Best Briar Brexit Thread

[Grangerous]

I have a collection of Briar pipes. Modest by many standards, excessive by others.

All are straight billiards of similar proportions, representing a wide cross section of iconic, factory-made pipes - Perhaps 50.

Yet — the pipes in my rotation are NOT high end.

A No Name Basket with a natural finish and clear, acrylic stem believed to be a Savinelli 111 second.

An unknown Sandblast with generous bowl dimensions and tapered to a thin bit for a light, easy clench. Only marking stamped “•LAT NZ” - Mystery pipe.

A No Name Basket with beautiful Birdseye on one side and stamped only “Genuine Imported Briar” purchased 28 years ago.

An assortment of MM Country Gent Cobs, my favorite MM shape. I have a dozen.

My pricier pipes occupy drawer space waiting for a conjugal visit that seldom comes. A lonely collection of what are supposed to be great smoking companions.

Why the inexpensive, factory seconds or bottom-tier pipes and why the Cobs?

The simple answer is that they have all proven reliably good… I’m able to fit a paper-towel wrapped finger into their chambers. Each is a comfortable, thin clencher. Each passes a pipe cleaner to the bowl. Each is a moderately inexpensive pipe. Each Is regularly hot water rinsed. —Maybe it’s because I can be rougher on these? Whatever the reasoning — each is always nearby.

Which leads me to my second question?

Does the Best Briar impart any taste at all?

I’ve heard that new briar can taste badly until the residual resins are heated away. But after that, does briar ever taste “good” or does briar transition from tasting “bad” to tasting “neutral?” Isn’t curing taken care of at the factory? Peterson’s have a bowl coating. (In my experience, to hide spilled stain) —That can’t taste good!

I’ve heard stories of “Sweet, Sweet Briar” — Let’s for argument’s sake, say that’s true. For how long can Best Briar impart sweetness? —It’s not an Everlasting Gobstopper. Any flavor would diminish with time and cake, right? Even Cobs lose initial sweetness, whether that’s good or bad is subjective. Meers lose their chalk.

My point is this. I know there are members on a grail quest to amass enough briar to find that one elusive, magical piece of wood that makes their tobacco sing.

Does that pipe even exist? If so, support your beliefs here.

I’m being sincere… I truly want to know. Whom among us owns unicorn briar?

My counter argument goes something like this: MSO has 90 pipes and smokes them all. Now, if one was “magical” wouldn’t he smoke it to cinder? I would.

Collectively, the members of this forum own tens of thousands of pipes.

And some desire to be a “one pipe” smoker. I admire that Codger thinking. I like things kept simple and easy.

I can be a thread stirrer — but in my own defense —I was left unsupervised.

Happy New Year! Have at it! Put the FUN in Dysfunctional. Be kind!

 

[anotherbob]

I do have one pipe that always seems to smoke sweeter then the others. I smoke it slightly less because the chamber is slightly smaller. It's my Rattrays Old Perth (cutty shape).

 

[Briar Lee]

Yes, briar imparts a flavor to the smoke.

And because it does, there exist unicorn pipes.

Maybe two or three briar pipes of a hundred are truly extraordinarily good smokers.

After it’s broken in, you’ll know. Nobody will have to convince you, and you’ll not need to convince anyone else.

 

[trouttimes]

I have good pipes, ok pipes, bad pipes and 1 or 2 great pipes. For me it is more than taste. It’s, looks, it’s how it feels in the hand, it’s history, it’s things I can’t describe but for me it’s real.

 

[MikeDub]

My intuition is that a “magical pipe” has less to do with the material and more with the geometry and engineering of the pipe and how that interacts with your smoking technique and mouth shape or taste bud distribution. Something like a 1+1=3 situation, where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

That also excludes tobacco and all the factors that go into it too.

I have a 2021 Peterson Halloween System 312 that is incredible with aromatics. Doesn’t matter what kind - if I want to know if I like a given aro it goes in that pipe. But with burley or virginia’s it’s middle of the pack in my collection.

 

[RustiePyles CPG]

I’ve had brand new pipes that tasted so foul I couldn’t get through a whole bowl. So foul in fact that I contacted the importer/seller to replace the pipe and they did. I have a few pipes that just sing with certain blends. But the only (new) pipes I’ve ever had that were just overwhelmingly great from the first smoke were oil cured pipes. I have 3 of them all from different makers, all 3 smoked awesome out of the gate.

 

[didimauw]

I always end up selling my pipes that are worth more than 100 dollars, and then buy inexpensive ones. Im over Grabows, but will recommend them to any new smoker. But my cobs and new Kaywoodies have to be my favorite briars. I don't do shelf queens, and if one of my pipes attempts it, they get sold off.

So I'm right there with ya. If I didn't promise the forum a whole year with my Altinay, That would probably get sold off too!

 

[bullet08]

Cob, I know that sweet taste that goes on for number of smokes at beginning. But I never had briar taste. Not with Morgan Bones nor Peterson. Maybe I'm not sensitive enough to pick out that taste. And I had few Peterson natural finish without bowl coating, I still didn't pick the briar taste. Of course, it might be I just don't know what I'm looking for. But my definition of great pipe might be different also. I simply enjoy pipes that doesn't restrict draw, and no serious moisture problem. Everything else from that, I believe is my technique.

 

[Grangerous]

Cob, I know that sweet taste that goes on for number of smokes at beginning. But I never had briar taste. Not with Morgan Bones nor Peterson. Maybe I'm not sensitive enough to pick out that taste. And I had few Peterson natural finish without bowl coating, I still didn't pick the briar taste. Of course, it might be I just don't know what I'm looking for. But my definition of great pipe might be different also. I simply enjoy pipes that doesn't restrict draw, and no serious moisture problem. Everything else from that, I believe is my technique.

Some people cannot wait until the flavor of a new cob diminishes, while others, like myself, enjoy the entire progression; that part is subjective.

I will offer this — a cob stays sweeter smoking and can go longer between cleanings than any Briar.

This has been my experience — a cob may be smoked repeatedly for days and still provide a cool, flavorful and nearly effortless smoke, whereas a Briar will readily become rancid.

Briar is the wood that has won over the pipe. There’s no denying the beauty of Briar and it’s a wood that can be carved, polished, sandblasted or rusticated into works of art. -But that said, it may or may not be the end all material for enjoying pipe tobacco.

It’s why I clean them as I do. For me enjoy a smoke from a briar, it’s got to be a thoroughly clean pipe.

Bullet08, I’ve never tasted Briar either. Never burned through one and never perceived any enhanced flavor from its wood. But I know what dirty, funk tastes like from briar. Hard to get that from a cob and I think you hit the nail on the head in pointing out no moisture problem and no restricted airflow.

 

[SBC]

Although I rarely smoke a cob (just because I love my briars for other reasons), I'll second those who praise them as superior smokers. Cool, dry, open, and sweet. I love what cobs impart.

As for a unicorn smoker among the briars, I have one.

I've owned probably 200 or so pipes, over the last 14 years. Some I've given away, most I've sold. A (very) few I flipped without smoking, but the overwhelming majority I've smoked. Even when I bought a bunch of pipes just to restore and flip, I made a point of smoking all of them, just to put more notches on my belt -- just to know I've smoked Dunhills and other pipes too expensive to justify keeping for myself.

These days I have about 25 pipes in personal rotation.

Out of those 200 or so pipes that I've smoked, one rises to the surface as consistently making a wide variety of tobaccos taste remarkably better than they do in other pipes.

It's a Peretti branded bent bulldog that I found in an antique shop in Maine for $3, about 10 years ago.

I don't even know who made the pipe. Peretti has had many makers behind their house pipes over the years, so it's hard to say.

I've had Dunhills and Ser Jacopos and Caviccis and Ascortis and Ardors and all the Britwoods and several Danish artisans and bla bla bla... and many of them have been excellent. I'm just saying that when I'm surprised by the occasional "nirvana" smoke from a tobacco that I wouldn't have expected it from... I look down and invariably I happen to be smoking that little Peretti bend bulldog.

 

[PipeIT]

Hi @Grangerous have you read ‘The Myth of Brand and Maker in Pipesmoking’, by Dr. Fred Hanna?

https://www.greatnorthernpipeclub.org/_files/ugd/17b259_acdce5ca70354ca7a5f64775f95ae600.pdf

Several uncoated chambers of briars pipes I’ve owned had a nice sweet nutty like flavor of the wood going on, not extreme, but subtle, and they helped to impart a sweetness to the VAs I was smoking.

I’ve been fortunate and not experienced a bad smoking pipe, I try to do my homework, when buying and so far it’s paid off.

Briar is wood, let’s face it, there are so many variables here, where it was grown, how it was harvested, cured/prepared and crafted, everything coming into play and effecting it.

I think to answer all the questions, it can be hit or miss is all at times. There is no perfect end result, but I assume, most of us will look at the higher named carvers and companies and we believe, when buying from them, the chances of good will be always greater, but of course, every once and awhile, you’ll read about the person buying that expensive pipe, that didn’t turn out as expected.

 

[Searock Fan]

Of all Castellos in my collection, I've never had one that wasn't a great smoker from the first puff.

 

[kcghost]

Castello's are simply great smokers. I bought mainly in the $200 to $400 range, Very happy I did.

 

[karam]

What does Brexit have to do with the thread?
I have quite a few good smokers, most them in fact. For some unknown reason my best taster pipe is my very first, a Savinelli 106. I always use it first to get all the nuances from a new blend.
Not sure about briar being sweet, there are sweeter blends, and drier blends. I wouldn’t want a dry blend to taste sweet due to the chamber of the pipe.

 

[Briar Lee]

Every modern briar pipe is an article of commerce, made to sell at a profit.

Today Dr Grabow is the king of pipe makers as to numbers produced, at 200,000 a year. Since 1943 they’ve made and sold millions of pipes.

They advertise there are 52 steps in their manufacture and I can promise you they’d use 51 if they could.

Pipes by Lee advertised they had a cure for their briar that made them easy to break in, and at the time Dunhill and Kaywoodie both advertised an extra curing process.

I own over a hundred Lee made pipes, and every one today is cleaned to have just the slightest of cakes, actually more of an oily, black seasoning than a true cake.

Two or three are just unicorn, out of this world, magically good smokers, which is by chance.


The reason I don’t burn those up is the margin over the other 97% is really not that much. It was probably an oil cure, but whatever cure Lee used imparts for the first dozen or two smokes a sweet briar taste, but after that if you don’t allow a thick cake, it’s an excellent smoker, and it tastes better than most other good pipes.

I own exactly one worn out Lee.

It’s been smoked so much it’s colored like a meerschaum, the shank dark and swollen, the bottom of the bowl black.

The worst Lee I own is a good smoker.

It’s just noticeably not as good as the others.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I've mostly forsaken the majority of my pipes for a single no name estate meerschaum with the mortise and tenon inserts.

 

[Grangerous]

What does Brexit have to do with the thread?

Alliteration. “BBB” Catchy title and a stepping away from group think that Briar is the very Best way to enjoy tobacco.

If all I had was a Cob, I’d still enjoy my tobacco. Others might feel the same about clay or a Meerschaum.

Brexit from the Briar is Best “for enjoying tobacco” group think.

 

[karam]

Alliteration. “BBB” Catchy title and a stepping away from group think that Briar is the very Best way to enjoy tobacco.

Right, guess it's more catchy than Best Briar Banana, Bread, Bevel, Bible, Beer

 

[coming to_falling too]

Alliteration. “BBB” Catchy title and a stepping away from group think that Briar is the very Best way to enjoy tobacco.

If all I had was a Cob, I’d still enjoy my tobacco. Others might feel the same about clay or a Meerschaum.

Brexit from the Briar is Best “for enjoying tobacco” group think.

I thoroughly enjoy my briars, but I'm with you on the cob sentiment.

 

[Honkytonk Man]

I bought a Dunhill shape 120, from Captainsousie. I find that I reach for this particular more often than not, and I also have 2 others.
My Dunhill 196 also sees a lot of smoke.