Cobs make tobacco taste worse...unpopular view?

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joequo

joequo

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Hi all! I have read many accounts of people singing the praises of the ol' corncob pipe. My first smoke was out of a cob, and I've since smoked maybe ten or so cobs total since then. The odd thing that I've found is that no matter the blend and no matter the number of times the cob has been smoked, the cob smoking experience has been inferior without fail. This is somewhat hard to admit because there is something charming about corncob pipes that makes me want to like them. So, does anyone else feel this way about the revered corncob pipe?
 
I think the taste of any tobacco in a cob is going to be slightly different than in briar, meershaum, porcelain, or clay, just as they differ slightly from each other. Better, worse, or just different depends on the person. I really like what cobs do to burley blends (Carter Hall works best in a cob for me), plain Virginias (although I think clay works best of all there), and VaPers, and loath how Lakelands taste in them. We're all going to be different!
 
Your opinion is wrong. Cobs make tobacco taste better not worse. Please delete your membership account and never return to BoB again.






:lol:
 
I fell into the briar superiority camp for a long time. I just couldn't see how something as hokey as a cob could be a decent pipe. When I finally got one I was really surprised to find it smoked well. Aesthetically they leave a lot to be desired, but I can't dis the cob's smoking quality anymore. Now I'll use mine for Lakelands mostly.
 
MisterE":bj6hfisu said:
Now I'll use mine for Lakelands mostly.
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:lol: :lol: Everyone is different; like I said, Lakelands (and heavy Latakias to a lesser degree) are about the only things I don't like in a cob
 
As with so much of our hobby, results with cobs is subjective.

I like cobs for trying a new blend. They offer a sampling without exposing more expensive pipes to being tainted by an unknown tobacco.

I also enjoy cobs as part of my regular rotation. I smoke mostly virginias and find the flavors come through, but many times the complexity of a blend is lost.

I like a cob when I'm out and about as they prevent damage to more expensive briars and if lost they are easily replaced
 
joequo":clfsudib said:
...The odd thing that I've found is that no matter the blend and no matter the number of times the cob has been smoked, the cob smoking experience has been inferior without fail. This is somewhat hard to admit because there is something charming about corncob pipes that makes me want to like them. So, does anyone else feel this way about the revered corncob pipe?
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Don't worry, you're not alone. I feel the same way. The cob is not for everyone and that's ok. Like Mark said, at least you gave it a try, and now you can move on with your journey of discovery.
 
The 'umble cob does a cost effective job of delivering a satisfying smoke, imo. If you're a "compexity" guy who wants to chase that elusive hint of je ne sais quois (sp?) all the way to the bottom of the bowl, you're going to have to spend a litle more. Personally, I think one of the secrets to happiness is being easily pleased. But pipery is a big tent.
 
Having been a strictly briar and meer smoker for several decades now, I was recently introduced to cobs by some generous BoB's recently and though they are not my prefered vessel for smoking, I have to say they are a nice difference and should really be taken for that. They ARE NOT briar OR meer and 'bacs DO taste somewhat different in them for sure. Whether it is "better" I would not say, but they do have their own unique qualities and are an additional point of reference in smoking everyone should experience. I have recently begun to try some aro's , and there are some good ones I've found, and I find that they tend to taste better in the cobs so that is what I have been smoking mostly in mine. Appearance wise I'm not a big fan of the "McArthur" or Huck Finn look so they don't appeal to me in that manner, but as a smoking device, they are good in their own right. If I want to truly tatse a blend, I will smoke it in a meer as it really is the only pipe that does not transfer it's own taste to the blend.
To each his own I say :p
 
joequo":yyb4c1qb said:
Hi all! I have read many accounts of people singing the praises of the ol' corncob pipe. My first smoke was out of a cob, and I've since smoked maybe ten or so cobs total since then. The odd thing that I've found is that no matter the blend and no matter the number of times the cob has been smoked, the cob smoking experience has been inferior without fail. This is somewhat hard to admit because there is something charming about corncob pipes that makes me want to like them. So, does anyone else feel this way about the revered corncob pipe?
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We all have different tastes. But before you give up on cobs, you might want to read my Corncob & New Smoker Primer.

http://pipedia.org/index.php?title=The_Complete_Corncob_primer
 
Dave got a rare chuckle out of me today, broke my being pissed off at a few nouns; people, places and things. :cheers: I was having fun being surly, too...

...the way a cob smokes, what is chosen to go in it, how you smoke it, how familiar you are with them, all play a factor. Sounds like plane ol' pipe smokin' stuff, to me.

Might not be for everyone, but I sure as hell enjoy cobs. They can be somewhat picky about certain tobaccos, I do have to say. Probably why John P made tobaccos just for cobs. Quadruple Virginia, for example, is great in a briar, but puts me in "that spot" in any cob I own.

I hope you don't give up on them, Joe.

8)
 
Kyle Weiss":yd5hb6zw said:
Quadruple Virginia, for example, is great in a briar, but puts me in "that spot" in any cob I own.
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Agreed!!

Truth be told, I did not understand how good Blackwoods Flake was until I smoked it in a cob. IMHO, there are some delicate nuances with blends like this that I feel get lost in translation when smoked in a briar.
 
DrumsAndBeer":pldejh2k said:
Truth be told, I did not understand how good Blackwoods Flake was until I smoked it in a cob. IMHO, there are some delicate nuances with blends like this that I feel get lost in translation when smoked in a briar.
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Blackwoods sits tidy in a tin, I haven't opened it yet... maybe sometime this fall/winter. I did, however, try GLP Blackpoint (no correlation) in a cob recently, and it was huge. HUGE. I should do that again and post the notes in the Blackpoint thread I did a while back.

Cobs just need some experimentation, and they're perfect for it. 8)
 
I'm with you on this. I've tried cobs with various tobaccos and also preferred the taste in a briar. The cob tends to mute the flavors. One thing I did notice was that if a burley smokes too bitter towards the bottom of the bowl in a briar, it will be less bitter in a cob. This might just be because (at least with the MM's I've tried) a cob never really smokes to the bottom of the bowl, there is always a space for un-burned tobacco due to the shank. They are very handy for camping or fishing where it is easy to lose or damage your pipe.
 
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