Takeo's aesthetic has been found compelling by pipe smokers and collectors since 2003 when we first brought his pipes into the United States. There is a distinctive Takeo aesthetic, unmistakable for that of anyone else, that we've come to expect. That said, it's easy to overlook the evolution that his style has gradually undergone during the past seven years. Today's Arita pipes feature a surprising, challenging and, yes, beautiful, mix of hard and soft elements, introducing pleasant visual surprises without violating the overall themes which echo early 20th century western modernist ideals. Takeo's approach to shaping is distinct, novel, and brilliant. Seeing him continue to develop that is an absolute pleasure. All three of the pipes exhibit these newer, softer, more organic elements. All three are remarkable.
Peter Klein has had a solid reputation for as long as I can remember in Germany. My German pipe smoking friends were all atwitter with Peter in 2003 and 2004 especially, as he went from being regionally to nationally known in Germany. Over the years since, he's being increasingly recognized outside of his native country. These three well-priced, nicely shaped briars are a testament to his talent and make clear why he's developed the following that he has.
We can hardly have a proper Ardor update without at least one of their over-sized, arguably monstrous briars, for those of you who, understandably, don't quite see why a man should bother himself with a pipe which needs to be packed, lit, smoked, then packed again...not when he could have one that will happily take an entire tin of tobacco in one bowl. And so today we have two of the greater Ardor pipes, in addition to several more modest briars sized for the sake of us lesser mortals. They take the form of a "Big" Urano calabash, the nomenclature of which is naturally an exercise in understatement, as it is, at the very least, "enormous". If that isn't enough, the second goes one further, being a full-blown "Giant" which I'd say could make for a convincing shillelagh...convincing, that is, in the sense that brandishing it at someone could no doubt "convince" them to engage in all sorts of generosities in your favor.
Heavy on the Picta series pipes of late, for this update we've decided to give you a breather from the art research that accompanies tracking down their inspirations (well, sort of; we couldn't help but still throw a few Van Goghs in), and present more of Ser Jacopo's excellent standard-line shapes. And yes, that includes several "Maximas". On top of that, we see the introduction of the new "Albus" option, in the form of a Van Gogh calabash and a silver-mounted pot. Taking its name from the Latin word for "white", the Albus option offers Ser Jacopo's briars in a dark finish (black for sandblasts, and a deep, smoky grey-and-black for smooth) contrasted with a pale, creamy stem. It's a very different compositional approach from Ser Jacopo, and it was quite a surprise seeing them for the first time.
Coming to us from Cornwall, England, via Indiana, via...Iceland, Paul Larrysson Hubartt has progressed quickly as a pipemaker. In a bit less than a decade, he's gone from joining the Midwest's Tri State Pipe & Tobacco Club, to becoming a full time pipemaker with his own small workshop and a Pipes and Tobaccos Magazine cover under his belt. That his workshop is a former pig shed, which he refurbished and converted himself, only makes it more impressive. Today we present our second batch of Larryson briars, featuring two different compositional takes on a nearly identical, perfectly executed English straight rhodesian shape, a sharp classical lovat, a deep-chambered poker, and a beautifully eccentric calabash.
Il Duca has fast become one of my favorite marques to come out of Italy, or anywhere, for that matter. Today we present another half-dozen fresh pipes in a selection which, as ever, testifies to Massimiliano Rimensi's protean talent. Here you'll find three virgin sandblast briars in a mixture of neoclassical and, to my eye at least, Danish styling, a delicate little smooth-finished English pocket canadian, a sturdy, compact pot of morta-and-horn composition, and a short, round, and simply gorgeous olivewood apple. In case you lost count, that's three schools, three mediums, and two finishes, all among only six compositions.
If you happen to be a fan of Brebbia's inexplicably-named Ninja Sabbiata series (okay, we're aware of one alleged explanation behind the name, but it is, of itself, rather inexplicable) you'll be happy to see a number of them featured in today's update. By their sides you'll also find a handsome lovat and canadian, a sturdy little Golden Extra bent apple, and a deep-chambered, wind-cap bearing oom paul. The real prize however, would have to be the Bjarne-designed "Great Designers" edition freehand dublin, which sports excellent cross-grain and brass-and-sterling silver accents.
Due to their great popularity (read: you buy them as fast as we can process them), the collaborative G.L. Pease/Luca DiPiazza designs make up nearly half of today's batch of hand-finished Luciano briars. Combining talented design, machine-cut consistency, and hand-finished attention, Luca DiPiazza's brand has succeeded in offering handsome, quality smokers at a surprisingly modest price-point. With their tendency towards thick walls, broad chambers, and exceptionally easy draw, Lucianos are an excellent choice if you're looking for a lasting, mellow-smoking pipe.
Change is inevitable - the world progresses, or entropy takes its due. With Stanwell's move (at the beginning of 2010) of its principle production to the de facto briar capital of Europe, Italy, we should hardly be surprised to see some alterations and shuffling around. Some old series go, making room for new ones, and so forth. For example: We've been snatching up some of the last of the old Zebranos, including the half-dozen in today's update, yet at the same time we're introducing the handsome, brass-banded Naval series, which comes in a variety of finishes. Furthermore, you'll want to have a look at the Varios coming out of the new workshop, recognizable by their featuring considerably deeper sandblasts than their Danish-produced predecessors.
With just over five-dozen estates tonight, there is a little of something for everyone. The Danish section has been particularly interesting with some rare high-grades. Two pipes from Anne Julie (one smooth classic and one signature floral piece); two unsmoked S. Bang pieces with exceptional grain; a wonderful Former blowfish, and others. The English category has a 1938 Dunhill patent canadian, some lovely shells, and three unsmoked Ashtons. Eric did a splendid job describing 21 Italian estates - and described his first pipe that weighs nearly one pound (the smooth Moretti). Fans of Larry Roush pipes would be well advised to take a peek at the American section to see two of them; one being a really large sandblasted piece!
I know the guys at Mac Baren pretty well, definitely better than I know folks at the other big tobacco manufacturers. I'm not sure if there's any particular reason for this, other than that I really respect their quality and integrity as a tobacco manufacturer, and I've gotten to be friends with Per Jensen, their new products guy and general Mac Baren evangelist, over the past few years. This means that I often find myself chatting with projects in development with Per and others at Mac Baren, and in many ways, this, the three Seven Seas blends, is a project that I'm particularly excited about because I think they've done something really special here.
Historically, we had American style aromatics from American makers-- Lane and Altadis primarily-- and Danish/German style aromatics from the two big Danish factories, Mac Baren and Orlik. What Mac Baren has tried to do with these is a little different. They've made American style aromatics, using the techniques and know-how that they bring to the table from other projects. And they've done so extremely well. If you're a fan of the classic American aromatic, or even a fan of the classic Danish aromatic, the new Seven Seas blends are a must-try. You can find out more about this on our blog, which features a video of Per Jensen of Mac Baren and Frank Blews of Phillips & King talking about the new blends.
Altadis makes a lot of pipe tobacco. It's one of the largest pipe tobacco manufacturers in the world. Oddly, a lot of folks don't realize this because their blends almost always end up in jars on store shelves with the store's name for each on them, or blended together to create store blends. Since we think it's important that you can find what you're after, we don't play the renaming game. But Altadis blends are, more likely than not, what is in most of the jars in a small, brick & mortar tobacconist. They also represent tremendous value for money. We're adding eight Altadis blends, plus moving the Tobacco Galleria line into the Altadis category (in the interest of reducing confusion), if you're wondering where that suddenly went! Give these a try. We think you'll be happy, especially given the very reasonable prices.
News for Thursday, September 2nd, 2010 written by Sykes Wilford, Adam Davidson & Eric N. Squires.
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News for Monday, August 30th |
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At Smokingpipes.com, our estates department seems to turn up, at least once every couple of months, a Dunhill from the 1940s, 1930s, even occasionally the 1920s. The first pipe I spent any real money on, the one I smoke the most frequently, the one that is, in fact, sitting next to my keyboard at this moment, is a Dunhill bent Dublin that was made not long after I was born. Aside from the cake in the bowl, it could probably pass for new. It rather reminds me of the ’67 Chrysler I bought out of a barn, removed the nest something had built in the carburetor, and then proceeded to drive as if I had stolen it for ten years, before selling it to an uncle. That car, like Dunhill’s briars, was made to last – and last, and last. Given that, who knows where any of the nine fine Dunhill briars up today will be a hundred years from now? Hopefully, safer from the hands of 19 year-old hooligans than that car was.
In today's selection of Luigi Radice's excellent Italian-school briars we feature a number from his "Classic" series, numerically-designated designs each representing a particular classic shape, as interpreted through the Italian neoclassical aesthetic. The "30", for example, is the straight poker, while the "70" is the bent dublin. Though the designs are standardized as representations of the chosen form, each pipe is still hand-shaped and finished by Luigi and his family, like all Radice briars. In addition we're offering another of the "Pease/DiPiazza Rubens Rhodesian II", presenting the signature unabashed stoutness and fullness of form which results when you combine Luigi's shaping with a G.L. Pease/ Luca DiPiazza design.
Today's Savinelli update features, amongst a gaggle of reliable favorites like the Saturnia, Baronet, and Venezia, an injection of the fine Erica Fiamma series, just to give the selection a little extra kick. Meaning "heather flame" in Italian, the briar for these light-finished pipes is hand-selected for the qualities of their flame grain. Furthermore, to really round things off we're also presenting one of Savinelli's fine hand-made Collection series briars, for this example reaching all the way back to 1997's compact, neoclassical brandy.
This week we our introducing a new series from Peterson of Dublin: the "Dalkey". This new line is named after a town on the eastern shore of Ireland, which is well known as both a residence of numerous celebrities, and, appropriately enough, one of the main entry points for the bubonic plague into Ireland (granted, the appropriateness may vary depending upon your personal views of the modern professionally famous class). Caddish musings over nomenclature aside, the briars of this new series sport a handsome walnut finish accented by a three-piece nickel and acrylic band, making for a fine, unpretentious composition. And if unassuming simplicity isn't your thing, then we've also included a veritable flotilla of Supreme series briars, each one sporting a light, warm finish perfectly matched to gold bands encircling each of their shanks.
The estates this week have a fair number of unsmoked pieces (actually, all of the Italians are unsmoked), and a fair number of others. There is a really beautiful Dunhill Ring Grain, sandblasted apple that could give any sandblast a run for it's money. The Irish section is crowned with an exquisite gold-spigot piece with a really beautiful cross-grain pattern. Not to be outdone, the French section has an 18K S.T.Dupont and uniquely-finished Butz-Choquin.
Yes, these are the real thing. LL-7 and TK-6 are back, made exactly to the original Lane blends, by the same factory in Tucker, Georgia that used to make them. After much shuffling, Arango Cigar Co. managed to get this organized, bringing back two bestselling favorites that disappeared off the market a couple of years ago.
To continue our Monday cigar update, we are offering a delicious variety from Padron and Villiger. Padron scarcely needs any introduction, but it doesn't hurt to mention that the company has a tremendous fan base. While we try our best to carry everything they have to offer, limited supplies are hard for anyone to get. With the recent success of the 45th anniversary maduro line, Brian was able to secure a healthy amount of their 44th series (which came out last year). Holding true to family history and quality, a Padron is the kind of cigar to celebrate with. We have a hard time keeping the upper-echelon of this brand on our shelves, so a quick trigger to acquire some of these is a good idea. Also, with the recent IPCPR show, we were able to start carrying four sizes of the Villiger 1888 line of magnificent hand-made cigars from the Dominican Republic.
Sillem's lighters represent some of the most beautiful hand-work available on lighters today. In an era where machines punch out lighters that run into the thousands, Sillem's still does their work by hand. Like Coronas and Dunhill Uniques, the insides are supplied by IM Corona. The cases are made by hand in Germany, principly from sterling silver. Perhaps the most striking thing about the lighters is the superb, hand painted enamel work, required many, many coats to properly execute. The work is as beautiful as it is functional. Further, these also feature the debut of our 360-degree product models. If nothing else, you need to check those out!
News for Monday, August 30th, 2010 written by Sykes Wilford, Adam Davidson & Eric N. Squires
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