I happened to stumble across a great looking pipe on Instagram a few weeks ago, and seeing that my birthday was coming up, contacted the pipe maker who has a shop on Etsy known as PF Pipes. The pipe maker of PF Pipes is Paul Fucello, a NY born chef working in Vermont and making pipes on the side. The pipe I had seen was a sweet little cherrywood and I contacted Paul to see if he had anymore like it, with the idea that I could give my wife a "suggestion" for a birthday present.
Well things didn't turn out as planned... I ended up commissioning a pipe for myself which you see here. My wife wasn't all that happy that I was buying birthday presents for myself but unbelievably, she iced the cake by gifting me with a Xikar Resource lighter. But that is another story... The pipe making process was a completely new experience for me and one I can't wait to embark on again. Paul was awesome with keeping me a part of the design process and keeping me abreast of my pipe's progress. Paul's suggestion of a Cumberland stem was a great idea, but the fact that he did it all by hand, without a lathe is amazing.
I love my PF Pipe. I say that even as I am breaking it in. It's already a great little smoker and I can't wait to add more Paul Fucello pipes to my collection.
