The best decades?

[LEP7cv]

Wondering, can't we be more "sure" that the pipes we buy from a specific decade(s) are of better briar quality? More specifically when we're talking french, english and italian pipes?

I know I've read some posts here mentioning some aspects of this, but decided to see if is there«s a more concise anwser, if there is...

 

[Chasing Embers]

Wondering, can't we be more "sure" that the pipes we buy from a specific decade(s) are of better briar quality?

Unless you could pull them from out of time and try them all at an equal age it's more brand and time period bias than fact.

 

[sablebrush52]

Too many factors, starting with an expert knowledge of Briar wood and it's processing. Maybe 99% of what gets written about pipes is personal opinion, including what eras were good, what pipes are good, what tobaccos are good, etc.

 

[bullet08]

I would be more concerned with how the pipe was made than what decade the briar was harvested.

 

[anotherbob]

One thing I have noticed is the bottom end of quality doesn't go as low as it used to go. I imagine the lows might have been way low during the earliest briar pipe period while things got figured out.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Some people :::cough cough Briar Lee cough cough::: make a lot of claims about briar quality, especially concerning the cheap bottom drawer pipes. Bless his heart, I wouldn't put too much stock in all of that ruminating. He is marketing to us the cheapest pipes ever made.

 

[RustiePyles CPG]

Your not asking the right questions. You should be asking what are the eras to avoid... There have been some low points.

 

[LEP7cv]

Yeah, at the end of the day it comes to the individual pipe first, and then comes the rest ....

 

[LEP7cv]

This kinda rose to my mind because of the "algerian briar" that some seem to put it in such a high place...

 

[Chasing Embers]

This kinda rose to my mind because of the "algerian briar" that some seem to put it in such a high place...

It's really no better than any other source.

 

[VDL_Piper]

Yes and then you have the likes of Mr Castello who likes to buy his briar blocks and leave them sit on the shelf for 20 years or so before he carves them, this alone must influence pipe quality outcomes.

 

[sablebrush52]

This kinda rose to my mind because of the "algerian briar" that some seem to put it in such a high place...

It is different from briar from other regions in that it's softer, so it's easier to get gnarly sandblasts. Most of the allure of Algerian briar has to do with the fascination for "Orientalism" that grew partly out of the Arts and Crafts movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and was turned into a very powerful marketing tool.

Certainly Brit pipe makers like Dunhill, Barling, and Comoy thought highly of it, with both Barling and Comoy setting up their own harvesting and processing operations in Algeria.

Still, many preferred Grecian, Sardinian, Calabrian, and other sources. But to the public, Algerian was associated with Romance, so it got the marketing push.

 

[LEP7cv]

It is different from briar from other regions in that it's softer, so it's easier to get gnarly sandblasts. Most of the allure of Algerian briar has to do with the fascination for "Orientalism" that grew partly out of the Arts and Crafts movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and was turned into a very powerful marketing tool.

Certainly Brit pipe makers like Dunhill, Barling, and Comoy thought highly of it, with both Barling and Comoy setting up their own harvesting and processing operations in Algeria.

Still, many preferred Grecian, Sardinian, Calabrian, and other sources. But to the public, Algerian was associated with Romance, so it got the marketing push.

ah, interesting

 

[fireground_piper]

Your not asking the right questions. You should be asking what are the eras to avoid... There have been some low points.

Brylon.

 

[RustiePyles CPG]

Brylon.

Precisely... And Pyrolytic graphite.

 

[warren]

Wondering, can't we be more "sure" that the pipes we buy from a specific decade(s) are of better briar quality? More specifically when we're talking french, english and italian pipes?

You are dealing with a natural medium variously manipulated by people and machines to reach a wide audience. An audience/customer base with widely varying opinions about what makes a good/great pipe. For some it's about brand, others put a lotta weight on the carver or, the basic shape. Others simply want a great smoking pipe.

It's all about "different strokes" so, why in the world would you expect a simple answer to a multifaceted, personal experience, buying and smoking a pipe.

 

[LEP7cv]

ye..
I guess it's just the "find the treasure" in me that keeps poping up :D

 

[Briarcutter]

I have a friend that talked to Carlo Scotti and Carlo said it doesn't matter where the briar comes from, what matters is what you do to it.

 

[tobakenist]

1812

 

[Searock Fan]

I don't know what decade made the best pipes... if any. In my 60 years pipe smoking I had good and bad from all eras. What comes to mind is the briar. It stands to reason that years ago it was easier to find quality briar than today. The easy pickins were scooped up a long time ago, so now the harvesters have to work harder to get the good stuff. Great briar is still out there but we all have to pay more for it.