My First Ever MM Corn Cob.

[tobakenist]

With well over 50yrs of pipe smoking I have never ever smoked a Missouri Meerschaum Corn Cob, last week I was on one of online Tobacconists here in the UK and just about to finish my order and I saw a advert for corn cobs, so I clicked on it and selected a shape I liked, never looked for them before and couldn't believe how cheap they are, so I bought one. When it was delivered next day I loaded it up and what a great smoke it was, I was very very surprised how good it smoked, I think every time I put a order in for tobacco I shall add a MM to the order. One question, there is a bit of the wooden stummel that sticks through into bottom of the chamber, do I have to worry about setting this alight ? I am being very careful not to smoke it all the way down, am I right to do this.

 

[mikethompson]

Enjoy!

Cobs are very resilient pipes, even lasting 6 months in the elements with no discernable adverse effects.

The small bit of wood is usually just left in there. Don't worry too much about it.

 

[PA Piper Mike]

Welcome to the club. I have dozens of them. They are great beater pipes for around the house or out and about. I smoked them a lot in the beginning of my pipe smoking career and they are all still going strong. Drop it, break it, lose it...no big deal. A great cheap pipe and such a bang for the buck. Although, I miss the days when you could get MM Country Gents and Diplomat 5th Aves for less than $9.

 

[HeavyLeadBelly]

I like cob pipes. I’ve left the wooden stubs in the bowls with no problems but I’ve heard of people who get rid of them. Usually they take a sharpie and mark the top of the stub they need to cut then remove the shank. Then they fill the bottom of the bowl with pipe mud and jetting it dry. While drying they cut the nub off the shank and when the pieces are ready, they pop the shank back into the bowl using Elmers glue.

I’m lazy so I do t do this lol

 

[olkofri]

One question, there is a bit of the wooden stummel that sticks through into bottom of the chamber, do I have to worry about setting this alight ? I am being very careful not to smoke it all the way down, am I right to do this.

No. What you do have to worry about is all the endless gunk that forms on it and, worse, under it where it's very difficult to clean.

One reason I don't care much for cobs—and I have several of them, even an $80 affair special edition reverse calabash cob—is what a pain they are to clean:

 

[ThermionicScott]

With well over 50yrs of pipe smoking I have never ever smoked a Missouri Meerschaum Corn Cob, last week I was on one of online Tobacconists here in the UK and just about to finish my order and I saw a advert for corn cobs, so I clicked on it and selected a shape I liked, never looked for them before and couldn't believe how cheap they are, so I bought one. When it was delivered next day I loaded it up and what a great smoke it was, I was very very surprised how good it smoked, I think every time I put a order in for tobacco I shall add a MM to the order. One question, there is a bit of the wooden stummel that sticks through into bottom of the chamber, do I have to worry about setting this alight ? I am being very careful not to smoke it all the way down, am I right to do this.

Congratulations! I first thought cobs were just cheap, but they've turned into my most regular smokers.

The end of the stummel that sticks into the chamber is called the "spoon" by MM, and they recommend leaving it alone. It helps protect the bottom of the chamber. On my cobs, I might get a slight charred smell/taste for the first couple of bowls, but then it usually cakes over.

 

[TheIronMonkey]

On many of my cobs, I will pack pipe mud around the spoon (if it has one) to prevent tobacco from settling and packing into the sides. I smoke to the bottom and allow some cake to form (not something I generally do with other pipes) at the bottom. This makes for easier clean up of the chamber in the future.

 

[didimauw]

Just smoke it! The bottom will smooth out with cake soon enough! No cutting, or worrying!

 

[kcghost]

A cob has delivered a very reliable smoking experience for 150 years. I expect nothing less from yours.

 

[Bbailey324]

I just smoke them. Near the bottom I get a bit of burned wood flavor when the ember hits the spoon letting me know the bowl is done. No big deal and a small amount of tobacco wasted.

 

[AroEnglish]

Wow, which one did you choose?

 

[OzPiper]

I use meer chips or Nording Keystones
Easy solution.

 

[FurCoat]

On many of my cobs, I will pack pipe mud around the spoon (if it has one) to prevent tobacco from settling and packing into the sides. I smoke to the bottom and allow some cake to form (not something I generally do with other pipes) at the bottom. This makes for easier clean up of the chamber in the future.

^^ This. I use hydrostone.

 

[FurCoat]

It's not to late to turn back, but be warned, this may be a rabbit hole you may not want to pursue.

 

[hoipolloiglasgow]

They smoke differently than briar and have a different taste. They are cheaper and don't last as long, but you can make one last a while. Usually, you have to load a cob looser than a briar for it to smoke good and it's a more open draw than a briar pipe. They can smoke great. I much prefer briar overall, both for smoking quality and duration though corncob can have a nice flavor too.

 

[thesmokindragon]

Great as a primary smoke or to help when resting the briars

 

[Briar Lee]

With well over 50yrs of pipe smoking I have never ever smoked a Missouri Meerschaum Corn Cob, last week I was on one of online Tobacconists here in the UK and just about to finish my order and I saw a advert for corn cobs, so I clicked on it and selected a shape I liked, never looked for them before and couldn't believe how cheap they are, so I bought one. When it was delivered next day I loaded it up and what a great smoke it was, I was very very surprised how good it smoked, I think every time I put a order in for tobacco I shall add a MM to the order. One question, there is a bit of the wooden stummel that sticks through into bottom of the chamber, do I have to worry about setting this alight ? I am being very careful not to smoke it all the way down, am I right to do this.

No, that slanted cut piece of dowel was made to protect the bottom of the bowl and once it gets a little charred it sort of stops burning out.

You could huff and puff and burn the dowel out but I’ve never done it in fifty years yet.

A cob is almost miraculously fireproof,,,,,but.

If you rotate them and let them dry out, I own and smoke cobs forty or more years old.

But my first pipe was a cob and I burned out the side (not the dowel) by daily hard use in a few months. I’ve not burned out another one since 1972.

 

[Simmerdown☕️]

cob MMs have been consistently my favorite smoking pipes. They’re cheap, patina beautifully with time & good use, have a wide open draw, and you can beat the hell out of them without feeling as if you’re doing something wrong. In my opinion these pipes are best suited to burley blends, although it really doesn’t matter. To me no smoking experience beats a cob in the early morning filled with some good burley and big mug of the black stuff.

Many pleasant s and hope you continue to enjoy the smoking experience. ️

 

[Christos D. Tsatsaronis]

Glad you like your corn cob pipe, I love them, I have 15 pieces and I think I could smoke only with cobs.
To your question: in my pipes it's dissapeared (burned)...

 

[tobakenist]

Thanks all to your answers and advise, I always wondered what Cobs were about, I have been a member on here for many years and have read many posts about Cobs, I didn't even know they sold them in the UK, just never looked for them, always been a Briar man, glad I found them, thank you all.