My First Pipe (a Cob discussion)

Dai · Post by **Dai** » Wed Mar 26, 2014 11:41 am

So today my corn cob legend came. Loaded it it up using the swirl method (pretty fool proof way) the had trouble getting it to light up with matches, found a lighter and off I went. Some advice if you're new to this like me get a cheap throw away lighter a lot easier. The tobacco used was Sutliff Buttered Rum and being a non smoker you can imagine I didn't taste much butter of rum but it wasn't an unpleasant experience quite ok once I got into it. I think I only did three or four re-lights once I got ti going, not bad for a total newbie.

I will say this I'm crap at using matches to get a pipe lite. So far in my life I've had half a dozen fags when I was 11 one cigar about five years ago now at 53 my first pipe. Not bad not brilliant but what the hell you have to try these things.

Will I continue maybe I didn't find the experience bad in fact it was quite enjoyable and with a little bit more experience it would probably be even more enjoyable.

Al I will say is watch this space.

da'rum · Post by **da'rum** » Wed Mar 26, 2014 1:35 pm

Nice one Dai, I would have chosen the Orlik but horses for courses. 4 relights isn't bad at all. Just a note, I have been experimenting with my cob pipe of late and have found that because of it's very open draw you can really stuff the tobacco in without much care. I really jammed a whole heap of plumcake in mine and smoked it all the way to the bottom without trouble. I also never use matches, that's for cigars and a bit outdated because that was intended to negate the fuel smell of zippo lighters. The new zippo fuel is odorless or so I've heard.

Dai · Post by **Dai** » Wed Mar 26, 2014 2:59 pm

da'rum wrote:Nice one Dai, I would have chosen the Orlik but horses for courses. 4 relights isn't bad at all. Just a note, I have been experimenting with my cob pipe of late and have found that because of it's very open draw you can really stuff the tobacco in without much care. I really jammed a whole heap of plumcake in mine and smoked it all the way to the bottom without trouble. I also never use matches, that's for cigars and a bit outdated because that was intended to negate the fuel smell of zippo lighters. The new zippo fuel is odorless or so I've heard.

I bought the matches to keep cost down but ended up buying a cheap disposable lighter. Go figure! That's life, it all comes out in the wash in the end.

Tomorrow I might try the Peterson's Connoisseurs Choice to see how that is. I'll try packing the bowl tighter to see if that's any better.

Post by **Capn Jimbo** » Wed Mar 26, 2014 7:13 pm

To your health, lol...

So what model cob did you get and from who? Straight or bent stem?

Dai · Post by **Dai** » Wed Mar 26, 2014 7:30 pm

Capn Jimbo wrote:To your health, lol...

So what model cob did you get and from who? Straight or bent stem?

A bent legend:
http://www.smoke-king.co.uk/acatalog/mi ... tml#SID=73

da'rum · Post by **da'rum** » Wed Mar 26, 2014 8:28 pm

I've heard good things about the Cc, let us know what you think. Remember to smoke slowly or you'll get tongue bite.

You have a great selection of plug at that shop, I'm envious. Perhaps we could work something out?

Dai · Post by **Dai** » Thu Mar 27, 2014 5:37 am

da'rum wrote:I've heard good things about the Cc, let us know what you think. Remember to smoke slowly or you'll get tongue bite. You have a great selection of plug at that shop, I'm envious. Perhaps we could work something out?

Yep no problem let me get into this pipe thing and we'll see what we can do.

Post by **Capn Jimbo** » Thu Mar 27, 2014 7:18 am

Not to skip back and forth...

As I much prefer a teeter-totter. Back to the pipe. I chose three cobs - one very like yours, bent stem, extremely intelligent choice I'd say, lol. Pictured elsewhere but they all have one thing in common: they are unfinished so you can feel the rough cob under your fingers.

Very rustic and it's great for defoliating the sides of your nose, but don't expect to polish it, lol. Actually I'd read that some cobheads like the unfinished on the theory that they somehow smoke or breathe better and to produce a "dryier, cooler smoke". I saw reports that some cob owners actually sand off the plaster finish for this reason!

So what the heck, I ordered 3 of their unfinished: the Missouri Pride (a bit on the small side, like the Legend), the Eaton (smaller yet, claims a 20' smoke) and a "Miniature" (designed for giveaways or very short smokes).

Question: did you experience some early harshness before it charcoaled up?

da'rum · Post by **da'rum** » Thu Mar 27, 2014 8:35 am

For me, yes and no. I smoked my first couple of bowls very slowly so in one part I noticed only a slight corny taste. I did make the mistake of puffing too enthusiastically toward the final stages of the bowl and was rewarded with a mouth full of wood smoke though. I tipped the dottle out and inspected the pipe at which time I saw the charred protruding stem. I scraped the char away and in doing so noticed that in my over enthusiastic puffing had also charred a small section of the bottom third of the bowl. Lesson learned. I then experimented with puff tempo and pack tightness to where I am now convinced that my cob is one of my favourite pipes. Light weight, open draw and good flavour. I see why cob smokers rate them so highly. Over the next few bowls I have now scraped away most of the protruding stem and dont get any wood stem smoke at the end.

Post by **Capn Jimbo** » Thu Mar 27, 2014 8:43 am

Aha! Said the mute...

So you're saying the bottom third or quarter of the cob should be uncharcoaled? I'd thought my pipe wasn't seasoned until the whole bowl was charred. Kindly tell us more, good sir. And you too, da'rum...

da'rum · Post by **da'rum** » Thu Mar 27, 2014 9:36 am

When char actually means burnt spot.

You are correct in saying that the pipe isn't smoked in until there is a super thin black coating to the bowl but that should be only in the loosest of ways be called a char. For my definition the char that I caused was a small burnt indent into the chamber wall. This undesirable but not the end of the world for a cob. If I'd burnt the chamber wall of any of my briar pipes I'd be more than annoyed. A cob is ok though as long as it is not repeatedly done as you'll get 'burnout' which is a hole through the wall. I just lightly scraped the burnt area and moved on.

Smoking in your cob will come by smoking at a judicious tempo and by plainly finishing your bowl. Don't get too worried about it. Just remember to lightly scrape the burnt stem (in the bowl).

Dai · Post by **Dai** » Thu Mar 27, 2014 10:33 am

Capn Jimbo wrote:Not to skip back and forth...

As I much prefer a teeter-totter. Back to the pipe. I chose three cobs - one very like yours, bent stem, extremely intelligent choice I'd say, lol. Pictured elsewhere but they all have one thing in common: they are unfinished so you can feel the rough cob under your fingers.

Very rustic and it's great for defoliating the sides of your nose, but don't expect to polish it, lol. Actually I'd read that some cobheads like the unfinished on the theory that they somehow smoke or breathe better and to produce a "dryier, cooler smoke". I saw reports that some cob owners actually sand off the plaster finish for this reason!

So what the heck, I ordered 3 of their unfinished: the Missouri Pride (a bit on the small side, like the Legend), the Eaton (smaller yet, claims a 20' smoke)
and a "Miniature" (designed for giveaways or very short smokes).

Question: did you experience some early harshness before it charcoaled up?

No harshness just a lot of difficulty getting it lit but, once going it's ok. This is more down to me than the pipe. You know what they say familiarity breeds contempt. I think the lighter and pipe has more contempt for me than I have for it at the moment, but things will change.

Post by **Capn Jimbo** » Fri Mar 28, 2014 11:17 am

One more idiotic observation....

Don't know about your Legend, but my Missouri Pride cob was designed for a filter, which I immediately removed. The issue: apparently you're not supposed to remove the stem until the pipe is completely cool, and I found the pipe cleaner invariably kept catching the lower "edge" where the filter is designed to fit, ie the diameter changes abruptly to the smaller hole which proceeds to the bowl.

After much trial and error, I then took a small drill (by hand) that was a bit larger than the small end hole and carefully established a bit of a taper, then repeated it with a larger drill to further the taper out father. This created a sort of "ramp", so the pipe cleaner wouldn't catch on the formerly sharp transition, and could be inserted all the way.

Of course I did this carefully to avoid removing too much wood, but enough so that with a little twist the cleaner would now insert all the way (don't even go there)....

da'rum · Post by **da'rum** » Fri Mar 28, 2014 3:08 pm

I also removed that silly filter as soon as the pipe was in my grubby little hands. That little alteration won't hurt your pipe one bit. I've filed the draw hole in two of my briar pipes just to open them up a bit more. They smoke a lot better for my way of smoking.

Dai · Post by **Dai** » Fri Mar 28, 2014 3:13 pm

Not had a problem with the pipe cleaners. I'm using the filter and bought some for my cob. If a filter helps stop the tar and nicotine then I'm for them. It's horses for courses each one to there own.