My first pipe, or at least the first I bought myself, was an Old German clay tavern pipe...which I still have and smoke. Still love the clays!
Consider yourself lucky. Most wouldbe pipe smokers get bad advice and quit in a few days.Mine was a Viking my brother bought me as I didn't like cigars and he was an avid cigar smoker. He recommended a pipe and took me to the local tobacconist and I got a pipe and some Sutliffe aromatic. It took me a while to get into the hobby with that pipe.
IIRC, Missouri Meerschaum Co. dries cobs for 2-3 years.I’m intrigued by these references to your homemade cobs. So, shoot me a PM and tell me how much for SHA Original, if you still have any interest in making them. I can even wait until harvest time to get it fresh if you have access to a cornfield.