History of Briar - part IV

Wood from the interior of the burl generally has lost much of its capacity to transport or absorb liquids, and is of markedly lower quality for pipe making. In large burls, the center of the burl has often died and rotted out, and if not the sawyer normally cuts it out and discards it. With small burls, the sawyer cannot afford such a luxury, as he might have little left after discarding the center.
Third, the wood must not impart an unpleasant taste to the smoke. Briar is one of the better woods in this regard, but sap, resins, tannin, and other constituents of the wood must be removed or neutralized to make a pipe truly fit to smoke. After the burl is dug up, it may be stored under moist earth or straw for a few months before being cut into ebauchon, or blocks. The ebauchon are then boiled in water for 12 to 24 hours, dried for a few months, and finally aged for a few years before they are fit to be made into a pipe. All this, just to eliminate vestiges of unpleasant taste. And even then, the pipe maker may go on to boil the ebauchon in oil, or boil oil in the bowl of the unfinished pipe, or apply other treatments to improve the performance and taste of the final product.

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