Doctor’s Pipes Flash Grade Smooth Dublin Estate Briar Pipe, Other Estates

Description

Doctor’s Pipes are made by artisan pipe-maker Roman Kovalev. Based in Saint Petersburg, Kovalev’s pipe-making moniker derives from his sixteen years spent as a pediatric neurologist, and the consequent nickname of ‘Doc’ given by his friends. Taking up pipe-making in the early 2010s, and with a great deal of inspiration from Japanese masters such as Hiroyuki Tokutomi, Kovalev’s career underwent a meteoric rise that most artisans can only dream of. As one might expect from their maker’s background, Doctor’s Pipes are truly precision instruments; they are also highly inventive, however, with one of Kovalev’s innovations being the sandblasting machine that he designed and built as tailored to his own personal specifications.

While Roman “Doc” Kovalev’s style has changed a little over the years, but, when it comes to his mature output, his pipes are immediately recognizable for what they are: a Doctor’s Pipe. What I mean by this is that, while all pipe-makers are connected, to greater or lesser degrees, by influence, inspiration, and interpretation regarding each other’s designs and styles, Kovalev has managed to carve a niche where it would be very difficult to confuse one of his pipes with someone else’s. Part of this has to do with the way he uses unorthodox proportions; as with this one, his pipes are typically shorter in length while retaining a bowl size that would be expected on a much larger pipe. It sounds simple, but there are reasons why pipes typically have the proportions they do. Creating something more like this is incredibly difficult to pull off, both technically and aesthetically. Another distinguishing feature of Kovalev’s pipes is his use of bamboo and other decorative elements in his designs; on this one, as with many Doctor’s Pipes, the bamboo has been warped and flattened so as to better suit the wider Dublin-style bowl it has been affixed to, and it has been accented by rings and a bead made from polymerized oak wood.

If you’d like to know more about the pipe, I’d recommend checking it out on Kovalev’s own page, where he has a catalog of every pipe he’s ever made. This one is number 568, from 2017.

The condition is excellent. There’s some darkening on the pipe’s innermost, rounded rim, but nothing major. The pipe has been very well looked after and even comes with its original leather sleeve.

Details:

Length: 4.4″ / 111.7mm

Bowl Width: 0.79 / 20.06mm

Bowl Depth: 1.44″ / 36.57mm

Weight: 1.4oz / 40g