[pierredekat]

I would have to say I prefer a wooden pipe of any sort -- Mediterranean briar, mission briar (manzanita), ebony, osage orange, etc. -- to meerschaum or cob.

My experience with meerschaum is rather limited, but the one pipe that I have gets way too hot to hold in pretty short order.

Cobs can be real nice smokers, but it's hard for me to develop much of a connection with something that I know I'm going to be tossing in the trash in a few months.

Like, I can remember exactly which pipe I grabbed when we fled Houston for Hurricane Rita, spent 28 hours driving 150 miles, and stayed with friends up in East Texas.

I still have that pipe, and I still smoke it regularly.

Doubt I could say that, had I grabbed a corncob pipe on my way out the door.