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Once we have the plateaux and ebauchons cut, we boil them for at least 18 hours. We do that to extract the resins which would give a bitter taste to the pipe. Once boiled, we have to let the briar blocks dry. Drying is a slow and very important process. If it is not done properly the percentage of broken blocks can be very high. It is very important during this process to keep the briar blocks away from the wind and the sun. 
If a face of a briar block is touch by the wind or by the sun it will dry quicker
than the rest of the block and probably will develop a crack. Also, if there is
a flaw in the wood, the origin of a root branche or the core of the root it
is easy that the block develops a crack. Plateaux are specially sensitive beacuse
the root skin is porous and gets dried more quickly than the rest. The plateau
then looks like suck.
A briar block is considered good if it is clean of any flaw. It is excellent
if it has grain everywhere and the grain has a radial structure.
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