Hi Brian,

Good to see you on this side of the pond.

Excellen question that's a better topic than my poll.

Like cigars, taste is personal. I prefer briars because I get excellent flavor distinction (I can pick up the different tobaccos and their nuance and interplay) as well as a warm tone (varies pipe to pipe as below).

Briar is inconsistent in taste and quality, even across the same brand and line. Even with the best intentions there are some briars that just don't smoke well. Ypu'll find smokers who dedicate briars to one type or specific tobacco that they perform better with. Bottom line is that no two smoke the same and even two equally good pipes will have subtle differences in how they smoke and taste.

Pete