HS Studio Smooth Fig w/ Bamboo Handmade 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.

Here’s something interesting: a pipe that blends design elements from modern western, and traditional eastern tobacco pipes. After all, the briar bowl of this piece is very much like the “fig” shapes seen in the pipes of Danish inspired American carvers such as Adam Davidson or Sean Reum. On the other hand, the bamboo shank extension—while certainly not alien to modern western pipes—is distinctly long, being more reminiscent of how bamboo is used in eastern kiseru. This, coupled with the bowl’s smaller stature, and the overall lightness of the design, gives the pipe a sense of a bridging of worlds. I imagine the pipe would be excellent for a strong shag cut or for semois—or, if you can get your hands on it, some genuine kizami.

This pipe is completely unsmoked, with an original bowl coating.

 

Details:

Length: 6.6″ / 167.6mm

Bowl Width: 0.68 / 17.27mm

Bowl Depth: 1.02″ / 25.90mm

Weight: 0.9oz / 28g