Bonsai Pipes Sandblasted Zulu Dublin w/ Zebrawood Handmade Briar Pipe, New

Description

A lot has been going on in the Central European artisan scene recently. Over the last decade, a great number of solo (and, on occasion, duo) pipe makers have emerged and shown that the region is still able to hold its own against the likes of Denmark and the United States. Germany in particular continues to produce world-class carvers, which is less surprising when you realize that Germany has one of the most active and dedicated pipe communities in the world. Tobias Höse, the man behind Bonsai Pipes, is one of those carvers. Inspired by the likes of Dirk Heinemann (with whom he has also collaborated) and Kelvin Pohler and Thorsten Klemme of CO-Pipes, Höse took up pipe making in 2016 and, in the years since, has become one of Germany’s most recognizable artisans. In fact, his pipes have become so popular that, in 2022, he was invited by HU Tobacco to help create a blend in celebration of his pipe making prowess: Nebari, named after the surface root structure of the bonsai tree. As for why Höse chose “Bonsai Pipes” as a moniker, this can be traced to his other passion in life, horticulture. Höse cultivates bonsai trees for much the same reason he smokes and makes pipes: because they are slow, careful, and contemplative endeavors, providing a much-needed respite from the breakneck pace of the modern world.

While Tobias Höse does produce pipes in a variety of shapes an styles (such as the extra large, swan neck bent billiard listed alongside this one), his portfolio as a whole shows a distinct proclivity toward more squat designs, which can take a variety of forms. This one, for example, is not a shape typically associated with stockier renditions, though Höse has put his distinctive spin on it. The shape is, of course, the Dublin, though Höse has given it an even more substantial forward cant than usual, verging on the territory of the Zulu (or, technically speaking, the yachtsman). The result is something quite unique, with the closest precedent I can think of being a squat yachtsman designed by Stanwell by Anne Julie years ago. Höse has dressed the pipe in an exceedingly crisp, ring grain sandblast, with an eye-catching red and blonde contrast finish, and added a collar of zebra wood that echoes both the lighter hues of the bowl and the pipe’s black ebonite stem.

 

Details:

Length: 5.7″ / 144.7mm

Bowl Width: 0.80 / 20.32mm

Bowl Depth: 1.25″ / 31.75mm

Weight: 1.2oz / 36g