Anyone order briar from this source?

LexKY_Pipe · Post by **LexKY_Pipe** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 2:33 pm

Has anyone gotten briar from http://www.briarblocks.com/pipes/ and if so, what is your take on it?

bscofield · Post by **bscofield** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 4:49 pm

Do a search on the board. There is a VERY long post on here somewhere that's all about sources and reviews. I purchased Jaume's stuff once and was not happy. The main problem was not size or grain or anything. It was SANDPITS! The blocks are littered with them (all the one's I got anyway). This was a common review of his stuff. For nearly the same amount of money you could get wood from Yazid of http://www.briargrains.com, whose wood I like very much. On the other hand, Michael Parks has some seamingly nice briar (I've never used it but he and Stephen Downie do). I think I averaged out their prices to be just about the same, after factoring in the higher shipping rates from europe (compared to Canada).

LexKY_Pipe · Post by **LexKY_Pipe** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 5:05 pm

Ben,

Thanks for your reply and advice.

JHowell · Post by **JHowell** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 5:47 pm

I also cannot recommend Hom briar. I found it to be reasonable (or at least no worse than other sources) with respect to flaws, but the six-block lots were, frankly, a poor buy once I averaged out the one or two nicely-sized, reasonably-proportioned and decently-grained blocks along with the rest, which ranged from "A" (medium okay) to trash. I got a couple of blocks that would be good for cigar holders and that's about it. The photos he offers are somewhat representative, but one's optimism somehow seems to make the good blocks look better and the bad blocks not quite as bad as they are in the hand. On the bright side, you do get to see all the blocks in a lot, so if he ever changes his ways and stops using one or two primo blocks as bait to sell four or five pieces of junk, you'll get exactly the blocks that you see. I learned my lesson.

Post by **KurtHuhn** » Sat Jul 23, 2005 9:09 pm

Jaume's blocks are "decent". I've used a couple hundred of them and the average of the blocks is pretty good. However, you will get some real stinkers in the lot.

As a whole, there seem to be a lot of flaws in Jaume's briar. Sandpits are common, and fissures are evident on about 20% of the blocks I've used.

But, flaws are not the worst part. It's the taste that really bothers me. In my testing, I've noticed that roughly half of the blocks have a reddish hue to them instead of a creamy tan - and those blocks invariably taste, as I've said before, like a grizzly bear's butt. Those nasty blocks also are the ones that tend to have the fissures - about 85% have displayed them on the surface or right after cutting into them. They're also quite mishapen, not square in the least. My first shipment from him was all good stuff, but the ones after that were a 50-50 mix of good to ugly.

Truly, go with Yazid at
http://www.briargrains.com
I've only had about 3 blocks out of all the ones I've gotten from him, that I had to toss out. And the briar always tastes good - never any "green" or woody taste.

JHowell · Post by **JHowell** » Sun Jul 24, 2005 2:35 am

[quote="KurtHuhn"]
But, flaws are not the worst part. It's the taste that really bothers me. In my testing, I've noticed that roughly half of the blocks have a reddish hue to them instead of a creamy tan - and those blocks invariably taste, as I've said before, like a grizzly bear's butt. Those nasty blocks also are the ones that tend to have the fissures - about 85% have displayed them on the surface or right after cutting into them. They're also quite mishapen, not square in the least. My first shipment from him was all good stuff, but the ones after that were a 50-50 mix of good to ugly.

Hmm, what I got was from the "extra extra" lots where he takes pictures of six blocks and you buy the whole lot. I didn't get any blocks like your stinkers, it's just that the photos gave me room for optimism. For 100 blocks, it sounds like you got a real mix. It's interesting, though, I've noticed the same phenomenon with badly warped blocks. Either through poor curing or inherent instability, they do seem to be full of fissures -- not flaws with black stuff inside them, but places where the briar just seems to have pulled itself apart. This is Grecian briar I'm talking about, but the warpage, the red color and the fissures are the same.

LexKY_Pipe · Post by **LexKY_Pipe** » Mon Aug 08, 2005 2:42 pm

He must have read your critiques, because I got six pieces of medium plateaux briar in the mail today, and it looks excellent. Great grain. Beautiful tan in color. Well shaped.

I'm anxious to cut into it, but on the surface it looks like good, quality briar. :think:

bscofield · Post by **bscofield** » Mon Aug 08, 2005 6:37 pm

LexKY_Pipe wrote:He must have read your critiques, because I got six pieces of medium plateaux briar in the mail today, and it looks excellent. Great grain. Beautiful tan in color. Well shaped.

I'm anxious to cut into it, but on the surface it looks like good, quality briar. :think:

Perhaps... Grind into it and let me know what the inside looks like. Like I said, I wasn't able to speak for a large quantity of blocks but Kurt and Jack can. I hope you got some good briar!

JHowell · Post by **JHowell** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 12:37 am

bscofield wrote:
Perhaps... Grind into it and let me know what the inside looks like. Like I said, I wasn't able to speak for a large quantity of blocks but Kurt and Jack can. I hope you got some good briar!

Actually, I only bought at total of 24 blocks. I ordered two lots once, and was disappointed in, as I mentioned, the ratio of blocks of those that rationally could have been described as "extra extra" to the other blocks that made the order, taken in total, a poor value. He emailed to ask how I liked the briar, and I told him, with the addendum that I'd be glad to buy larger quantities if the grading were more consistent. He replied that he valued my input and would do better, so I ordered two lots again, with the same result. It's not that the briar is bad -- in fact the pipes that I made from the workable blocks were just fine -- it's just that, once the weird blocks are discounted, I might as well order from Mimmo and get consistently better blocks to start with for the same money. If Hom really has improved his grading I'd give him another try, but there are enough other sellers that don't cut their good blocks with junk in order to sell the junk that I haven't been back to his site.

LexKY_Pipe · Post by **LexKY_Pipe** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 9:21 am

What is the web address for Mimmo?

achduliebe · Post by **achduliebe** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 9:37 am

Hey Craig,

Here it is:

www.romeobriar.com

LexKY_Pipe · Post by **LexKY_Pipe** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 9:53 am

Awesome. Thanks.