Smoking a Cob

[kane]

I just got a couple of MM corn cob pipes with my order of tobacco. My other pipes are inherited nice Italian and Danish briars, so I wanted something less precious that I can keep in my truck and use as an out-and-about beater. I keep hearing about how well these smoke. So, are there any tips to breaking in a cob and using it that my be unique to this type of pipe? I will say that the bowl is pretty small on this pipe.
Thank you,

Cliff

 

[yazamitaz]

Welcome aboard Kane.
My experience with cobs is stuff and puff. No break in required, only need to pass a cleaner and clean any dottle out after every smoke, and if you bust it up, it may have set you back $10.
I have 2 cobs that I keep more for smoking new blends that I am unsure of and don't want to ghost a briar or if I am lazy and only want a small bowl and then don't feel like cleaning a briar.
Dan

 

[warren]

One more caveat! They do need some drying time. The amount of time depends on the number of bowls smoked during the day. Two pipe should allow you to swap them out each day and allow for plenty of drying time. Nothing more embarrassing than looking very cool and having the plug drop out into your lap!

 

[kane]

Thanks, guys. I guess that sticker on the bottom covers the plug?

Dan, I like the phrase, "ghost a briar"....it could be a trace of flavor left behind, or perhaps to kill a pipe? So, in general, is it a bad idea to smoke different blends in the same pipe? My dad smoked St. Bruno flake in these old Italian and Danish pipes for years, and I am experimenting with different blends. I am doing the pipes and/or tobacco a disservice by mixing it up?

 

[crimsonrat]

If it has a filter, throw it away as far as you can.

 

[kane]

No filter. I specifically got the two cobs without filters.

 

[warren]

Dedicating pipes to blends or leaf seems to be of the most interest with those pipers most interested the various and often subtle tastes of the individual blends.
I smoke for the nicotine and the overall taste and sometimes just because I want one. My taste buds quit doing "subtle" many years ago. So, I do not dedicate pipes. It is purely a personal choice and dependent on what you want out of the smoke. Try it, you might like or you might find it a waste of time and effort as your interests do no run in that direction. With the pipe it's not a matter of form so much as personal enjoyment. What ever floats your boat!

 

[kane]

I hear ya, Warren. Trying not to over think this stuff. However, if a pipe does take on a blend's flavor, does it reside in the cake, in the stem? For this matter, would a good cleaning and a reaming of the bowl reset the pipe?

 

[warren]

Cobs, I think are highly porous and the liquids from the tobacco probably seep into the structure so cleaning, while it may help, mostly likely can't eradicate the problem entirely. Ghosting doesn't exist in my world so check the other responses that are likely to appear here . . . and soon.
Some say Meershaum, the real stuff, doesn't ghost. When you see the coloring as the liquids soak into the mineral you know some flavor must remain. Perhaps not enough to taste, I don't know, but it has to be there. I'd think, if your taste buds function well, that ghosting would be evident in a cob. I smoke cobs fairly regularly and do not notice it. I'm sure it's there, I just taste the overall flavor which I enjoy for itself, not the individual components.
Cobs are cheap so give it a shot. The results might open up a whole new aspect of the pipe and lead to more enjoyment.

 

[weezell]

My taste buds quit doing "subtle" many years ago

I hear ya there Brother! :wink: ...

 

[phil67]

The Complete Corncob Primer is a good informative read albeit I don’t necessarily follow and hold to all of the information given. Cob’s are indeed a great burner and I have more than my share and always return to one for what I know will be a great smoke. One of my favorite MM cobs is the Country Gentleman as is has a decent size bowl. Match them up with a Forever Stem and ya can’t beat them with the proverbial wooden stick. Have one now stuck in my pie hole with Bald Headed Teacher and enjoying it immensely. :wink:

 

[phil67]

Hmmm... that's strange! I've quite a few cobs (MM) and I've never tasted anything remotely similar to a varnish taste! Either way, I've never experienced any 'foul' taste after stuffing and smoking a MM cob when it's new other than perhaps a faint taste of 'corn' which quickly dissipates after one or possibly two smokes. Then again, the only MM cobs I purchase are either the Country Gentleman or the Diplomat.

 

[michiganlover]

"I guess that sticker on the bottom covers the plug?"
Actually no, the sticker indicates the lack of a wooden plug in the bottom. Most cobs MM makes don't have the hardwood plug in the bottom. Its more or less a feature of the larger cobs.
Cobs that have the wooden plug have no sticker, and the MM name is stamped onto the bottom.

 

[mso489]

MM and Old Dominion cobs are sturdy smoking pipes. Since the MM stems are softer plastic, in most cases,

I recommend either a softie or a Forever stem. My cobs seldom let me down. Don't foreget Old Dominion

cobs with those reed stems. They are a primal historical smoking experience not to be missed. Small pipes

are great for shorter smokes or smoking flake that burns a little longer anyway, but cobs also come in

medium size pipes.

 

[kane]

Cool--thanks for the links and info!

 

[brownpeter335]

Smoking a Cob is very new to me. I never smoked a cob, here it sounds really good. So, I am waiting for cob to smoke.

 

[seagullplayer]

Truth be told a cob is really all we ever need...
But that is what a hobby is all about, getting stuff you want, not stuff you need.

 

[mcitinner1]

"But that is what a hobby is all about, getting stuff you want, not stuff you need."
Profound and wise words! 8)

 

[mso489]

I have four MM cobs and two Old Dominion, and for Christmas this month my wife gave me a

MM freehand with a large conical bowl in natural white. It's a whole new dimension in cobs,

the XL bowl.

 

[newbroom]

mso489, they are great smoking bowls! Enjoy!