Buckeye Hand Made XL Sandblasted Volcano Strawberry Briar Pipe, New

Premal Chheda’s Buckeye Pipes have undergone several significant changes since their debut in the mid-2000s. Chheda himself was one of the first major players in 21st century American artisan briars, having been taught the fundamentals of high-grade pipe making by Mike Butera, and having had plenty of students of his own in the time since. Though Buckeye started out as an sub-brand for pipes that did not quite meet the standard of a pipe stamped with the Chheda name, the two would ultimately become different projects entirely. Today’s Buckeye Pipes are, instead, high-quality briars produced by Premal Chheda and his apprentices. The difference between a Chheda Pipe, or one of the pipes made by Chheda’s apprentices under their own name, and a Buckeye pipe boils down to the level of detailing involved: Buckeye Pipes are precision engineered and expertly finished, while being more minimalist in design and less labor-intensive in execution than their counterparts.

One interesting development in the Buckeye workshop of late has been an expansion into the realms of alternative materials, specifically the woods used to craft Buckeye pipes. In addition to briar, some Buckeye pipes are now made from olivewood, and others from strawberry briar, also known as Arbutus. This is an example of a pipe carved from the latter, and if you know anything about strawberry briar, you might have guessed that from the finish. The wood has been used for pipe making for about as long as tree heather briar has, owing to its neutral flavor, high heat resistance, and—interestingly enough—its unique response to sandblasting. Strawberry briar has a tendency toward especially craggy textures when blasted, with many an artisan favoring it precisely because of the densely layered ring grain it harbors. That’s certainly the case for this extra large volcano rendition, whose slight contrast finish even further emphasizes the rich relief brought out at its surface.

Details:

Length: 7.6″ / 193.0mm

Bowl Width: 0.92 / 23.36mm

Bowl Depth: 1.70″ / 43.18mm

Weight: 2.9oz / 84g