Coming Soon From Missouri Meerschaum

[tiltjlp]

If you’re a fan of MM like I am, but wished for more than just cobs from them, you’re in for a nice surprise in a few weeks. That will be when they will begin offering full-sized Maple hardwood pipes in three corncob-inspired shapes. The models will be the Spool, the original apple- Diplomat, and their Country Gentleman, minus the darkish staining. Construction of these Maple hardwood cobs, as I think of them, is exactly like corncobs, and in fact, they look quite similar to their cob cousins in coloring, minus the Kernelling, of course.

I bought one bent of each, and will be smoking them over the next week to ten days, to evaluate them, and will of course report back my opinions of them. I’ll expand my MM Buyers Guide to include them, as well. I hope to judge them on their own merits, as well as compare them to the cobs that have inspired them. So, if you like the more open draw of corncobs, you will soon have alternate wood basket pipes to consider buying. Priced at $14.59 each, with the trio shipping for $51.27, they could make some pipe smokers shy away from eBay. Time will tell.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

This is pretty cool news.

I'll hold back the flood of questions until you've given your report. But there is one that could be addressed immediately, because it will come up: I can say on a consumer standpoint, $14.59 compared to a $6.00 cob is quite a difference in price...is there any reason? I assume these are totally different than the reddish wood pipes MM puts out currently.

I don't know if you have a digital camera to take some pictures of them, JP, but that'll be the next thing people ask about. I know I'm curious to see them. Can you get some images posted when they arrive?

8)

 

[tiltjlp]

No, I don't have a camera. If you know what a Diplomat, a Spool, and a Country Gentleman look like as cobs, you know what these Maple hardwood pipies look like. They are exact duplicates in size, use the Danish Bit, and don't seem to alter the taste of the tobacco. As much as I like their small Ozark Mountain Birch hardwood pipes, these seem to be head and shoulders above them. I'm smoking the Diplomat shaped one right now, and can't really notice much of a difference in weight compared to a Diplomat cob.

 

[KRG]

Hello TILTJLB, you seem to have the inside track of whats going on at MM. Have you any info on the highly anticipated return of the MM Bulldog? I had one these beauties years ago, and loved it! Should have stocked up when I had the chance. (20-20 hindsight).
Keep COBBIN' bro.
KRG :rabbit:

 

[yadan]

Does anyone have any experience with Maple pipes - namely, what kind of flavor (if any) they add to the smoke, and how they compare to cobs and briars longevity-wise?

 

[tiltjlp]

Hello TILTJLB, you seem to have the inside track of whats going on at MM. Have you any info on the highly anticipated return of the MM Bulldog? I had one these beauties years ago, and loved it! Should have stocked up when I had the chance. (20-20 hindsight).
Keep COBBIN' bro.
KRG :rabbit:

No, I haven't heard anything definate about a new Bulldog for later this year. I think they're still trying to determine if they have enough of the right sized cobs.

 

[tiltjlp]

Does anyone have any experience with Maple pipes - namely, what kind of flavor (if any) they add to the smoke, and how they compare to cobs and briars longevity-wise?

So far, I haven't noticed any added flavor beyond the flavor of the tobacco.

 

[roogles]

I'm very excited about this. Even though I have a good collection of cobs in all of the shapes you mentioned, my two favorites are the Ozark Hardwood cobs which I use and abuse ALL the time.

I will definitely be up to try a couple of these when they are available.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Returning to another question: why the $15 price tag? I realize it's reasonable, as most should, however, compared to the $8 +/- cob... *shrug* I'm cool with it, but most of us don't buy cobs for showpieces, after all. They're trusty, cheap workhorses.

JP, you state they're better than the Ozark Mountain wood pipes...besides material (I assume, anyway) what's different?

 

[tiltjlp]

Returning to another question: why the $15 price tag? I realize it's reasonable, as most should, however, compared to the $8 +/- cob... *shrug* I'm cool with it, but most of us don't buy cobs for showpieces, after all. They're trusty, cheap workhorses.

JP, you state they're better than the Ozark Mountain wood pipes...besides material (I assume, anyway) what's different?

Why the price, maybe because wood costs more than corncobs. I'm a big fan of the Ozark Mountaion birch pipes, and the most obvious difference is that these three are full sized pipes, which I can DGT, where the Ozark pipes are small enough for one relatively short smoke.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Good info, thanks. The fact they are full-size will be a selling point. I'll seek out a Diplomat as soon as I can and report back.

8)

 

[friar_jay]

Sweet! I'm definitely going to be picking these up once they're available.

 

[tiltjlp]

Here is a picture of the three new cob-shaped Maple hardwood pipes that will soon be offered by Missouri Meerschaum. They use the Danish bit, and have the same open draw and drilling of MM cobs. They have interesting grain, which looks somewhat like growth rings. A friend took the picture from his cell phone.

 

[jefe1037]

I dig them, but given the choice between one of these or two cobs, always take all three maples and as many cobs as you can carry. GD PAD.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Cool, JP, thanks for getting someone to grab a picture!

Another question arises: are they available in straight stems, too?

 

[Rob_In_MO]

Yup, gotta have the 'Diplomat' model.

 

[tiltjlp]

Cool, JP, thanks for getting someone to grab a picture!

Another question arises: are they available in straight stems, too?

Of course they will be. I just prefer bent pipes.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

I like the look of the bent pipes, but all MMs I've tried have that same weird angle, and with an overbite like mine, the bowl can go nearly vertical while clenching. No lapful of hot ashes while driving, which is what I plan on these pipes for: work trips!

 

[friar_jay]

Looks good. Thanks for posting a picture.