The corn has been specially cultivated over decades for pipe making. The Missouri Meerschaum Company sows and harvests the corn entirely in-house. The harvested cobs are sorted and stored for approximately two years to dry. Afterward, they are cut to size, sandblasted and ground if necessary, and drilled.

The corn becomes truly smokable through sealing with a special plaster compound. Finally, the stem and mouthpiece are attached.

The plaster compound's appearance is somewhat reminiscent of meerschaum, which is where the company's name comes from. The smoking characteristics are also similar to meerschaum. More on that later.

Besides its price, the corncob pipe has many other positive qualities. The first few bowls usually taste like popcorn, but this dissipates, and the tobacco can then be enjoyed with a very neutral flavor. The tobacco smokes cool and easily, and the corn doesn't absorb the tobacco's flavor as quickly as briar—the so-called crossover. This allows different tobaccos to be smoked successively in the same pipe. Furthermore, the pipe doesn't need to rest as long between bowls. Only meerschaum has similar smoking characteristics.

The pipes are pleasantly light and easy to grip with your teeth.

The manufacturing process has improved so much that a corn cob pipe is now extremely robust and durable. With proper care, a corn cob pipe can last for years or even decades with regular use.

A corn cob pipe is therefore anything but a disposable pipe; it's a practical smoking device for carefree tobacco enjoyment.

To feel like Popeye or Huckleberry Finn, you'll need to buy a corn cob pipe.