REVIEW: H&H Signature Dark Billiard 56

The Dark Chub Billiard 56 is part of the new line of Hearth & Home’s Signature pipes commemorating H&H’s ten years of producing quality pipe tobaccos. Pipes & Cigars says this line is limited in quantity, but it’s unclear if the Signature Pipes will remain a staple of H&H, or if they will only produce these pipes for a limited time. Whatever, these are pipes you might want to check out.



When I opened the box holding my new Signature billard, I released an unpublishable expletive--I knew from the specs this was going to be a large pipe, but seeing numbers as opposed to viewing the actual pipe are two different things. The billiard is truly huge, bigger than any billiard I’ve ever seen or owned, and most of my collection is made up of billiards. Here are the specs:

H&H SIGNATURE DARK CHUB BILLIARD 56

Bowl Material:Briar

Bowl Shape:Billiard

Stem Shape:Straight

Bowl Finish:Sandblast

Color:Brown

Origin:United States

Filter:None

Condition Type:New

Stem Material:Acrylic

Pipe Length:6.5"

Bowl Inner Dia.:0.8"

Bowl Outer Dia.:1.7"

Bowl Height:2.0"

Bowl Depth:1.8"

Artisan:No

Pipe Weight:2.7 oz
And a comparison photo to offer you a sense of scale of length and bowl, next to a Peterson Irish Harp 107, a fairly formidable billiard in its own right.



The bowl is deep and wide enough that I could easily fit my thumb up to the joint into the chamber. Yet the pipe seems light despite the specs; I think this is because the weight is distributed throughout the body of the pipe. The shank is longer than usual the average straight billiard, and the tip itself is unusually thick with no fishtale streamlining. Where the black acrylic stem meets the shank, the stem is a little bulbous, an unusual design feature I’ve never seen: it rises slightly higher than the end of the shank before slopping down to the button. With this kind of weight distribution, the pipe becomes easy to clench, at least for a short while, without pulling your jaw down. The shank and stem separate easily, with a substantial and long tenon that is easy to remove with a screwing motion. One caveat: this is a pipe for an experienced smoker, not for a smoker new to the hobby.

I find this a different, attractive billiard pipe, unlike anything I’ve ever seen or owned. With a long shank, exquisite sandblasting and pronounced grain with a reddish-brown stain, and attention to nomenclature, this pipe is a showstopper. The stylized gold ”&” on the side of the stem becomes a curving “S” and the “Hearth & Home” logo is clearly stamped on the underside of the stem in a rectangle along with the model number. The stem insignia rather looks like a musical note. The sandblasting on the rim continues up and over the rim, then stops and the remainder of the rim is polished and stained. Not a petite pipe, but one that shouts masculine.

So much for the aesthetics. But the proof of the pudding is how well does it smoke? I’m very happy to say that this is one of the best smoking pipes I’ve ever tried, and I attribute that to the unusual (for a billiard) size. For the virgin smoke I loaded the bowl tightly with Molto Dolce, thinking that a moist, “thick” tobacco that often blocks the draught hole would be a good test for this mammoth. The hole and airway remained clear, and took the charing light like a champ. A little tampering and the true light ignited a huge plume of aromatic smoke. The hold of the pipe was superb, a comfortable delight to hold because of the huge rounded heel, and maybe required one relight during the first hour of smoking. Doubtless another person with a different style of smoking could get more than a hour’s worth of smoking with this pipe. And it passes a pipe cleaner with ease.

Breaking this pipe in is going to take a while, I suspect, but once it builds up some cake to soften the smoke and extract more flavor, it’s going to be a truly singular billiard.

I can wholeheartedly recommend this pipe, one that will be ideal for long, thoughtful smokes and I imagine the other pipes in the Signature series are just as well constructed. Because this is a limited series, you may want to rush to get one before they sell out, because, as I said earlier, they may not be available later. At about $117, this is a reasonable priced keeper. Now having made a remarkable series of pipes, I hope H&H continue their endeavors in pipe making to accompany their excellent tobaccos.

I've never looked at Kaywoodie before, but I'll have to do so now.

I too am very pleased to see that this is an American product. In the past I only looked at British, Irish, or Italian pipes, but clearly American pipes can hold their own against European pipes.

ss, I see the resemblance between the KW and the Signature Rhodesian. Almost makes me want to rush and buy the Rhodician, but I invariably have bad luck when I try a pipe that isn't a freehand or a billiard.

Afterword: Well, the Signature billiard is well on it's way to building up some cake, and as I hoped, it's turning out to be an exceptional smoker. Just a grand pipe. I hope others take a look at this line.