BBB Tortoise 765 Smooth Bent Estate Briar Pipe, Unsmoked

Description

‘BBB’ originally stood for ‘Blumfeld’s Best Briars’, so named after Louis Blumfeld after he took over the historic Alfred Frankenau Company in 1856. Later, the pipes came to be known as ‘Britain’s Best Briars’. Though the name might have changed, the quality of the pipes did not – they really were fantastic pipes, made in the classic style of the English-French shape chart. Like GBD, Dunhill, and Barling’s, BBB are pipes with a rich history behind them, proudly holding the title of “the oldest trade mark in the [pipe] industry.”

I’ve always had a fondness for the BBB ‘Tortoise’ line. I’m not quite sure what the name refers to, as the stem strikes me more as a mother of pearl color than tortoiseshell. On the other hand, the contrast staining of the bowl on this one makes its mixture of cross-grain and bird’s-eye patterns absolutely sing, with a glow not unlike tortoiseshell tones. This Tortoise is also rendered in a distinctly English-French shape, the bullmoose, made famous by early 20th century makes such as BBB and GBD. I myself find that shapes such as these are quite comfortable to clench, even with slightly heavier pipes (though this one is only 48 grams), but even if you don’t, it sits in the hand just perfectly.

On a last note, judging by the nomenclature and brass ‘BBB’ rondelle in the stem, I would estimate that this pipe was made prior to BBB’s merger under Cadogan Investments in 1980, which may make it even more appealing to collectors.

This BBB is completely unsmoked, with a factory-original bowl coating to help ease in its first smokes. It also comes with its original box and sleeve.

Details:

Length: 5.4″ / 137.1mm

Bowl Width: 0.75 / 19.05mm

Bowl Depth: 1.35″ / 34.29mm

Weight: 1.6oz / 48g