This was intended to be all about my new Ascorti Business Briar, which I adore, but I couldn't help but tell the entire story of how I journeyed through all these other pipes to get there. Unfortunately I hit the 10 photo limit, so this will be my collection minus the Ascorti, with that earning its own separate post. If you're just after the Ascorti then please see the sister thread*, otherwise gather round and I shall tell you a tale.
*[Now we're talking (Ascorti KS Business)]
Mid September this year, a mere month ago, I took a trip down to Covent Garden in London town (about 45 minutes by train) after locating a pipe shop I could introduce myself to as a complete newcomer, Segar & Snuff Parlour/Mullins & Westley. I came away with two aromatic blends (Highland Blend and Anniversary Blend), both delectable to the senses, one with a bourbon whiskey aroma and the other a rich caramel.
For my first pipe, I regrettably took a half measure and purchased a Zorr #17 for £30, twice the price I've since found it on The Pipe Shop Edinburgh. For £16 I'd regret it half as much, let's say! It smoked reasonably well but its walnut build is very heavy and I've never got much flavour from it, thus souring me on the whole experiment initially. Below:
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From there, I went for a cob as widely recommended - a Cobbit Wizard Churchwarden from MySmokingShop, not so I can sit in public under a fedora and pretend to be Gandalf (truth be told I'm far too insecure to smoke in public because the attention I'd receive from the novelty of a young dreadlocked black man smoking a pipe would irritate me) but because it's a beautiful piece with a bowl deep enough to double as a flower pot. It turns that even a regular bowl smoked properly will last almost an hour but as a leaf scorching novice, I wasn't aware of this.
Still it imparted flavour for the first time when filled with a mix of Samuel Gawith's Full Virginia Flake and SG's Skiff Mixture and I managed to keep bowls lit for more than 30 seconds, which was progress. For £32, this was a far better purchase than the Zorr, even if it seldom sees use now. Below:
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From here I decided to hunt for lucky finds on eBay, discovering mostly cheap and pointless pipes, pipes too expensive for me to take a gamble with the seller, and some very nice estates that were auction only - something I learned not to play around with many years ago. The one standout I found was a 'Very Nice Unique 10 Sided Briar' at the suspiciously low price of $9.75 and with a UK shipping cost of $19.99. The seller, Judd's Pens and Pipes seemed legitimate enough and even at £23 all in, it was a great purchase. Pictures first:
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It's unlike any briar pipe I would come to own, and replace the Wizard cob as the best smoke to that point. The walls of the bowl are very thin, this being the one drawback as it can easily become hot, but it's very pleasing to the touch and is the one pipe I've taken with me for outdoor smoking during my lunch break when I find the time to cycle to a nearby field off the path of the River Lea in Ware, Southeast Hertfordshire.
Because it's so thin, the bowl has a deceptively spacious capacity and I find half filling it with Kendal RM #19 shag (rum infused) is perfect for a short after lunch smoke, the only time I ever have more than one a day.
By now I wanted to put down a bit more money for an entry level I settled on the Duncan's Briar Rustic Bent Caldbeck at £32 ($40). The first two smokes were awful, something I'd braced myself for with the whole break-in practice, but from the third onward it became my new favourite, and it would have stayed that way were it not for that pesky Ascorti—and I promise we're nearly there. Pictured below:
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And so I made it to the promised land of Etsy - like eBay, with soul. I still browse their estate pipe section even with no intent or financial capacity for purchasing because they're host to so many wonderful sellers with the kind of deals I'd been hoping to spot on eBay. I bought two pipes last payday, one being the African Countryman Meerschaum which I've posted about elsewhere; I should have done my homework on African meerschaum vs Turkish block to avoid surprise, confusion and a measure of disappointment. Now that I know what it is, it's a fine little pipe, but my meerschaum dream awaits further down the line. Here it is anyway:
View attachment 5062
Now that we've reached the end of the beginning, let's get down to Business...
Thanks for reading, you weren't in a hurry were you?
-LD
*[Now we're talking (Ascorti KS Business)]
Mid September this year, a mere month ago, I took a trip down to Covent Garden in London town (about 45 minutes by train) after locating a pipe shop I could introduce myself to as a complete newcomer, Segar & Snuff Parlour/Mullins & Westley. I came away with two aromatic blends (Highland Blend and Anniversary Blend), both delectable to the senses, one with a bourbon whiskey aroma and the other a rich caramel.
For my first pipe, I regrettably took a half measure and purchased a Zorr #17 for £30, twice the price I've since found it on The Pipe Shop Edinburgh. For £16 I'd regret it half as much, let's say! It smoked reasonably well but its walnut build is very heavy and I've never got much flavour from it, thus souring me on the whole experiment initially. Below:
View attachment 5052 View attachment 5053
From there, I went for a cob as widely recommended - a Cobbit Wizard Churchwarden from MySmokingShop, not so I can sit in public under a fedora and pretend to be Gandalf (truth be told I'm far too insecure to smoke in public because the attention I'd receive from the novelty of a young dreadlocked black man smoking a pipe would irritate me) but because it's a beautiful piece with a bowl deep enough to double as a flower pot. It turns that even a regular bowl smoked properly will last almost an hour but as a leaf scorching novice, I wasn't aware of this.
Still it imparted flavour for the first time when filled with a mix of Samuel Gawith's Full Virginia Flake and SG's Skiff Mixture and I managed to keep bowls lit for more than 30 seconds, which was progress. For £32, this was a far better purchase than the Zorr, even if it seldom sees use now. Below:
View attachment 5055View attachment 5056
From here I decided to hunt for lucky finds on eBay, discovering mostly cheap and pointless pipes, pipes too expensive for me to take a gamble with the seller, and some very nice estates that were auction only - something I learned not to play around with many years ago. The one standout I found was a 'Very Nice Unique 10 Sided Briar' at the suspiciously low price of $9.75 and with a UK shipping cost of $19.99. The seller, Judd's Pens and Pipes seemed legitimate enough and even at £23 all in, it was a great purchase. Pictures first:
View attachment 5058View attachment 5059
It's unlike any briar pipe I would come to own, and replace the Wizard cob as the best smoke to that point. The walls of the bowl are very thin, this being the one drawback as it can easily become hot, but it's very pleasing to the touch and is the one pipe I've taken with me for outdoor smoking during my lunch break when I find the time to cycle to a nearby field off the path of the River Lea in Ware, Southeast Hertfordshire.
Because it's so thin, the bowl has a deceptively spacious capacity and I find half filling it with Kendal RM #19 shag (rum infused) is perfect for a short after lunch smoke, the only time I ever have more than one a day.
By now I wanted to put down a bit more money for an entry level I settled on the Duncan's Briar Rustic Bent Caldbeck at £32 ($40). The first two smokes were awful, something I'd braced myself for with the whole break-in practice, but from the third onward it became my new favourite, and it would have stayed that way were it not for that pesky Ascorti—and I promise we're nearly there. Pictured below:
View attachment 5060View attachment 5061
And so I made it to the promised land of Etsy - like eBay, with soul. I still browse their estate pipe section even with no intent or financial capacity for purchasing because they're host to so many wonderful sellers with the kind of deals I'd been hoping to spot on eBay. I bought two pipes last payday, one being the African Countryman Meerschaum which I've posted about elsewhere; I should have done my homework on African meerschaum vs Turkish block to avoid surprise, confusion and a measure of disappointment. Now that I know what it is, it's a fine little pipe, but my meerschaum dream awaits further down the line. Here it is anyway:
View attachment 5062
Now that we've reached the end of the beginning, let's get down to Business...
Thanks for reading, you weren't in a hurry were you?
-LD
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