Aristocob

Aristocob is an American-made system pipe with a shank cast from metal and a bowl formed from a removable, disposable piece of corncob. The idea is simple: the lightness and neutral taste of the cob are preserved while the quickly worn cob bowl is set inside a durable outer shell. The pipe can thus be used for years, with only the bowl inside replaced at intervals.

A Short History of the Company

Joseph W. Zarikta, who designed the pipe, founded a small business named the Al Cobb Corporation in the town of Grand Haven, Michigan, reportedly in 1961. The company was handed over about a year later to a group of Grand Rapids businessmen and its name changed to Aristocob Incorporated; production moved within the same state to Caledonia. According to accounts, the brand was later bought by Missouri Meerschaum, the company regarded as the center of corncob pipe making; the date of this transfer is unknown.

The documentation of the design, however, is clear. Zarikta's application, titled "Smoking pipe," was filed on June 15, 1964, and registered on December 20, 1966, as US 3,292,639, with the Al Cobb Corporation listed as rights holder. The patent text details the internal cavity that accounts for the cob swelling as it absorbs tar and moisture, and the heat-resistant ceramic lining that protects the bowl base from burning through.