Sad. I have a BC Jumbo Rustic billiard made in France that I have dedicated to VaPers and it's a great smoker.
Butz-Choquin Gone? Guess I Missed It.
- Thread starter trouttimes
- Start date
SmokingPipes.com Updates
Watch for Updates Twice a Week
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
Site Sponsors
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
- Status
If they are closing that is sad news, if only for the history in St. Claude. Are there any manufacturers there now?
I can't help but place a lot of the blame on the recent rash of hoarding of pipe tobaccos fueled by fear of the FDA. I know that I have only bought three new pipes in the last few years, and they were artisan customs. I imagine guys aren't dropping as much on the mid range pipe market.
Great observation! Personally, I have been enjoying my TAD affliction for that very reason and haven't purchased a pipe in many years (PAD in remission apparently).
Another thread reported the rumor that Brebbia and Big Ben were closing, and now this seemingly confirmed closing of BC. I have two excellent examples of BC pipes, like most French pipes so well made and observant of traditional design without being stogy. If all this is true, then the message is pipes don't sell, or not in a quantity to sustain the the factory pipe industry. I'm not sure how I feel about being an anachronism. What will sell, in what numbers at what price? Those are the key immutable questions. Once the U.S. deeming regulations kick in, the pipe and pipe tobacco businesses will take another major hit, and we'll see what we have after the dust settles. Maybe a hobby for the few and well-off, like teams of horses and various coaches and wagons at horse shows. BC was always a fine pipe at a working person's price in the grand old French tradition.
- Status