Mutcat Gothic Calabash Pipe, New

Description

Mutcat pipes are made by Mutcat Cat, an Indonesian artisan residing in its northeastern Java province. A pipe-maker for many years, and a pipe-smoker for even longer, Mutcat’s pipes are frequently innovative in their use of alternative, home-grown materials and elaborate forms and finishes. This is not only because of a desire to offer pipe-smokers something new and unique, but because of Mutcat’s own experiences as one. Living in a tropical climate, Mutcat seeks to find novel approaches to pipe construction that can provide a cool, dry smoke whatever the weather.

The calabash is one of the oldest designs within the history of tobacco pipes, but despite this age, it is one that has managed to outlive many of its contemporaries. While the traditional gourd calabash is somewhat uncommon today, reinterpretations of its basic constitution abound. Take this calabash from Mutcat: it is a true calabash, but it is not made from gourd and meerschaum, nor is it made out of tree heather root (briar). Instead, the main body of the pipe is made out of a hardwood that has a similar, established history in the construction of tobacco pipes in Southeast Asia: Lamtoro burl (Leucaena leucocephala). This burl has been seasoned, just like briar, to enhance its smoking properties, and for this seasonally-appropriate rendition of Mutcat’s signature shape, it has been rusticated and stained to give it a particularly “Gothic” appearance. The design is completed by a hand cut stem of similarly fitting black ebonite.

 

Details:

Length: 6.5″ / 165.1mm

Bowl Width: 0.77 / 19.55mm

Bowl Depth: 1.54″ / 39.11mm

Weight: 3.2oz / 92g