Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Until recently, I've bought big pipes almost exclusively. To my palate, a big bowl delivers a winning combination of robust flavor and a reasonably long smoke. A big pipe tends to have a bit thicker walls and a longer shank. My hand stays cool and so does the smoke. If there's nice birdseye or straight grain, there's usually more of it. More wood equals more grain equals more beauty.

So why - all of a sudden - am I so intrigued by nose-burners? Are these stocky pipes a passing fancy? I don't think so. I've had some great smoking experiences with them and I find them easy to clench, rewarding to smoke, and satisfying to look at. There's just something about these pipes. They're not long, lean, and elegant. The design lines are not long enough to flow, but still, there is something about them that attracts my eye.

I'm clear that I'm not the only pipe smoker who is interested in nose-burners. Radice has started making a fetching chubby billiard exclusively for Neatpipes about which there is a lot of interest. The Castello #10 shares equal measures of popularity and rarity. A collector with the moniker “Dopealope” has a fantastic collection of Castello #10s that may be viewed here . My friend, Nina Cohen, has a wonderfully compact Ronny Thuner saucer of which I wish I had a picture and the American artisan John Crosby  fashioned a "" Gratuitously Fat & Stumpy" Balloon (also owned by Dopealope) that also rings the bell. As if Dopealope didn't already have enough spectacular chubby pieces, check out this Rad Davis chubby billiard ; it is spectacular!

Today's pipe picture is of an alluring little nose-burner. This chubby prince by Jody Davis is perhaps my favorite nose-burner shape. It's a longshoreman of a pipe — big-chested but small-waisted. Its compact design is, somehow, still elegant. The blast adds something special to this pipe. I recently traded this little wonder to a good friend in Memphis - and I miss it already - but I've ordered two to take its place, an amber-blast smooth and a smooth. Now, all I have to do is wait!

Our taste in pipe sizes differ somewhat, I prefer the smaller more "dainty" freehand shapes that grow forth from Danish soil, only occasionally going for a large manly S. Bang really. Other than that I don't think I have any pipes that are over 45 grams. My favorite of shapes is the Jess Chonowitsch Pot that is 4.5 to 5 inches with a giant stubby bowl- in fact I have several! It's a managable shape to keep clenched between the teeth for long periods of time because it's so short, and the larger bowl gives more volume to whatever flavor of tobacco is being smoked in it. My favorite for this particular shape is a nice Pease VA or VA perique blend.

Kind regards
Ian

Wednesday, June 27, 2007 - 12:18 PM

Ah, my friend, you've been seduced by the Brucianaso! The little nosewarmers are lovely things, indeed! I was bitten by the bug a while ago, and wrote about it in the Chronicles here:

http://glpease.com/BriarAndLeaf/?p=31

Some, dopealope amongst them, would even blame me for fueling the fires of this recent trend. I protest. Why would I kick off a trend that would result in the difficulty of adding more examples of this lovely shape to my own collection?

That said, Castello sold very few #10s into the North American market, and, in fact, produced the shape infrequently and in small numbers. For some strange reason, since the appearance of my beloved nosewarmers on my collection page, and the article cited, they've been making more of them, and have sold most of those to US collectors. Maybe I underestimate my influence on the trend. Maybe I should learn to keep my yap shut. ;)

Greg Pease

Thursday, June 28, 2007 - 03:29 AM

I neglected to mention, that Jody Davis pipe is absolutely gorgeous! Interestingly, the prince is another of my favored shapes, and seeing it presented this way, the shape merged so skillfully with the brucianaso, is a delightful treat. Just what I need - something else to covet...

Greg Pease

Thursday, June 28, 2007 - 03:34 AM

I too a drawn to this shape.  While I own only one (one of the Radice's you mention) I intend to get more.  The Castello #10 is at the top of my list and yes, Greg Pease is at least partly to blame ;-)

Ed Anderson

Saturday, September 22, 2007 - 04:27 AM

This is a tread in the blog of Neill Archer Roan Website