This is a pipe smoking zone

[uppercase]

By the way, I saw a long interview with Nelson Mandela yesterday and in it his mentioned what happened when his father had become very ill and had a cough. Eventually, he called for his pipe and tobacco. Nelson's mother was consulted and denied the request. He then demanded that his youngest wife bring him his pipe and tobacco and she complied. He then filled, lit and started to smoke his pipe. His coughing stopped and he became very tranquil, smoking away. Then the pipe fell from him and he was gone. I like that story. Far better to go like that than fearfully grasping, with knarled fingers, at the arms of a Parker Knoll invalid chair, in a squidgy incontinence pad.
NJS

This story has me worried. I am feeling pretty tranquil now...I hope that this is not portentous.

[hopkins-luder]

Gentlemen,
I ardently commend you to The Original Tinder Box in Santa Monica, California. I have been going for years for cigars and various pipe tobaccos. They have been located at the corner of Wilshire Blvd and Harvard since 1928.
In fact, the Tinder Box saved my life, quite literally. I would have been on the Metrolink commuter train that crashed on September 12, 2008, but for the fact that I drove to work in downtown L.A. so that I could go there after work to buy some tobacco. I was driving there when, at 3:40pm, I heard on the radio that my train had crashed into another train five minutes before. True Story!
Even though I have lived several miles and towns away from Santa Monica for over 15 years, I still make the pilgrimage as often as necessary. They also ship, but the place is an old home from the early 1900s, full of pipes, tobacco, a walk-in humidor, antiques, and old photos. It reeks with character, but the sweet smell of tobacco wafts on every little breeze.
I highly recommend the place and the staff.

[dopey]

Gentlemen,
I ardently commend you to The Original Tinder Box in Santa Monica, California. I have been going for years for cigars and various pipe tobaccos. They have been located at the corner of Wilshire Blvd and Harvard since 1928.
In fact, the Tinder Box saved my life, quite literally. I would have been on the Metrolink commuter train that crashed on September 12, 2008, but for the fact that I drove to work in downtown L.A. so that I could go there after work to buy some tobacco. I was driving there when, at 3:40pm, I heard on the radio that my train had crashed into another train five minutes before. True Story!
Even though I have lived several miles and towns away from Santa Monica for over 15 years, I still make the pilgrimage as often as necessary. They also ship, but the place is an old home from the early 1900s, full of pipes, tobacco, a walk-in humidor, antiques, and old photos. It reeks with character, but the sweet smell of tobacco wafts on every little breeze.
I highly recommend the place and the staff.

Thanks. I have yet to visit Santa Monica, but if i get there, I will make this a stop.

[uppercase]

Back to smoking...why not?

All I'm doing now is smoking smaller...petit robustos instead of robustos, and a smaller pipe bowl.

Feels good, especially with a drink in hand, letting the cares of this world wash away. Peace.

But I need to look into buying a few more pipes now. Just something simple. Available. Good quality. In a classic shape.

Any recommendations to get me started?

[Aristide]

The Peterson line of pipes represent good value, although you can spend lots more on aesthetics.

[dopey]

uppercase:
My best suggestion on buying a pipe is to call Nick Miller at Quality Briar and describe what you like and are looking for. He carries a great selection of pipes from the very best artisinal makers in a wide range of prices. They are all on his website, but the site is not set up for browsing by anything other than maker, and while fun, that is not a productive way to answer your question. On the other hand, Nick knows his stock and he will talk you through his site, helping you find good examples.
The site is here: http://www.qualitybriar.com/ His number is on the front page (note that while he displays prices, you can't order off the site - he makes you talk to him, which is a good thing).

Upshall's available new direct from the owner on ebay are also a nice option.

[Aristide]

uppercase:
My best suggestion on buying a pipe is to call Nick Miller at Quality Briar and describe what you like and are looking for. He carries a great selection of pipes from the very best artisinal makers in a wide range of prices. They are all on his website, but the site is not set up for browsing by anything other than maker, and while fun, that is not a productive way to answer your question. On the other hand, Nick knows his stock and he will talk you through his site, helping you find good examples.
The site is here: http://www.qualitybriar.com/ His number is on the front page (note that while he displays prices, you can't order off the site - he makes you talk to him, which is a good thing).

Upshall's available new direct from the owner on ebay are also a nice option.

Good God, man. I believe he was looking for "Just something simple. Available. Good quality. "

[dopey]

Give Nick a call. He has plenty of pipes in the same price range as Dunhill or Castello or Cavicchi.

[uppercase]

A very interesting site.

While I like to keep things simple, Dopey has a way of getting deep into things which can draw you in, making an experience that much more rewarding.

I don't have any artisanal pipes, just commercial.
Which to me seems fine, though I am always interested to learn more, on most any topic, particularly about what I should know, and what I don't, and this offered up by an enthusiast.

So how should I approach buying a pipe now that I have been dissuaded from walking into a good tobacconist and picking up a nice billiard...?

Don't all good briar pipes smoke the same, and the rest is aesthetics?

[dopey]

A very interesting site.

While I like to keep things simple, Dopey has a way of getting deep into things which can draw you in, making an experience that much more rewarding.

I don't have any artisanal pipes, just commercial.
Which to me seems fine, though I am always interested to learn more, on most any topic, particularly about what I should know, and what I don't, and this offered up by an enthusiast.

So how should I approach buying a pipe now that I have been dissuaded from walking into a good tobacconist and picking up a nice billiard...?

Don't all good briar pipes smoke the same, and the rest is aesthetics?

That is more or less correct - once you get into the better factory pipes, the benefit of an artisan made pipe is largely aesthetic.
You should not be dissuaded from visiting a good tobacconist, though they are fewer and further between. If you find one that has something you like, that will do you well. But if you don't, for the same price as a Dunhill, Castello or Cavicchi, you might find an artisinal pipe that speaks to you. Of course, you can spend even more if you decide to pursue form and grain as an end in itself, though I haven't found that need.

I will perhaps revisit this later, but I don't want you to wait!!!

[dopey]

Talbert Pipes will be updating their site tomorrow to add a few new pipes. As I mentioned many posts ago, the Ligne Bretagne line represents excellent value in that they are made of very old briar, machine pre-formed into classic shapes and then hand finished to a very high standard. That puts them on a par or better with the very best factory pipes out there (grain aside). Have a look today to see some of the recent offerings and watch the site tomorrow to try and catch the update.
Ligne Bretagne

Talbert Briar is Trever Talbert's fully handmade artisan line. Talbert is considered among the very best American carvers. Although his workmanship is absolutely top notch, most of his freehand pipes are not really my style. Still, have a look on the main page and the Gallery to see what he does and has done. If I were to commission a pipe, he would likely be one of my first choices.
Talbert Briar

BTW, yesterday, I bought a Luigi Viprati pipe. This is a relatively inexpensive brand made by a small one or two-man factory in Brescia. It is not superbly made, but I really liked the shape and the sandblasted ring grain. It also had a horn stem. Someone once told me that, as in another field, the English developed and perfected the classic pipe forms and then the Italians adopted them, copying but adding an exuberance to make it their own. While the analogy falls down if you push it too hard, the pipe I bought is a good example. It is roughly in the form of a Prince or Apple, but the shank tapers down from the width of the bowl to the stem and is faceted, with the facets continuing into the straight horn stem. All in all, I thought it beautiful. The internal work is excellent, though the external finishing is less than perfect and the maker's markings are too much on the flamboyant side. I have only smoked it once, but I can suggest this as a brand to look at if you want something relatively inexpensive with a little flair (if you want to keep to the forced analogy, Viprati is local, village-Neopolitan bespoke to Rubinacci's more refined international style).

[dopey]

I thought it might be interesting to try and take some photos of the pipe I bought and explain what I liked about it.

Two things drew me to the pipe - the shape and the grain. The shape, as I said before, is a variation of the Prince, which is one of my favorite shapes. The key to the prince, is the shape of the bowl, which is a squashed or truncated Apple, a short slim round shank and, usually, a 1/8th bent stem (a slight bend). This pipe foregoes the slim shank, replacing it with a wider shank, that is both tapered to the stem and faceted. Notice also the slight downward angle of the top of the bowl.
These photo gives you an idea of the overall shape.


I like Princes and this variation seemed not only unique, but also elegant and well balanced. It's style had great appeal to me.
I also like sandblasted pipes. That is the process where the softer wood is removed by scouring with an abrasive under air pressure. This is in contrast to rustication, which is basically carving, and smooth, which is simply fine sanding and polishing. Generally speaking, smooth pipes are the most expensive and rusticated are the cheapest, with sandblasting in the middle. While this may seem inverse to the degree of labor involved, it reflects the relative scarcity of "perfect" unblemished wood needed to leave a pipe suitable for a smooth finish. Surface pits revealed when the pipe is carved can be blasted or carved away but will mar a smooth finish, making a clean piece of briar suitable for a smooth finish that much rarer (lower grade pipes get around this by simply having the pits filled with putty and then sanded for a smooth finish). Among smooth pipes, premiums are placed on the graining, with the most expensive pipes being ones with fine "straight grain" running vertically up and down the side of the bowl in tight parallel lines. Some people like cross grain (horizontal) or flame grain or birdseye patterns. Personally, I like smooth pipes well enough but am unmoved by grain and care only that it is relatively even and not blotchy. When I buy a smooth pipe, it is usually for a reason other than the grain. On the other hand, I really like sandblasting and the grain patterns it reveals. While I am happy with any intricate blasted pattern, I especially like it when the grain shows neat parallel rings, stacked around the bowl. Incidentally, that layout generally results from a pipe that would show very good straight grain if smooth. This pipe has beautiful ring grain, and while I have seen tighter rings, I have seen very few pipes that show the ring grain as nicely as this one does. You can see the side view above. Here is the front of the bowl, where the rings are nicely stacked.

One thing to keep in mind is that the carver had to orient and shape the pipe in a way that aligns the bowl and shank with the flow of the woodgrain. Notice how carefully the grain is placed at the bottom of the bowl, from which it radiates like ripples in a pond:

There are, of course a few things I don't love about this pipe. On the execution/quality side, I have two complaints. First, there is a tiny thumbnail indent type gap in one spot where the stem and shank join. I have not bothered to photograph it, and it may be even to small to try. Nonetheless, it bothers me on principal and almost kept me from buying the pipe. With luck, I will forget about it once the pipe become well used. The other flaw is a design element. The rim of the pipe bowl is much thinner t the front than the rest of the way around. While I think it may be intentional, I would have preferred the rim to be of even width. Or maybe not. I tried to photograph it, and perhaps you can see what I mean.

Stemwork and engineering is another important thing to consider in a pipe. You will have to take my word that the pipe is well designed internally with pretty good finishing. The stem is horn and the button and slotting are a bit cruder than I expected, but that may be because it is horn, which is more delicate and harder to work - I will note that the other horn stems by this maker were made the same way, while the regular stems were finished quite nicely. I am also impressed with the faceting on the stem, which continues the shape of the shank. That is very nicely done. By the way, the horn is mottled, like a dark horn coat button, but I cannot photograph that very well.
The one thing that does annoy me about this pipe, which I think I will not get over, is the ridiculous signature. While it is typical for pipemakers to mask a bit of the pipe stem from the blasting medium to make a smooth spot for stamping the name, grade and other markings, it is done to an absurd extreme here, with a huge L. Viprati signature and "Hand Made in Italy" engraving. Here is how it looks - it would be better at half or a third the size.


All that aside, I thought it was a beautiful pipe and, because of the grain pattern and shape, I was glad to buy it.

As I am sure is clear by know, much of what I have discussed is simply a matter of personal taste and aesthetics. Certainly, my tastes have evolved over time as I learned what I liked and didn't like and I would not be surprised if others came to very different conclusions. But once you get past the engineering and briar quality, personal taste and aesthetics are what matter.

[alden]

But once you get past the engineering and briar quality, personal taste and aesthetics are what matter.

Dopey

Nice pipe. I think what matters most in a pipe is how they smoke. And therein lies the mystery of pipe smoking that keeps things fun. I have had beautiful pipes that were real dogs and very simple pipes that smoked great. You never know for sure what you are going to get until the pipe is broken in and has a good crust in it. And alot depends on how you smoke and what you smoke in a pipe. One will make VAs sing and another will not.

I have had pipes from many of the Italian artisans. My best smokers come from Castello, Becker and...a few old Savinellis. I used to love sitting around Becker's shop in Rome smoking pipes and chatting for hours. A visit to Castello is also a must for true pipe lovers.

Trever's pipes are excellent. I corresponded with him for years when he first came to this side of the pond. He had a rough time over here and I am glad to see he is doing well.

Cheers

Michael

[uppercase]

Very nice pipe and your thoughts about it as well.

Re. the pipe sites, the Ligne Bretagne pipes are certainly well priced.

But you know, the pipes on qualitybriar.com are more interesting to look at and I saw a Cavicchi that has my name on it....but are all sold. I'll have to give Nick a call!

Thanks.

[dopey]

But once you get past the engineering and briar quality, personal taste and aesthetics are what matter.

Dopey

Nice pipe. I think what matters most in a pipe is how they smoke. And therein lies the mystery of pipe smoking that keeps things fun. I have had beautiful pipes that were real dogs and very simple pipes that smoked great. You never know for sure what you are going to get until the pipe is broken in and has a good crust in it. And alot depends on how you smoke and what you smoke in a pipe. One will make VAs sing and another will not.

I have had pipes from many of the Italian artisans. My best smokers come from Castello, Becker and...a few old Savinellis. I used to love sitting around Becker's shop in Rome smoking pipes and chatting for hours. A visit to Castello is also a must for true pipe lovers.

Trever's pipes are excellent. I corresponded with him for years when he first came to this side of the pond. He had a rough time over here and I am glad to see he is doing well.

Cheers

Michael

I have to agree that how a pipe smokes is of primary importance. On the other hand, that is something that is hard to tell until after you have bought it and it is why I mentioned above that your best bet is to buy from a maker that invests in good briar, quality engineering and tight quality control. It is no guaranty, but you put the odds in your favor. After that, you are selecting on aesthetics.

A factor I didn't mention is how a pipe feels. Most of my smoking is done walking home in the evening, so I like a light pipe with a straight or barely bent stem. That is another reason I like sandblasts - they are typically lighter weight. I don't know why a straight seems better for walking, but it does for me. Most of my pipes are in that category . When I do my smoking sitting in one place I prefer a larger bowled bent stem pipe and I have a couple of bent Rhodesians that I use that way. On vacation, I take a combination.

As an aside, one of the suggestions I have heard for buying in the estate market is you should look for an overused but well cared for pipe -- it may have been smoked so much because it smoked so well, whereas perhaps the pristine showpiece remained that way because the owner didn't like smoking it that much. It may be true, but there are so many other variables that this seems a little pointless.

Very nice pipe and your thoughts about it as well.

Re. the pipe sites, the Ligne Bretagne pipes are certainly well priced.

But you know, the pipes on qualitybriar.com are more interesting to look at and I saw a Cavicchi that has my name on it....but are all sold. I'll have to give Nick a call!

Thanks.

You should certainly call Nick. And do it with your internet connection open- he knows what he has in stock and will walk you through the site explaining the differences between makers and styles. There is quite a variety. One problem, though, is that new stock disappears quite quickly so you have to be on your toes.