Like a hayseed rube in the big city, I was gulled in yet again by P&C's slick marketing tactics. To be more specific, buy the John Cotton's sampler (which I wanted anyway), and get free shipping on an entire order! Who could resist? Not this bumpkin.
I had been eyeballing the Decatur pipes ever since I received the P&C January catalog, so I decided to drop the hammer on one. For 40 bucks, hard to go wrong. The craggy rustication and low price had really piqued my interest. I chose the Rustic Apple in natural finish. When they say natural, they mean it. This pipe doesn't have a whisper of finish on it, inside or out. It is literally raw briar, carved into a pipe shape, and blasted deeply. It is rough, "bark-like", as they say in the promo copy. It still feels very pleasant in the hand, though.
As to the other claims made by P&C: the pipe is very light, is easy to clench, and did smoke cool and dry. (Caveat: I have had pipes that smoke very dry at first, but as soon as the oils build up in the briar, turn into a gurgler. One smoke is no way to judge this!) The measurements P&C listed were very close to the pipe I received; this is not always the case.
The pipe was sold as an apple; I personally find it to be more of a billiard. Either way, the pipe is very well-proportioned an attractive to my eye. The drilling is spot on, and the fitment of the stem to the shank is so flush, no light can be seen in the stem/shank junction. The airway is drilled through shank and stem at 9/64"; I usually prefer 5/32", but if this pipe continues to perform as well as it did for the first smoke, I will not drill it out.
The stem is better than I expected; the fishtail is very symmetrical, the slot is adequate, and the button is nicely profiled and quite comfortable. The material is so hard and highly polished I first mistook it for lucite. The friction test, however, gave it away as vulcanite. Again, only time can tell- some beautiful (new) stems can turn into green smelly garbage in fairly short order. The face of the tennon is not funneled, but it did not seem to collect much moisture. This may be due to the very small gap between the tennon and the bottom of the mortise. If it becomes a problem, I have a 100 degree countersink all ready to go.
For the inaugural smoke, I used my favorite home-brew blend of 70% Carter Hall, 20% Orlik Golden Sliced, and 10% Latakia. All went cool and dry, with minimal "new briar" taste. I ran a fluffy down the stem a couple times, but it came out barely discolored, let alone wet. The bowl stayed cool to the touch, and took two light tamps and two re-lights total.
To sum up, I am very happy with this purchase. I think it is $40 well spent. Kind of like girlfriends, you never know how it's going to turn out, but my initial impression tells me this pipe will find a regular place in my rotation.
I had been eyeballing the Decatur pipes ever since I received the P&C January catalog, so I decided to drop the hammer on one. For 40 bucks, hard to go wrong. The craggy rustication and low price had really piqued my interest. I chose the Rustic Apple in natural finish. When they say natural, they mean it. This pipe doesn't have a whisper of finish on it, inside or out. It is literally raw briar, carved into a pipe shape, and blasted deeply. It is rough, "bark-like", as they say in the promo copy. It still feels very pleasant in the hand, though.
As to the other claims made by P&C: the pipe is very light, is easy to clench, and did smoke cool and dry. (Caveat: I have had pipes that smoke very dry at first, but as soon as the oils build up in the briar, turn into a gurgler. One smoke is no way to judge this!) The measurements P&C listed were very close to the pipe I received; this is not always the case.
The pipe was sold as an apple; I personally find it to be more of a billiard. Either way, the pipe is very well-proportioned an attractive to my eye. The drilling is spot on, and the fitment of the stem to the shank is so flush, no light can be seen in the stem/shank junction. The airway is drilled through shank and stem at 9/64"; I usually prefer 5/32", but if this pipe continues to perform as well as it did for the first smoke, I will not drill it out.
The stem is better than I expected; the fishtail is very symmetrical, the slot is adequate, and the button is nicely profiled and quite comfortable. The material is so hard and highly polished I first mistook it for lucite. The friction test, however, gave it away as vulcanite. Again, only time can tell- some beautiful (new) stems can turn into green smelly garbage in fairly short order. The face of the tennon is not funneled, but it did not seem to collect much moisture. This may be due to the very small gap between the tennon and the bottom of the mortise. If it becomes a problem, I have a 100 degree countersink all ready to go.
For the inaugural smoke, I used my favorite home-brew blend of 70% Carter Hall, 20% Orlik Golden Sliced, and 10% Latakia. All went cool and dry, with minimal "new briar" taste. I ran a fluffy down the stem a couple times, but it came out barely discolored, let alone wet. The bowl stayed cool to the touch, and took two light tamps and two re-lights total.
To sum up, I am very happy with this purchase. I think it is $40 well spent. Kind of like girlfriends, you never know how it's going to turn out, but my initial impression tells me this pipe will find a regular place in my rotation.
