The first forum that I was on many years was pipes.org.It had a moderator who I think was named Melvin. Don't remember the last name...I have no Idea if that's the one you're refering to or not.
I've had trouble getting in. I finally figured out how to get some help. Now I'm happy to be back. .It will take me a bit to get used to the new surroundings.
I've heard that in days of old briar came from older trees than now, and that extra age made the briar better..I have no idea if this story is really true..With it and 6 bucks though you can get a fancy coffee as Starbucks.