Pipe Tristan Sandblasted Billiard w/ Durat Handmade Briar Pipe, New

Description

I used to say that Pipe Tristan’s Tristan Lefebvre was part of a “new wave” of “up-and-coming” artisans from France, the very birthplace of the briar pipe. But that description doesn’t do him justice these days. Lefebvre isn’t so much a “part” of the latest generation of French artisans as the craftsman leading the charge; likewise, he is no longer “up-and-coming,” but has already secured himself a place alongside historic compatriots such as Alain Albuisson, Paul Lanier, and Pierre Morel Sr and Jr. In fact, in 2025, he was inducted into Confrérie des Maîtres Pipiers de Saint-Claude, a prestigious French association of master pipe makers whose ranks have included Albuisson, Lanier, and Morel the younger.

Lefebvre does still, however, credit the same major influences upon his pipe-making. These include as modern greats from Italy and Denmark like Castello and Tom Eltang, as well as more unique sources of inspiration, such as the centuries-old hunting pipes native to Germany’s southern Bavarian region. As such, Tristan is equally at home crafting his own spin on the ’55,’ the hawbill, or the Danish Dublin, as he is reviving the Ulmer Kloben – when he isn’t inventing his own shapes, that is.

Tristan Lefebvre’s induction into the Confrérie this year appears to have had something of a “traditionalizing” effect on his pipe designs, with his latest batch of pipes for MBSD being neoclassical renditions of centuries-old shapes. This one, for example, has the basic shaping and proportions of an old-school, army mount billiard, with a reserved, near-black stain over a nice, craggy sandblast. It is simultaneously very modern, however. The first, and perhaps most striking distinction is its use of a ruby red ferrule cut from Finnish Durat; the second is its flared ebonite stem. One might consider the overall design as being halfway between a traditional army billiard and a Scandi-American one, such as the “Lorraine” variations of Adam Davidson. Whichever way you look at it, though, it’s certainly a great little pipe from a true maître-pipier.

 

Details:

Length: 5.4″ / 137.1mm

Bowl Width: 0.76 / 19.30mm

Bowl Depth: 1.63″ / 41.40mm

Weight: 1.1oz / 32g