Title edited for brevity. Full original:
A Brief Review Vauen's Auenland, "The Shire" - Almar Smooth 9mm Filter Pipe
Firstly, let me apologise for the photo quality - I've recently lent my camera out to a friend of mine so have put trust in the faithful iPhone lens to try and do this pipe justice, but I've put a few of the better ones at the end of this little review.
I was deliberating for a good while over buying this pipe - it wasn't cheap by any means and I was weighing up a few options, such as a new Savinelli, for around the same price - even though I am very much a Tolkien fan and this was the driving factor in purchasing, I thought it might be more of a funny talking piece than an excellent smoking experience; I'm very happy to say that this isn't the case.
I've purchased a Vauen before - my first pipe was an entry level briar, and I was seriously impressed with the quality of that, so my expectations were quite high considering the price difference between the two.
In regards to material: the bowl is briar, the stem is beech, with an acrylic mouthpiece. This pipe takes 9mm filters - I use filters when I smoke and the fact that 90% of my pipes are 9mm makes this very easy.
Here's the measurements from the site if you're interested:
Length: 351mm
Height: 63mm
Chamber Diameter: 20mm
Chamber Depth: 30mm
Weight: 86g
Now, I was not expecting the box and pouch to be of such good quality - it really does add to the whole experience and the pipe pouch is extremely handy when I take this out and about on hikes etc. It's a great first impression, so hats off to Vauen for thinking of the wider experience when designing this.
The pipe itself is a thing of absolute beauty and is evidence of some really impressive craftsmanship. The darker and deeper browns of the bowl, the mottled complexion of the stem and the honeyed amber of the mouthpiece combine to make this piece really striking in its colours and the way it catches the light.
It feels great quality to the touch, sturdy and elegant.
Of course, all of this doesn't matter if it doesn't smoke well, but this is by far my favourite pipe to smoke - it just feels easy to enjoy and provides a relaxing smoking experience, not to mention something to admire whilst you're smoking.
Overall, I'm bloody impressed, and I'd recommend it to anyone, Tolkien fan or not!
Some photos:
A Brief Review Vauen's Auenland, "The Shire" - Almar Smooth 9mm Filter Pipe
Firstly, let me apologise for the photo quality - I've recently lent my camera out to a friend of mine so have put trust in the faithful iPhone lens to try and do this pipe justice, but I've put a few of the better ones at the end of this little review.
I was deliberating for a good while over buying this pipe - it wasn't cheap by any means and I was weighing up a few options, such as a new Savinelli, for around the same price - even though I am very much a Tolkien fan and this was the driving factor in purchasing, I thought it might be more of a funny talking piece than an excellent smoking experience; I'm very happy to say that this isn't the case.
I've purchased a Vauen before - my first pipe was an entry level briar, and I was seriously impressed with the quality of that, so my expectations were quite high considering the price difference between the two.
In regards to material: the bowl is briar, the stem is beech, with an acrylic mouthpiece. This pipe takes 9mm filters - I use filters when I smoke and the fact that 90% of my pipes are 9mm makes this very easy.
Here's the measurements from the site if you're interested:
Length: 351mm
Height: 63mm
Chamber Diameter: 20mm
Chamber Depth: 30mm
Weight: 86g
Now, I was not expecting the box and pouch to be of such good quality - it really does add to the whole experience and the pipe pouch is extremely handy when I take this out and about on hikes etc. It's a great first impression, so hats off to Vauen for thinking of the wider experience when designing this.
The pipe itself is a thing of absolute beauty and is evidence of some really impressive craftsmanship. The darker and deeper browns of the bowl, the mottled complexion of the stem and the honeyed amber of the mouthpiece combine to make this piece really striking in its colours and the way it catches the light.
It feels great quality to the touch, sturdy and elegant.
Of course, all of this doesn't matter if it doesn't smoke well, but this is by far my favourite pipe to smoke - it just feels easy to enjoy and provides a relaxing smoking experience, not to mention something to admire whilst you're smoking.
Overall, I'm bloody impressed, and I'd recommend it to anyone, Tolkien fan or not!
Some photos:
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