BST (Todd Bannard) Smooth Bent Billiard Sitter Estate Briar Pipe, Canadian Estates

Description

To call Canada’s Todd Bannard, the artisan behind Briar, Sweat and Tears (BST) pipes, a “cult favorite” would be a profound understatement. Like his fellow countrymen Michael Parks and Julius Vesz, Bannard’s work has demonstrated that, though Canada may have far fewer pipe-makers than its neighbors in the US, Canadian handmades truly are a matter of quality over quantity. Similarly to Parks especially, BST pipes are very difficult to get hold of, as they are snapped up as soon as—and, indeed, often long before—they are available for purchase.

I had a chance to check with Todd Bannard just to make sure that this pipe’s stem was original, which he confirmed to be the case. The reason I asked is that BST pipes are typically made with ebonite, but Bannard himself actually prefers acrylic. The reason he use ebonite for most of his pipes is simply that acrylic is, per Bannard, “a cow to work with.” I also learned that the pipe was made around 10 years ago now, back when, again to paraphrase Bannard, he could get absurdly excellent briar for just 20 bucks a piece. It is indeed excellent briar, with straight grain that flows perfectly up the bowl’s cauldron-like figure. The tortoiseshell acrylic mouthpiece is very fitting for the design too, resonating with the bowl and its very light, blonde finish.

The condition is good. Some wear to the rim and some slight nicks at the base of the stem, though they’re purely cosmetic.

Details:

Length: 5.5″ / 139.7mm

Bowl Width: 0.83 / 21.08mm

Bowl Depth: 1.58″ / 40.13mm

Weight: 1.4oz / 42g