Chacom Grand Cru 1 Smooth Stack Brandy w/ Gold Estate Briar Pipe, Unsmoked

Description

Chacom is one of France’s most historic and iconic makes. Its founders, the Comoy family, began their career as boxwood pipe-makers in the early 1800s, before briar had even been discovered, with Henri Comoy (of Comoy’s fame) emigrating to England in 1879 and founding the country’s first briar pipe factory. In 1922, Henri and his nephews, the Chapuis, founded the Chapuis Comoy pipe factory in Saint-Claude, France, which shortly after began producing pipes bearing the partnered families’ names—“Cha” for Chapuis, and “Com” for Comoy. Chacom has been the biggest name in French pipes ever since.

Grand cru is a French expression that originally comes from the domain of especially fine wines. While it is often used in reference to top-tier wines (which the French know plenty about), its meaning extends to much more than one bottle or another. Instead it points to the coming together of all of the exceptional components and conditions that go into the making of a superior vintage—the grape, the vineyard, the environment, the winemaker’s craft, and so on. It is this latter, extended meaning of grand cru that is best kept in mind regarding the Chacom series of the same name. The Grand Cru has, for decades now, been near the very top end of Chacom’s pipes and, by extension, French pipes. They have typically been made by Pierre Morel Jr., arguably France’s greatest living pipe maker (and a 4th generation one at that). But they have also, as the certificate that comes with this one explains, been made entirely by hand, from specially selected briar (which Chacom has near-unrivaled access to), under the strict oversight of the director of Chapuis-Comoy (in this instance, Yves Grenard). This one, for example, is a beautiful, large, and unusually stacked rendition of a brandy, with excellent flame grain, a hand-cut mouthpiece, and even what appears to be a rolled gold collar. It’s not everyday that you see a Chacom pipe come in a leather box with a clasp, but that’s the Grand Cru for you.

This pipe is completely unsmoked, with an original (slightly time-worn) bowl coating. It comes with its original presentation case, sleeve, and certificate of authenticity and provenance. The pipe comes with a screw-in stinger that can be easily attached or removed depending on the owner’s preference.

Details:

Length: 6″ / 152.4mm

Bowl Width: 0.85 / 21.59mm

Bowl Depth: 2.07″ / 52.57mm

Weight: 1.6oz / 48g