I have two briar pokers, a Parker and a La Rocca, neither a particularly impressive pipe, but good solid smokers, and both thick walled. The La Rocca caught my eye at my local independent pipe shop, but the patterned rustication looked a little corny, so I passed on it, but it kept coming to mind. When I went back a few months later, I thought if it was still there, I'd buy it. It was, so I did. It took a long time to fully break in, but it seems to improve a little every time I smoke it. It's a good deep bowl, average diameter but two inches depth. It has nice balance, and the carved rustication is distinctive. It looks better over time. The Parker is a slightly smaller pipe, shorter, but it a good clencher and nice and light for walking and smoking. It's a sandblast black.
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