is slightly thicker than the other side. The Eaton pipe has an uneven surface on the outside. There are a few small dimples in the side of the General, and on one of the Missouri Pride pipes, the wood shank that extends into the bowl is rotate off kilter and kind of looks humorous when you look at it. Out of all of the ones that I have smoked, they are top notch in their smoking performance. Cool, dry, neutral, flavorful with a wide draw and good heat absorption once I broke them in. They are fantastic pipes for the price and I am already thinking about ordering another set. I just finished a bowl of some Carter Hall in the Country Gentleman and it was thoroughly amazing. Get yourselves a set guys. They might not be the prettiest or the fanciest, but they're damn good smokers.

 

[hawk60ce]

I picked up my first MM cob today at a B&M near my inlaws... Paid full price for it ($10) and it looks like the ones your describing. Guess i'll be ordering one of these bags

 

[zanthal]

Interesting ... they're always a bargain, and if they're seconds, then they must be even more so a good deal.
I'm thinking about adding this cob to my collection, it looks like it ought to be great for a lengthy smoke: