EWA Pipes, An Anecdote

[mso489]

EWA pipes, sold by Iwan Ries, and made in St. Claude, the home church of the briar pipe, are smaller pipes, around Group 2, in short churchwardens as well as an array of other configurations, and sold at excellent prices for quality French pipes, many under or just over forty bucks. I've promoted these for years on Forums, but have had no takers as far as I know. Great little pipes, and everyone should have a few small pipes for full-length smokes with flake/plug/coin/rope, for sampling, and extra strong blends in small doses, etc. Years ago, I ordered a green stained churchwarden, about 7" long, and it's been a sturdy good smoker. I was surprised to notice, some months after it arrived, that is is stamped EWA Lady's; I'd never encountered a pipe stamped specifically for the female pipe smoker, and so far I have detected no difference in smoking it. If the stamping would be an annoyance to guys, I think most of their pipes are not gender designated, but this one don't bother me none. Likewise, some women might like the stamping, and others might be offended, as "lady" is heard as a prejudicial term by some. Right now I'm finishing a bowl of C&D Dreams of Kadath in mine.

 

[crashthegrey]

Like those "reject" pipes, there is no need to label your audience. :wink:

 

[craiginthecorn]

Dunhill made some. Here's one on pipephil.eu.

And there was tobacco, too.

 

[olkofri]

Ah, EWA. I remember seeing their pipes in a European online pipe shop that's now gone missing. I remember seeing 'Ladies Pipes' as one of their categories, and that pipe you describe MSO was there, along with many other ones all of which were small. I get the impression that in Europe they still harbour the notion of items for women being more stylised and petite than those for men, a notion with which I wholeheartedly agree. Remember cigars were men's and cigarellos ladies'?

 

[mso489]

As an amateur "student" of marketing, in this day and time, I'd advise pipe makers to make a wide array of sizes, designs, and colors of pipes, and let the gambit of humanity select whatever speaks to them individually. Small pipes certainly have good use for the traditionally male smoker, so labeling them gender-specific seems like a misstep. If a guy has the cash, he ought to feel like the pipe is all his.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

When I take my wife, who is very girly girly, out to the local cigar bar, which she has just recently agreed to go with me... she adamantly avoids flavored cigars... and, if she hears some guy asking about a "minty cigar" or "vanilla flavored..." she laughs and points with all of the other girls at the lounge, "the guy is a pussy" or he wants a "woman's cigar."
I think when women want to do things along with the boys, they don't want to be patronized. My wife wants the "good" cigars, the good pipes, not the shit they sell to the girlies that don't know any better.
The poor guys who get taunted for asking for a vanilla cigar, ha ha... poor saps... they probably now have to go to other cities to find dates. ::

But, as my wife would say, "what sort of man asks for a vanilla cigar in the first place." But, of course, me... the voice of reason... "don't be so judgmental, baby... maybe he is just aromatic-curious." ::

 

[mikethompson]

Tom, are these the Ewa pipes you're talking about?
link

 

[mso489]

mike, I've been trying to figure out if the brand is rendered in all upper case or upper and lower case. In the IR catalog, it's all upper, and the stamping is all upper, but yes, I think Ewa and EWA denote the same brand.

 

[mikethompson]

Tom some of those pipes look very nice, a few of the ones I like are sold out so you aren't their only customer.