Moretti Morta

peckinpahhombre · Feb 11, 2013

I recently purchased a Becker strawberry wood poker and am loving it. One thing I have never tried, however, is a Morta pipe. recently, I came across a mortal pipe made by Moretti. Marco Biagini at Moretti calls it a freehand, but it looked like more of a zulu/cutty shape to me, and as some of you know, I love that shape, so I decided to take the plunge. I realize it won't be to everyone's taste, but thought I would share it with you. The pipe came today and I am breaking it in with SJF. It is perfectly drilled and has just the right bowl dimensions for flakes.

peckinpahhombre · Feb 11, 2013

Very interesting Roth. What was his rationale? I have heard Mortas can smoke hotter, since they conduct the heat better than briar (but aren't as susceptible to burnout). Maybe that's the rationale. I can tell you so far the pipe does get an little warmer than a briar, but what is also odd is that when you slow down your puffing it actually cools much more quickly than a briar.

uberam3rica · Feb 11, 2013

I like the grain on that. Not something I can usually say of a morta.

thesmokindragon · Feb 12, 2013

This site is a very good read, talks about black, copper and gold

morta...
http://davorinmortapipes.wordpress.com/
BTW; outstanding choice, love the look...been keeping my looking

for a morta for some time now

papipeguy · Feb 12, 2013

Cool looking pipe. Good luck with it.

bentmike · Feb 12, 2013

Great looking pipe. I love the gentle curve of the stem and the forward cant of the bowl. Congrats and enjoy!

shaintiques · Feb 12, 2013

Very nice. i am interested in a morta. How does it smoke? How hot does it get compared to briar?

peckinpahhombre · Feb 12, 2013

I can report that the pipe does get warmer than briar but when you slow down puffing it gets cool really fast. Not what I am used to with briar. So far I like it. I did some more research and some find that black morta imparts a smoky taste - which is why some say it is better with english blends or vapers (as opposed to straight VAs or aromatics). I have been smoking escudo in it (and previously, SJF) and I don't detect anything unusual so far. One of the benefits of black morta is that you can smoke it hard and repeatedly, much like a meer - it just doesn't pick up moisture like a briar. I travel quite a bit so I plan to take this as one of my two travel pipes, since I can smoke it without worrying about resting it like I would with a briar. So far I really like it. This is my second Moretti and both smoke wonderfully - perfectly drilled with the draft hole dead center and at the bottom of the bowl.

peckinpahhombre · Feb 12, 2013

i just smoked a bowl of escudo that was a one light affair (after the char light), right down to a fine white ash. When I emptied the bowl, I noticed something. Because of the shape of this pipe, the draft hole actually looks like it comes up into the bowl from the bottom of the bowl, dead centre (you can see from the side profile pic why this would be so). In most conventional shaped pipes, the draft hole comes into the bowl from the side, and if it is a well constructed pipe, it will come into the bowl at the lowest point of the bowl. That made me wonder whether you get a better smoke in a pipe where the draft hole comes into the bowl from underneath the bowl into the centre. I don't know. All I can tell you is that this pipe seems to smoke as good as my best Rad pipes (and, dare I say it, maybe even a little better - but I will reserve on that judgment until I smoke a lot more bowls in this thing), and I don't think I have ever noticed that draft hole design in a pipe before. Thoughts? I am on my third bowl and not even a remote sign of any gurgle and no relights.

cigrmaster · Feb 14, 2013

I love the look of that pipe, it is totally cool. I too have been wondering about morta pipe and when Trevor made his exclamation about how he thinks they smoke Virginia's, I have kind of stayed away. I am glad to hear you are loving yours Peck and that is smokes Vapers extremely well. I think it may be time to revisit a morta again. I really like the looks of many of them and I like their uniqueness. 10,000 year old wood just sounds cool. Keep us updated as too your thinking it may smoke even better than your Rad's as that would be one hell of an endorsement.

hodirty · Feb 14, 2013

You sir, have a lovely pipe.

peckinpahhombre · Feb 14, 2013

Roth, this Moretti was $150. I thought that was a really good price. I can tell you it is a mean VAPER smoking machine. Just my two cents. I have pipes I criticize (don't even ask me about my Nording), but this ain't one of them. Just my 2 cents though.

tbradsim1 · Feb 14, 2013

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My Becker does not get hot and draw hole is in the traditional place, maybe different makers do it different, Moretti is a favorite of mine I have 3 of his pipes and they were excellent smokers from the first puff. The old cajun

tbradsim1 · Feb 14, 2013

Peck that was a steal, glad that you like it , they smoke really dry , by the way your pipe is an exquisite shape love it. The old cajun

gwtwdbss · Feb 14, 2013

Very nice Morta's Peck and Bradley! :clap:

peckinpahhombre · Feb 14, 2013

Wow, love that Becker. I have an Askwith Morta in the works, otherwise I would hunt for a becker like that.

peckinpahhombre · Feb 23, 2013

Just an update on this morta pipe. I finally tried smoking it with a straight VA - dunhill flake to be precise. There were a few times that I did notice a distinct "smokey" taste that I have never tasted with this blend before. I can only assume that this is from the morta. Now, I did not find it unpleasant, and it was only there a few times, but I did detect it. I can see why people say that a morta pipe is best devoted to VAPERs or English blends. Query whether this smoky taste will go away as the pipe becomes worked in more.

cigrmaster · Feb 23, 2013

peck, interesting you got those flavors. Will you try to smoke through it with multiple bowls of VAA or do you think it it best just to leave it as a Vaper pipe? It is a damn good looking pipe and one hell of a price.

peckinpahhombre · Feb 23, 2013

Previous to this, I had only smoked escudo and SJF in it. The perique in those blends I think made the morta taste unnoticeable (at least to my taste). I have only had about 7 bowls in it so far. I plan to try a straight VA in it again, but probably not until I've put another 10 or 15 bowls through her. To me this is a bit of an experiment.
What I absolutely love about the pipe is that no moisture seemingly permeates the morta, and it therefore seems dry as bone right after you finish a smoke in it. I can see why people say you can smoke these things hard. We are leaving on a cruise to the carribean in a little over a week, and I plan to take only two pipes, of which this will be one. I think I can get away with having just two pipes with me given the characteristics of the morta described above. What I don't know is whether that mild smokey taste that I detect once every while will subside over time. If anyone has experience with a morta, I'd appreciate your thoughts.
Interestingly, I also have a strawberry wood becker poker, and that thing doesn't impart any incremental taste. However, it does appear that it is more like briar in that it does have to be rested for a day or two to dry out after a smoke.

peckinpahhombre · Feb 23, 2013

That's a great point Roth. I don't have any clue where Moretti gets his Morta from, though I suspect it's not Lake Michigan.

Moretti Morta

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