seriously, im semi pissed right now.

on a coworkers suggestion, i bought a really nice Duca Carlo from where I work and some baccy. ive smoked maybe 6 total bowls in it, getting more frustrated everytime. re-light/funny taste, re-light/funny taste over and over.

so today, on my way back from a stressful trip and almost a week without a smoke (cigar or pipe. dont touch cigs) i grabbed a new cigar i was sent, and waited for my friend to bring me back the corn cob pipe i left in the car when i was dropped off. i paid $3 for this damn thing from a shitty little india baccy & beer store and its got a soft bottom a glue coming out all over the place (kinda like my ex...)

anyway, i just fired the SOB up and not only did i have to do the light/relight ritual thats normal and NOTHING ELSE but it:

smoked better
was cooler on the body
had less tongue bite
more flavor (and i could pick some out!!!)
less "nausea"


WTF?!?!?!?!


:-) :-)
:-)
[Reply]

I know nothing about pipes, but I have read enough (i'm curious) on here that people have said Corncob are pretty much your 'go to' with pipes.
[Reply]

From my experiences, cobs don't require near as much time to break in as a fresh briar, though a briar will give you a consistent experience once broken in and will last for ever as long as its taken care of, unlike a cob. The cooler and less bite probably has a bit to do with the filter, and that can impact flavor as well. When you smoke your briar you're probably puffing a little too fast, as that will create a hotter and wetter smoke, go easy at it until you get some good cake, once you get the cake you'll have a little leeway with how fast you puff.

That said, my best smoking pipe was a cob until recently. Unfortunately its finally burning out at leaves a charred flavor in the background on every smoke.
[Reply]

You really should check this thread on how to get started smoking pipes. It talks about how corncobs make the best starter pipes.

http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/showthread.php?t=44110
[Reply]

While I am a lover of cobs, funny tastes from new briars are to be expected. that's the breaking in process. Once you've built a little cake, that will go away. IMO there's room in a pipesmoker's life for cobs, briars and meerschaums. You'll find various tobaccos that shine in each. And if you're really lucky, you'll find a briar that will smoke one of your favorite blends like they were meant for each other. THAT is a great moment.
[Reply]

ive read a TON of threads on several pages (not just CA) and i know that cobs are the better starter pipes.

now, heres a wrench in the machine:

first pipe: duca carlo. smokes like ass right now. no basal thing right now.
second: cheap ass cob pipe. smoked great, built crappy, non lined.
third pipe: Savinelli Garda Smooth 616 KS. smoked consistent, could keep lit (but not as long/easily as the cob)

what the hell? could the duca just be a shitty pipe? i do the same thing with every pipe, maybe im not shoving it in there hard enough....


anywho. i have a ST CLAUDE GREEN BENT BRIAR on the way from Kent, UK so that should be a nice, pretty one.
[Reply]

This, it takes a while for briar pipes to break in new. I have a really expensive Sav that took a year to break in but is probably my best smoker now. Likewise, although briar quality to price experiences diminishing returns rather quickly, ducas tend to be on the lower end of Sav.

I don't smoke with the balsa wood inserts, they dont help keep things dry and don't let the cleaner pass.

If you end up liking cobs more than briars stick with cobs. Some people are more sensitive to the taste of burning corn. Likewise, try a meer, it's got cob qualities along with the weird fascination of trying to color them.
[Reply]

i am looking into getting a sampling of everything. one of the main reasons i even got into this was my job and a co workers suggestion. no one at the B&M I work at smokes a pipe there, and just yesterday i sold a guy 2 pipes and a full acc. setup because i was outside smoking.

i have a nice & interesting green estate pipe coming, and am looking for a meer as well, and have a meer lined cob i picked up today. not bad. problem is that my 3 pipe case only really holds 2 (since i go for larger brandy shapes)
[Reply]