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In February, one of the most prominent days of the month is Valentine's Day on February 14, celebrating the spirit of love in our lives. With romance and positive feelings in mind, I thought it would be fun to take a look at some of the pipes the people of Smokingpipes have been loving this season.
I'm having a spring fling with a small quarter bent Brandy with a sandblasted finish from Claudio Cavicchi. Part of this is that I just saw him a week ago and I only recently bought the pipe but also, like all of the Cavicchi pipes I own, it just smokes so perfectly. My big challenge with buying Cavicchi pipes is that they're typically too big for my tastes (I typically smoke Dunhill 2102, Savinelli 105, Peterson Junior Billiard, and Lovat-sized pipes), so finding this little one was a real joy.
I picked up a sandblasted Billiard from Michael Parks at the 2025 Las Vegas International Pipe Show, and it's about as minimalistic as it gets — Group 3 or 4, black sandblasted Billiard with no accents or adornment — just a perfectly made, classic shape. It's lightweight and performs very well every time I grab it, which has been a lot recently. It has reminded me why I love classic shapes so much and how it really doesn't get much better than a sandblasted Billiard for a daily companion. Of course, Park's blasting technique and the resulting ring grain doesn't hurt.
I have been reaching for BriarWorks and Moonshine pipes lately, specifically shorter shapes like the C142S and Hillbilly Billiard. While I'm not sure what exactly has attracted me to these particular pipes as of late, BriarWorks has remained one of my favorite manufacturers due to their Americana aesthetic and high level of quality control. Although they have recently branched out to long-stem or Churchwarden variations of their classic shapes, the bulk of their portfolio consists of shorter, Nosewarmer shapes, and these are perfect for my preferences.
I have been enjoying my Austin Quinlan straight Billiard. It's a larger bowl than I normally gravitate toward, which for me makes it the perfect English pipe. With the wider bowl, it allows more complex English blends to really shine. I really love the sandblast with the smooth finish on top. It's a no-nonsense, versatile straight pipe.
My favorite is one that I don't own but love: an Adam Davidson Smooth Cosmic Freehand from 2025 that we have on-site. The creativity that Adam possesses never ceases to amaze me. However, his Cosmic line of pipes takes it to a new level, merging the natural with the synthetic to create forms that are familiar yet possess an ethereal quality. Get it before I do!
We would love to hear what pipes you've been gravitating toward lately and what makes them so special to you in the comments. Happy Valentine's Day!
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Comments
I love my four Dunhills (Group 4) and three old Ser Jacopos.
I began smoking 9mm pipes years ago and only smoke filter pipes. Since that time I have enjoyed pipe smoking much more.
My choices are limited because of the filter AND the size, which keeps my pipe "collection to 8 or 9.
It would have been nice to see pictures of the actual "loved" pipes. Maybe next time?
My current favorite is Genod Straight Apple, marked “Algerian Briar”. It is one of my more recent purchases from SP, and it has smoked like a dream—cool and sweet— even before it was fully broken in. Understand, I currently own 30 pipes, including some from 1967-71, while I was an undergraduate student.
Correction: I own 39 pipes. I hate typing on an iPhone.
Sykes certainly does love his spring fling with small pipes haha. Give me a call again little boy :)