Luciano 2012 778 R Smooth Cherrywood Sitter Estate Briar Pipe, Unsmoked

Description

Those who were around during the 2010s may remember Luciano pipes. They were the creation of Luca di Piazza, owner of the now seemingly defunct Italian retailer NeatPipes, and were very well received when they made their American debut. First produced in partnership with Radice, then by Italian artisan Davide Iafisco, and including some designs co-created with GL Pease, Luciano became a go-to for a high-quality, reasonably priced, Italian pipe. By the end of the 2010s, however, Neat Pipes, and Luciano with it, had all but disappeared, with production presumed to have ceased.

The Luciano brand underwent a number of successive changes in the early 2010s. A dedicated shape chart and set of house finishes were established; production was moved from partnering companies, such as Radice, to Luciano’s own, new on-site workshop; talented, budding artisans, such as Davide Iafisco, were brought in to make Luciano pipes; and quality was significantly improved, with a greater emphasis on individual handicraft. This one comes from during the midst of that transition. It is a shape 778 in the Red finish (hence the “R” stamp), a beautifully grained cherrywood rendition, dressed in a ruby-toned top-coat reminiscent of the old Dunhill Bruyere.

This pipe is completely unsmoked, with an original bowl coating.

Details:

Length: 5.5″ / 139.7mm

Bowl Width: 0.83 / 21.08mm

Bowl Depth: 1.59″ / 40.38mm

Weight: 1.8oz / 52g