Dead Root Brair
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Never heard of Dunhill using this, but Julius Vesz purports to make every pipe from dead root briar. Most experts say that the phrase "dead root briar" is simple marketing ploy that is used to sell pipes. I don't know if Vesz is still alive, but he'd be at least 90 years old. He makes/made marvelous pipes. Lives in the Toronto area.
I once tried smoking a pipe made from live briar but the roots, soil, leaves and bird shit got in the way.
Dead briar is marketing magic.
Dead briar is marketing magic.
I don't know why anyone would think otherwise. The name is just not very good.
Ever look up the name origin of Dunhill? I've often heard it used in conjunction with not having a paddle.
So ... not dottle !Ever look up the name origin of Dunhill? I've often heard it used in conjunction with not having a paddle.
I'm no botanist, but the name does not sound probable to me. The root of a plant is alive as the rest of the plant until the plant dies for some reason, when the whole thing gets gnawed away by fungus, viruses, bacteria and bugs of various kinds. So I don't believe actual dead root material would be solid or workable. I think it could mean simply root material.
The videos I've seen of briar harvesting dealt with live briar plants and neither the limbs and leaves nor the roots appeared to be dead. The wood that is massive enough to harvest is the roots, but they are not dead. Okay. Tell me how I'm wrong. As I said, I'm no botanist, but there is logic here I don't understand.
The videos I've seen of briar harvesting dealt with live briar plants and neither the limbs and leaves nor the roots appeared to be dead. The wood that is massive enough to harvest is the roots, but they are not dead. Okay. Tell me how I'm wrong. As I said, I'm no botanist, but there is logic here I don't understand.
Once harvested and turned into blocks for carving and aged for years, very dead. The name is ridiculous as it's over implying the obvious.
Perhaps it simply means root that was harvested from a dead plant versus a plant that was living at the time of harvest?
Still, it's not the most clever name. Like saying a package of ground beef being called killed cow.
Dead root was supposedly cut from briar burls that had been harvested as whole plants or found already dead and therefor allowed to “cure” as an uncut burl. They were allegedly cured at the time of cutting therefore negating the need for further curing after cutting. 
As far as I know, Dunhill calls DR any bowl that, due to the quality of the Grain at the end, is superior to a RB. It has nothing to do with the origin of the wood. If the grain is even and abundant, it is called Root Briar and receives a very slight tint, but if it is also straight grain or Bird's eyes, they mark it as Death Root and sell it at a higher price.
You must hand it to Dunhill.
Dunhill, Kaywoodie, and Lee battled to make the finest briar pipes in the world and Dunhill was the last one left standing.
A very old, large, dead briar burl might have been sold to any of the three big contenders for the world’s best pipe, but only Dunhill advertised about it.
Dunhill, Kaywoodie, and Lee battled to make the finest briar pipes in the world and Dunhill was the last one left standing.
A very old, large, dead briar burl might have been sold to any of the three big contenders for the world’s best pipe, but only Dunhill advertised about it.
The DR stamping corresponds to a straight grain .
Rest is a marketing plot and it worked .
Nevertheless I cherish a very nice 1953 DRR h graded two pipes set in original case .
Rest is a marketing plot and it worked .
Nevertheless I cherish a very nice 1953 DRR h graded two pipes set in original case .
Dunhill certainly won the marketing battle, although a number of pipes that sell for half the price are their equals, in my opinion. Kaywoodie, though it lost the profit and product production battle is still around, almost a one-man operation, with a little help from his friends, but arguably still makes an excellent smoking pipe. The fact that it costs about the same as a Dr. Grabow doesn't mean that either brand is shoddy. They aren't. I have several Kawyoodie that give as good a smoke as some of my up-market pipes.
The mystique and brand recognition of Dunhill/White Spot pipes is admirable and hard won, but not strictly a measure of the quality of the pipes. They have won the battle of the pipe smoking public imagination that allows them to collect eight hundred dollars for a medium size pipe of good quality, about twice what other comparable quality pipes command.
The mystique and brand recognition of Dunhill/White Spot pipes is admirable and hard won, but not strictly a measure of the quality of the pipes. They have won the battle of the pipe smoking public imagination that allows them to collect eight hundred dollars for a medium size pipe of good quality, about twice what other comparable quality pipes command.
Not wishing to deviate from the topic ; but I just posted mail to Castellopipes to ask clarification regarding their LOB briars. I feel determined to find out about the truth