BST (Todd Bannard) Rusticated Lovat Handmade Briar Pipe, New

Description

To call Canada’s Todd Bannard, the artisan behind Briar, Sweat and Tears (BST) pipes, a “cult favorite” would be a profound understatement. Like his fellow countrymen Michael Parks and Julius Vesz, Bannard’s work has demonstrated that, though Canada may have far fewer pipe-makers than its neighbors in the US, Canadian handmades truly are a matter of quality over quantity. Similarly to Parks especially, BST pipes are very difficult to get hold of, as they are snapped up as soon as—and, indeed, often long before—they are available for purchase.

As I mentioned in the listing for the other BST I put out today, Todd Bannard’s specialty is designs in the Anglo-French tradition, which are both generally faithful renditions and also a cut above their forebears in terms of craftsmanship—a benefit, in part, of being entirely handmade. On the other hand, the rusticated finish on this one is unlike just about anything I’ve seen in either factory, workshop, or artisan pipes, and is so in the best of ways. With a texture closer to snakeskin leather than its nearest analogs in the Italian tradition, it is nothing short of meticulous in its application, which pays off here in spades. I must make a note to ask Bannard how he does it—if he’ll tell me, that is. The rustication is further accentuated by a subtle contain stain, with the overall design completed by an extra dash of color provided by the pipe’s tan swirl ebonite and boxwood accents, and its matching ebonite stem.

 

Details:

Length: 5.6″ / 142.2mm

Bowl Width: 0.83 / 21.08mm

Bowl Depth: 1.61″ / 40.89mm

Weight: 1.4oz / 42g