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Andrey Kharitonov is, to my eye, one of the most innovative artisans in pipe-making today. Born in 1961 in the former Soviet Union, Kharitonov’s work has been inspired by a number of his compatriots in the artisan scene, such as Victor Yashtylov, Misha Revyagin, and Alexey Kharmalov. Like the latter, Kharitonov frequently experiments with novel…
A graduate of Italy’s prestigious Academia della Pipa, Michele Sottocasa has been making pipes for over a decade under the la Biota name. Prior to becoming a pipe-maker, Sottocasa trained and worked as a designer and art director, and la Biota pipes continue this drive towards a distinct aesthetic vision. The name, ‘la Biota,’ originally…
Like many Italian workshop brands, Ardor pipes are a family affair. The name itself is an acronym of Angelo Rovera and Dorelio Rovera, father and son pipe-makers who created the brand in 1972. The Rovera family’s history with pipes goes back much further, however, as Angelo’s own father, Francesco, had previously established the Sociedade Rovera…
Andrey Kharitonov is, to my eye, one of the most innovative artisans in pipe-making today. Born in 1961 in the former Soviet Union, Kharitonov’s work has been inspired by a number of his compatriots in the artisan scene, such as Victor Yashtylov, Misha Revyagin, and Alexey Kharmalov. Like the latter, Kharitonov frequently experiments with novel…
I’ve been wondering when we might get one of Mike’s pipes through our estates trade-in program. He’s been making pipes for about 10 years now, but his production remains fairly limited the pipes he does make are pretty hard to get your hands on—and in my line of work, pretty hard to get people to…
At MBSD we sell a lot of high-grade, high-quality pipes from various iconic makes, but the pipes we’re most proud of are our meerschaums. Right from the beginning, we wanted to offer the best smoking meers on the market, and to do this, we had them made with two distinct features. First, we made sure…
Born and raised in the small town of Gueydan, Louisana, Jay Mouton is an American artisan who works under the moniker of J. Mouton. Having crafted duck calls since he was a teenager, Mouton’s first forays into pipe-making began with carving tampers. Mouton’s unexpected successes with these handmade tampers allowed him to purchase the equipment…
Few pipe-makers can claim such a meteoric rise as David S. Huber. While Huber only began making pipes in 2010, doing so as a hobbyist while working as a freelance designer, it would not be long before demand for DSH pipes allowed him to commit to making them full time. Huber’s avant-garde approach to shaping…
Michael Parks is an artisan pipe-maker from Canada. Parks is renowned for his high-grade pipes, as well as for his ability to create traditional and modern shapes, as well as sculptural pieces that further blend the line between smoking instruments and fine art. When this particular Michael Parks pipe landed on my desk, I wasn’t…
While artisan pipe-making has historically been associated with North America, Europe, and Japan, talented carvers from more and more countries are being brought to the fore thanks to social media. One of these countries is Indonesia, and one of these carvers is Sandi Yuda. One of the perks of being a pipe-maker living in the…
For a long time, it was very difficult being a high-grade, artisan pipe-maker from China, as Sam Cui is. China is, after all, a world leader in manufacturing for most consumer goods, but questions as to the quality of these goods have a tendency to spill over onto small-scale ventures, including artisan pipe-making. However, as…
Steve Liskey is an American artisan from California’s San Bernadino County. Having originally studied pipe-making under Jeff ‘J. Alan’ Gracik and Todd Johnson, Liskey achieved renown in the modern American high-grade scene thanks to his artistic inclinations in pipe design, as well as his skillful blending of American, Danish, and Japanese traditions. As I’ve said…
Ichi Kitahara is a Japanese pipe-maker, but he’s also something of a renaissance man. He is classically trained in fine art; he has spent time as a high-end jeweler and silversmith; he has also worked as an Itame, the Japanese name for a particularly skilled sushi chef; and last, but not least, he is an artisan…
Muscovite artisan Andrey Kharitonov has, from his 20th birthday onward, never been without a pipe. Born in the former Soviet Union, Kharitonov’s first pipe was a gift, carved from cherry wood by his brother; years later, after happening upon a store in his home city that sold Italian Manno briar, he decided that he would…
Chacom is one of France’s most historic and iconic makes. Its founders, the Comoy family, began their career as boxwood pipe-makers in the early 1800s, before briar had even been discovered, with Henri Comoy (of Comoy’s fame) emigrating to England in 1879 and founding the country’s first briar pipe factory. In 1922, Henri and his…
Jared Coles is a North American pipe-maker based in California. Coles is one of the undisputed masters of the contemporary American artisan scene, but that shouldn’t be surprising given the teachers he’s had. A pipe smoker since an early age, Coles discovered high-grade pipes while studying at college and took up pipe-making himself in 2008….
J&J Pipes were made for a short time in the 2010s, by Californian (USA) artisan pipe-makers John Klose and Jared Coles. Tutored by the legendary Jeff Gracik of J. Alan Pipes, Klose and Coles collaborated to make J&J Pipes before each going their separate ways in 2015. Influenced by Danish, Japanese, and English pipe-making traditions,…
Our introduction to Tim Beaumont, better known in the pipe community as PapaBearPipes, occurred during a podcast interview last year. Upon visiting his website to explore his craftsmanship, I was promptly captivated by his distinctive vision as a pipe artisan. In a hobby where establishing one’s unique identity can be challenging, Tim managed to stand…
Our introduction to Tim Beaumont, better known in the pipe community as PapaBearPipes, occurred during a podcast interview last year. Upon visiting his website to explore his craftsmanship, I was promptly captivated by his distinctive vision as a pipe artisan. In a hobby where establishing one’s unique identity can be challenging, Tim managed to stand…
We appreciate the impact of your feedback, and we are thrilled to introduce the MBSD Meerschaum Deluxe, the pinnacle of premium meerschaum pipes you’ve been eagerly anticipating. Our primary objectives for these pipes were threefold: to redefine the fittings commonly found in modern meerschaum pipes, to offer larger bowls, and to incorporate both filtered and…
We appreciate the impact of your feedback, and we are thrilled to introduce the MBSD Meerschaum Deluxe, the pinnacle of premium meerschaum pipes you’ve been eagerly anticipating. Our primary objectives for these pipes were threefold: to redefine the fittings commonly found in modern meerschaum pipes, to offer larger bowls, and to incorporate both filtered and…
