What Tastes Better in a Briar?

[hoosierpipeguy]

I don't see the debate. Once some cake has been built up, they pretty much smoke the same. I keep some cobs around primarily to smoke the occasional aromatic or English blend. I don't want to ghost a favored briar. If it ghosts to the point of no recovery, I'd rather throw away a $12 cob.

There may be some ball busting but I believe the reality is, most people could care less what someone else smokes, pipe or tobacco. While I may think, to myself, you're depriving yourself by smoking Sutliff Grape in a cob, I'm not going to look down on your for doing so. To be fair, I might not allow you to smoke that stuff in my man cave..

 

[Sweet Home Alabama]

is a large cob and talk stalk variety

really what is everyone getting uptight about. The mans got an opinion and he's a little brusque about it and slightly checky. I didn't see any attacks. Though no one is going to say he couldn't take some lesson in tact.

when you start calling people a snow flake, you should expect some push back.

if you have an opinion then say it and be done with it. No need to be a drama king about it .

 

[Sweet Home Alabama]

I don't see the debate. Once some cake has been built up, they pretty much smoke the same. I keep some cobs around primarily to smoke the occasional aromatic or English blend. I don't want to ghost a favored briar. If it ghosts to the point of no recovery, I'd rather throw away a $12 cob.

There may be some ball busting but I believe the reality is, most people could care less what someone else smokes, pipe or tobacco. While I may think, to myself, you're depriving yourself by smoking Sutliff Grape in a cob, I'm not going to look down on your for doing so. To be fair, I might not allow you to smoke that stuff in my man cave..

True and who cares what you think, right? Lol???

 

[jewman22]

It all tastes better out of briar, I do have 1 Cob, 1 Meer, 1 Meer lined and 1 pear wood
The meer lined is fine, only use it for fruity aros, The meer gets used for burley. And I hate Cobs.
I find they add a sugary kind of sweetness, and I'm just not a fan of that.
Pear wood is alright, doesn't look great, but it works, without affecting taste.
Briar any day of the week bud.

 

[Mtlpiper]

I also don't see the debate... (@hoosierpipeguy )

I find that cobs do imbibe a sweet taste at the start (I mean, it's made of corn...) but that goes away after a few smokes.

My reason for spending any quantity of money on briar is not because I think it'll taste better. I buy a nice briar because it's an attractively made object in a shape that I desire. I expect any pipe that's been made well, to smoke well.

I own some fairly pricey briars, and I still smoke my cobs with no shame.

I do suspect there are people that think they are buying something "superior" and need to somehow qualify their purchases by stating that cheaper pipes are inferior or that there's no way a cob could smoke as well as their fancy Castello/Dunhill/[insert-fancy-pipe-brand].

I've found this not to be the case, as have many others.

 

[Sgetz]

Jiminks seems to be a super taster, at least compared to me.

I wonder what he thinks on the matter?

 

[puff_not_snuff]

Mostly tobacco.

 

[Sweet Home Alabama]

So many factors are at play that determine taste including age, smoking, meals, and hunger. What a person tastes after multiple bowls will be different than the first of the day. Often I have read members say they enjoy the first of the day.

Personal affection for briar vs cobs will determine their enjoyment. Personal attraction to the size and shape factors into enjoyment.

Draw affects enjoyment. Quality of the light effects enjoyment.

How can I tell anyone what tastes better. THe most that I can say is what tastes better for me and I find at this point one is as good as the other.

 

[mikebjrtx]

Subtle flavors stand out more in a briar.

 

[FurCoat]

In my limited experience of cobs I found they flattened the flavor of latakia, so I much preferred to smoke English blends in briar pipes

^^This has been my experience

 

[64alex]

On my perspective at the end it depends if you like or not the potential (if any) flavor which briar could impart and most important if you care about the ghosting which a blend could impart (which can happen faster with briar even if at the end every pipe get ghosted if smoked with the same blend, it is just a matter of time and how much ghosting is the blend).

I myself prefer a more neutral material such as meer, morta, clay and cob over briar and other woods because are more resisting to ghost and do not add of their own flavor as I prefer to feel the pure flavor of the tobacco and not of the pipe. This is why I have only one briar which I am using only with English/Balkan/Oriental blends mainly because these are all ribbon cuts which I prefer in a relatively larger bowl as the briar I have and I don't care about getting ghosted with them.

But this is just my perspective, not an absolute one and whatever works with you it is fine.

 

[bullet08]

So far, haven't seen a meer that I want. Cob does have taste at start, but pretty good with OTC burley. Briar is what I enjoy the most. Only thing is, I haven't tasted briar. I keep hearing there's taste to it, but I guess my palate isn't sensitive enough to pick it out. Not that I'm looking for it.

 

[wgstraub]

I used to smoke cobs at work because it could get pretty chaotic at times and they were relatively inexpensive, so if one broke or got lost I just lit up another. I liked them okay but personally I didn't feel like I got the full body of a tobacco. For Carter Hall, which has been my sidekick for better than 40 years, they're great. More complex tobacco -- I don't do aromatics nut English blend for example -- I go with briar.

 

[jpmcwjr]

This one is done.