HS Studio Signature Smooth Bamboo Dublin Estate Briar Pipe, Unsmoked

Description

While China has long been associated with cheaper factory pipes, a new generation of artisans and workshops have emerged over the past decade, producing some genuinely excellent pipes. HS Studio is an example of the latter, being a Hong Kong workshop dedicated to crafting handmade briars, typically in shapes and styles reminiscent of the post-war artisan scene.

Bamboo has been used in pipe design since at least the Second World War (which at the time, was a consequence of briar scarcity), but in the decades since it has become a staple material in the world of artisan pipes. There are many artisans who could be referenced as possible forebears or inspirations for this HS Studio piece, but my first thought when I saw it (and before I had a chance to find out who the maker was) was of another Asian pipe maker, Smio Satou. Satou always did have a thing for impressively long, almost churchwarden length, designs, with the majority of that length being the pipes’ bamboo shank extensions. This one utilizes a single, five knuckle bamboo branch, but like Satou and so many other expert carvers, it pairs this with a gorgeous, flame grain Dublin bowl, as well as a hand cut ebonite stem. On a last note, this HS Studio appears to be one of their “Signature” grades, as evinced by the extra stamping, which makes perfect sense.

This pipe is completely unsmoked, with an original bowl coating. It comes with its original sleeve, having been brought to MBSD via a purchase of new old stock (NOS) from a tobacconist closure.

 

Details:

Length: 8″ / 203.2mm

Bowl Width: 0.72 / 18.28mm

Bowl Depth: 1.26″ / 32.00mm

Weight: 1.2oz / 36g