Cob Waiting period

[mhailey]

Okay, so as i understand it, for a briar pipe you want to wait at least a day before smoking it again, because you want it to dry out. You have to break it in and build up the cake, because the cake is what absorbs the moisture, and gives you that nice cool/dry smoke. So if the cake is what absorbs the moisture, then the briar actually does not absorb anything, and you are waiting a day for the cake to dry out.

With a cob, I have read on many threads that you do not have to provide this waiting period. However, if, as in the briar, the cake is what is absorbing the moisture, then why do you not have to wait for the cake in the cob to dry out? How is the cob cake different that the briar cake, in that it does not have to dry out?

Am I thinking too much?

Matt

[wharfrathoss]

nothing wrong w/questions matt-you don't want cake in a cob, i know it sounds strange, but you'll just have to take my word for it (i'm sure a few others will back me up)-it's hard to explain why (cause i don't know) but i'm guessing a cob is a more efficient "filter" than a briar is-a briar will still absorb moisture, even w/cake in the bowl, so i figure that has something to do w/the dry time too-cobs are more porous, so they dry quicker

[Rolando]

I don't know I don't use cobs that often. I usually let my seasoned briars rest an hour or two between smokes. I think if you are smoking a dry tobacco you should just go for it. It is not like you are going to ruin an expensive investment.

[mhailey]

Originally Posted by wharfrathoss

nothing wrong w/questions matt-you don't want cake in a cob, i know it sounds strange, but you'll just have to take my word for it (i'm sure a few others will back me up)-it's hard to explain why (cause i don't know) but i'm guessing a cob is a more efficient "filter" than a briar is-a briar will still absorb moisture, even w/cake in the bowl, so i figure that has something to do w/the dry time too-cobs are more porous, so they dry quicker

AAHHH, so good cob cake is no cob cake. I wonder why you don't want it???

Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

[Gig]

I'm pretty sure that the cob itself acts as an absorbent and having any cake within the cob will take this property away from the pipe. Cake in a cob will crack it like a meerchaum pipe. After you have finished smoking it just ream it with some paper towel and rest 1 hr and then its ready to go again

[Hey Joe]

Ive smoked as many as 5 bowls one after the other in a cob with no rest inbetween without a problem.

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by mhailey

Am I thinking too much?

Matt

Maybe. Maybe not thinking enuff.

Okay, so as i understand it ... the briar actually does not absorb anything...

Who ever said briar doesn't absorb anything? That's a big jump. Start on the briar vs. briar/cake premise again. We have to get this straight before moving to the cob situation, m'ail'.

[Arizona]

Cobs absorb more moisture than a briar. Most of the moisture in a briar is absorbed in the base of the bowl and in the shank area, not so much up on the higher portions of the bowl where the cake is. If you smoke a briar too heavily til it's laden with moisture then you get that rank tarry moisture in your mouth that's QUITE unpleasant lol. That's why resting it at least a day is best after you've had say 2 or more bowls for example.

I try to smoke a briar no more than 2 or maybe 3 times in a day. I space out these "smokes" with a cob in between. For example... I'll smoke a bowl in the briar then set it aside. My next smoke is from one of my cobs. Then the next one is back to the briar... Then another cob... Then back to the briar again.

I dont usually smoke more than 3 or 4 bowls in a day personally. Sometimes I might but usually its 2 or 3 in an average day. So it's not hard to let my briar rest for a few hours between smokes. I have a rack with 4 cobs in it and i rotate thru the cobs in the pattern I described above. Each day is a different briar (I have 17 briars in my rotation) intermixed with the cobs as I said.

Cake can crack a cob is one thing I've noticed (along with excessive heat if you puff til it gets too hot to the touch). Whereas if I dont let a cake build up in my cob I dont seem to have any or very little cracking of the cob.

I dont use the paper filter in my cobs. I toss it. Just let that large air chamber in the shank be your "cooling chamber" for the smoke as you draw on the pipe. Run a fluffy pipe cleaner thru it when you're done and that's it.

Cobs are a WONDERFUL smoke and very forgiving. If you drop and break it oh well you're out $5 so who cares!

[paperairplane]

Plan B - cobs are $5, buy a dozen and rotate them.

I mercilessly ream mine with a pocket knife, rinse with jim beam, hit it with a pipe cleaner, hit it with a clean pipe cleaner and leave it in, let her sit for a while.