HS Studio Sandblasted Reverse Calabash Nosewarmer Estate Briar Pipe, Unsmoked

Description

If you’ve been keeping up with the world of Chinese pipe making, their artisan scene has been really taking off over the last decade. Like the great Danish institutions of old, many of these pipes are produced in artisan workshops such as Zhiputang, Qi Studio, and GH Zhang. Hong Kong’s HS Studio follows a similar model, with a team of expert in-house carvers crafting high-quality briars in a variety of styles.

Reverse calabash systems are an interesting, relatively recent addition to the technical aspects of pipe construction. Instead of a traditional calabash system, in which the hollowed out body of the pipe serves to cool and dry smoke as it passes out from the bowl and into the stem, reverse calabashes have a widened, hollowed shank, creating a similar effect. Various pipe makers have explored the latter in the last couple of decades, doing so in a variety of styles. Michail Revyagin, Robert Vacher (Laughing Moon), Dirk Heinemann, and Tom Eltang are just a few examples. HS Studio is another make that has produced numerous reverse calabash pipes, incorporating them into all manner of shapes. This nosewarmer-length one is one of the most curious I’ve come across, though the shaping does look to have been influenced by Heinemann and his Tuban shape. On the other hand, there’s more of a Danish influence overall, with a more pronounced, horn-like figure and a much more ornate ebonite stem.

This pipe is completely unsmoked, with an original bowl coating. It comes with its original sleeve.

 

Details:

Length: 4″ / 101.6mm

Bowl Width: 0.74 / 18.79mm

Bowl Depth: 1.35″ / 34.29mm

Weight: 1.4oz / 42g