Kai Nielsen (Jewel of Denmark) (B) Smooth Bent Dublin (Unsmoked Estate)

About this pipe:

To appreciate who Kai Nielsen is, we must go all the way back to the very beginnings of modern Danish pipes. Around 1950, a man named Viggo Nielsen founded Bari Piber in Kolding, Denmark. Viggo was an extremely talented pipe maker, and his Bari Piber grew to become one of the most renowned makes in the modern Danish mold. Bari employed a number of pipe makers who would later achieve recognition as masters of the high-grade scene, such as Age Bogelund and Viggo’s two sons, Kai Nielsen and Jørgen Nielsen. Bari Piber was sold in 1975, but Viggo, Kai, and Jørgen continued to craft handmade pipes together, under the Faaborg name. After Viggo passed, Kai finally went solo, with his place in the pantheon of Danish masters already long established.

The “Jewel of Denmark” is the highest grade bracket of pipes produced by Kai Nielsen. It’s also something of a family tradition, as Kai’s father, Viggo, also used it to denote his highest grade pipes, as did Viggo, Kai, and Jørgen for pipes made under the Faaborg name. After Viggo and Faaborg were gone, Kai continued to mark his finest pipes as such Jewels, crafting them from ultra-high-grade briar that costs up to €100 per block.

This particular pipe from Nielsen falls within the “B” grade of the Jewel of Denmark bracket, its third-highest after the “A” and “X.” A relatively petite and pocket-friendly take on the Danish Dublin, it is distinguished by its billowing flame grain and bird’s-eye patterns, which have been left on full display by the pipe’s light, smooth-polished finish.

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

Details:

Length: 4.9″ / 124.4mm

Bowl Width: 0.73 / 18.54mm

Bowl Depth: 1.00″ / 25.4mm

Weight: 1.1oz / 34g