Luciano Pipes – A Brief History and Review
-
Bob - Feb 13, 2011
- 6 min read
By Bob Tate
Luciano (pronounced: Lu-chee-ah-no) pipes are made in Italy and are the creation of Luca Di Piazza, owner of NeatPipes. Luca wanted to create a high quality line of pipes that would be affordable to all pipe smokers. In the beginning months of 2007, he set to work making the first pipes that would carry the Luciano name. He wanted to make sure that every pipe in the Luciano line had all of the correct engineering that makes a pipe a good smoker, but he wanted to be able to produce them in a way that keeps the cost of the pipes low and affordable. The way that he achieved this was by having each pipe Hand Finished instead of Hand Made.
The process of Hand Finishing that each Luciano pipe goes through:
• The briar block is cut into shape by a machine. This is the only time that a machine is used in the process. The rest is done by hand by pipe makers.
• Once the machine has cut the block into the specified shape for that pipe, it is then handed over to pipe makers. The pipe maker then drills the pipe by hand to ensure that the drilling is done correctly and the draft hole is properly aligned.
• After that is done, the pipe makers then finish the outside of the pipe.
• Once all of the briar work is done, they then work on the stem. The stems are bent by hand, hand finished, and are fitted to that specific pipe.
They do this so that the stem matches up perfectly and is flush with the shank of that particular pipe and to make certain that each pipe will pass a pipe cleaner from button to bowl. All of the briar that is chosen for the Luciano line is of high quality and has been seasoned for at least two years. The stems on Luciano pipes are made of high quality, pre-cut, Lucite. Each stem is custom finished to perfectly fit each individual pipe.
———-
Luciano pipes come in a variety of shapes and colors and they are continuously expanding the shape chart and the Luciano line of pipes on a constant basis. Most of the shapes that are offered are variations of classic shapes which have been modified a bit to showcase his personal style. Luciano pipes are available in Smooth, Partially Rusticated, and Sandblasted finishes.
The Smooth and Partially Rusticated finishes are available in four colors;
• Red
• Light Brown
• Dark Contrast
• Clear
The sandblasted finishes are available in three colors;
• Dark Brown
• Tan
• Natural or Virgin
Every Luciano pipe is stamped with the Luciano name, Hand Finished in Italy, and the Year that it was made. Although some of the older pipes in the line do not have a shape number stamped on them, Luca says that they are stamping the shape number on the newer production pipes.
———-
From the time of their inception, until late in 2009, Luciano pipes were only available in China where they were received and appreciated by pipe smokers as great pipes with excellent smoking characteristics and a great price point. During this time, Luca was developing and perfecting the way that he wanted the pipes to be made. He was working on the shapes, finishes, and the overall aesthetics of the pipes that would carry the Luciano name. In September of 2009, Luca was finally ready to release the Luciano line to a larger base of pipe smokers and he started releasing them in the United States, Russia, and Italy. The Luciano line made its U.S. debut at the 2009 Richmond Pipe Show.
At the 2010 Chicago Pipe Show, Luca released the next expansion of the Luciano line. They were called the Luciano Pease/di Piazza Design. Pease/di Piazza Design is the brain child of Luca Di Piazza and Greg Pease of G.L. Pease Tobacco. They collaborated and brought four new shapes to the line. These shapes are;
• Chubby Apple
• Stubby Dublin
• Chubby Poker
• Stubby Bulldog
In January of 2011, Luca once again showed his dedication to expand and continue to grow the Luciano line when he released the 2011 Luciano Pipe of the Year. The 2011 POY is a Limited Edition of 100 pieces and is a new shape to the Luciano line. The shape is called Danish Apple #54D. It comes in two finishes;
• Smooth
• Sandblasted
They are available in four colors depending on what finish the pipe has;
• Red
• Brown
• Tan
• Clear
They received a great reception from pipe smokers and at the time of this article only a few pieces of the 100 are still available. Luca assures me that this is just the beginning of the Luciano Pipe of the Year; “This is the first pipe of the year for Luciano” he says “and surely the first of a long series.”
Luciano pipes retail in the range of $70.00 – $190.00 USD. As with all pipes, the price depends on the grade of the briar, finish of the pipe, size of the pipe, etc. But even their lower priced pipes are made with the same care and attention to detail as their higher priced pipes. Luca says that he is expecting to release about 40 new shapes to the line in 2011.
—————
So far I have added three Luciano pipes to my collection. They are among my favorite pipes and I hope to add more of them to my collection. I bought my first Luciano in December of 2009 and added two more at the 2010 Chicago Pipe Show. My first Luciano was a Bent Bulldog and the two others are a Bent Rhodesian and a Pease/Di Piazza Chubby Poker. All three of them smoke great.
They all pass a pipe cleaner from button to bowl with no problems and no bending of the cleaner necessary. Even fluffy cleaners will pass. The internal engineering are perfect on all three and the stems match up perfectly with the shank. The draft hole is drilled perfectly with the hole at the bottom of the tobacco chamber and centered properly. All of them are light enough to be clenched with no discomfort. In my opinion, they are a great value for the cost of the pipe. Here are a few photos of my Luciano pipes:
|
|
|
I hope that you have enjoyed reading a little bit about the history and production of Luciano pipes. If you would like to add some Italian made pipes to your collection without spending an arm and a leg, you can’t go wrong with Luciano Pipes.
—————
Luciano Pipes are available at the following E-tailers:
Pipesandcigars.com – Luciano Pipes
SmokingPipes.com – Luciano Pipes
Luciano Pipes are also available directly from NeatPipes.com
[*All photos, with the exception of the author’s pipes, are courtesy of NeatPipes.com]
Written by Bob
Recent Posts
Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 640. Our featured interview on tonight’s show is with Ben Rapaport. Ben has been known internationally as an avid pipe smoker, antique pipe collector, and book author. His first book on pipes was published in 1972, and his latest book – his 10th – is out now in very limited quantities. The distribution has already sold out, but you can still get a copy of “The Wide World of Wood Tobacco Pipes. Two Centuries of Craftsmanship and Creativity” by contacting him directly at ben70gray@gmail.com. At the top of the show we’ll be turning the tables on our recurring Ask the Pipemaker segment. This time, Jeff Gracik will ask the questions, which Brian will answer as a pipe collector, and you can give your answers too.
Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 639. Our featured interview on tonight’s show is with Per Billhäll. Per is the owner of Scandinavian Pipes, which is an online retailer of high grade pipes. He started smoking pipes in the 1960s. His first high grade pipe was made by Hans “Former” Nielsen, who is one of the living legends from Denmark. That led to Per becoming a huge pipe and tobacco collector, and show attendee where he became well known. Along with pipe book author Jan Andersson, they started The Pipe Club of Sweden in 1991. Then in 1999, Per started “Scan Pipes”. He is now one of the pipe retailing legends from Sweden. At the top of the show Brian will talk about holiday blends, and other special pipe tobacco blends.
Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 638. Our featured interview on tonight’s show is with Fae “The Sassy Pipe Lady” Simmons. Fae is the owner of Tobacco Treasures, which sells new, vintage, & estate pipes, and smoking accessories on Etsy. She has been in business since 2017, and has been surrounded by pipes and tobacco most of her life. Her father and his brother smoked pipes, and so does Fae. Her husband is also a retired tobacconist that worked all over the industry from coast to coast for several different companies in the industry. She has a great story of how her business got started with a great inventory of unsmoked vintage pipes. At the top of the show we will have an Ask the Tobacco Blender segment with Jeremy Reeves. Jeremy is the Head Blender at Cornell & Diehl, which is one of the most popular boutique pipe tobacco companies in the USA.
Ok, so it’s that time of year, as we all know. Family feasts, houses, yards, and big trees festooned with lights and dangling ornaments, just high enough to keep the cats from reaching a paw into the greenery. It’s also the time of year when your pipe-smoking-significant other makes vast hints about a new pipe. That’s to be expected since he or she was a good boy or girl during the year. Yes, ladies smoke pipes, too. Oh, you want an example? Okay, try Actress Greta Garbo, Millicent Fenwick, Mary Frith, and my late grandmother (who died when she was 93) dipped snuff and smoked a cob occasionally. So now that we have settled that the gentler side of life will puff a pipe too, let’s move on to the upcoming biggest holiday of all. Of course, that huge event is brought to us by the hefty fellow in a red suit, puffing his pipe all the way in a sled filled with presents, being led by a reindeer with a red nose. Or some such. That’s Santa Claus, of course. Becoming a bit more serious, Christmas is such a wonderful time for families and friends. It’s also quite special for pipe puffers. For many of us, this brings up a nostalgic look back to our pipe-smoking or cigar-smoking friends who have died during the current year. A great journalist pal whom I often joined in a local brick-and-mortar pipe and cigar shop. I puffed my pipe, and occasional cigar, as he enjoyed a cigar. He died in October and will be missed. On the happier side of things, Christmas is also a time when mind workers of the world renew their collections with fresh additions. Pundit included. A French passion has overtaken Pundit, from reading more Albert Camus, a heavy cigarette smoker, as were many French intellectuals of a certain time. Instead of cigarettes many of us prefer the more relaxed enjoyment of pipes for that “calm and objective judgment” in the comings and goings of the world. This brings me to French pipes. While visiting France once in the long ago, I happened by a “Tabac” shop in Paris, Tabac Des Vosges. I purchased a beauty of a Chacom bent. I also later bought a Ropp made from ancient briar. To learn more about the dawn of briar pipes and beginnings, take a peek at a well-done piece by Davin Hylton in Pipe Line on April 12, 2023, on Saint-Claude, France, the birthplace of briar. Also in the long back when, on a cold Christmas afternoon, Pundit wandered into an Atlanta bricks and mortar pipe shop to look around. There, resting in an enclosed glass counter was an exquisite Comoy. An older gent, smoking a beautiful bent, asked me if I wanted to look at that pipe. It had a $100 price tag. A college student working for a grocery store chain to help with college tuition at the time, Pundit didn’t have one hundred cents, let alone a C note! I declined and found a $5 basket pipe. A Christmas tradition had just begun. Since that early time, Pundit has made it a holiday ritual to either reward himself, or a special friend, with pipe or tobacco. A Claudio Cavicchi would be nice. Just sayin.’ And now for a couple of December-born Pipe Smokers of the Past: Joseph Rudyard Kipling was born on Dec. 30, 1865, and died on Jan. 18, 1936. I always prefer to believe the best of everybody; it saves so much trouble—Rudyard Kipling. Martin Van Buren, born Dec. 5, 1782, and died July 24, 1862, U.S. President, 1837-1841 As to the presidency, the two happiest days of my life were those of my entrance upon the office and my surrender of it—Martin Van Buren. And one more note to recall a deceased World War II veteran who loved William Somerset Maugham, the author. Maugham, a pipe smoker, was born in Paris, France, on Jan. 25, 1874, and died on Dec. 16, 1965. One cool afternoon as the veteran and I talked while sitting in his backyard patio, he looked off into the distance as if studying something. Nothing in particular. Just looking. He turned to me and said if I wanted to learn about life, “read Somerset Maugham.” I did. It wasn’t until late in life that I discovered how easy it is to say, ‘I don’t know’ –W. Somerset Maugham And now a Parting Shot: Any day with an old friend with pipes and tobacco is a good day.
Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 637. Our featured interview on tonight’s show is with Nate King. Most people know of Nate as an excellent pipe artisan. He also has an honorary Master of Pipes degree from the Chicagoland Pipe Collectors Club, and is a member of the prestigious Confrérie des Maitres Pipiers de Saint-Claude. To be inducted into the Confrérie, this past May Nate travelled to Saint-Claude, France with master tobacco blender G.L. Pease, who was also inducted. It was quite a time in France, and at the ceremony. We’ll hear all about those adventures on the show. At the top of the show we’ll continue the virtual tour of Brian’s pipe collection with six of his Satou Dublin-shape pipes.
Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 636. Our featured interview on tonight’s show is with Barry Kane. Barry started smoking a pipe in 1961 when he was 14-years old. Back then it seemed like everybody smoked, and you could buy pipes and tobacco just about anywhere. Barry is a true old-school pipe smoker, sticking to just one blend. See if you can guess which one before listening. At the top of the show Brian will give his take on Scandinavian Tobacco Group’s purchase of Mac Baren and Sutliff Tobacco and their announcement that they will be shut down.
