Walnut Pipe
With an abundance of moderation, I’ve smoked a pipe since I was a teenager. Frequency of use varies and I may pack the pipe several times in a day or not once for months.
I’ve given very little attention to aromatics, with a few exceptions for what I consider special blends. Mostly it is has been single leaf or English blends. However, there is no ambiguity about latakia and the hangover it produces for me. My English blends tend to have either no latakia or very small amounts and lots of Turkish. It’s great stuff and so is whiskey, which makes for far gentler mornings.
For many years I fought additives in my tobacco and stuck with particular brands, such as Cornell & Diehl which tend to be comparatively minimalist with additives. In some instances, this would result in tolerable but less than ecstatic smokes. So for special occasions, I keep a few tins that I suspect are less minimalist but enjoyable. Solani’s Aged Burley Flake, Rattray’s Red Rapparee and Escudo are a few examples. But why do I mention this?
I guess to convey the point that I don’t just stuff a wad of Captain Black in my plastic pipe and call myself an expert. As subjective as it all might be, I have some experience. And many will wonder why, then, am I admitting to using anything but briar for a pipe.
This pipe was crafted with skepticism and the expectation of a wretched smoke. Yet to my sincere surprise, it is one of the finer smoking pipes that I’ve had — and this includes Peterson and other well-respected pipe makers. Despite this, it is still difficult to take seriously. It’s a single piece with no bit. It’s not briar. And it’s my first pipe project.
But before investing in expensive chunks of briar only to discover my ineptitude at making pipes, I thought a scrap of walnut would suffice. And so here it is, a walnut tobacco pipe:
The stand is a scrap of monkeypod and isn’t to be taken seriously. I’ve made nicer pipe stands and this is not one of them. The piece of walnut was not typical; it had pale areas which I presume were sapwood and possibly added to the porosity thus quality of the smoke. I probably won’t make a habit of crafting pipes from dubious woods, as briar is reasonably attainable. However, if you want to take my word for it, the right piece of certain alternative woods can produce a very reasonable pipe. There is also the opportunity for practice without maiming valuable briar. If you haven’t done so yet, you may find smoking your own self-made pipe is rewarding. It is for me. I think it may be one of the few things I’ve made that won’t be gifted away, at least not for a while.
