the macdonald
Well-known member
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2008
- Messages
- 440
- Reaction score
- 3
The Pipe; Claudio Cavicchi “C” Canadian
I tend to avoid posting pipes or tobacco for two reasons, first, the senses are so subjective that I always feel like anything I write is more for the sake of writing than to bring anything of value to given brand, second, I am at a point in my smoking habits, that is truly rare for me to happen upon anything I don’t love, that the reviews I have written are more or less love letters to whoever created what I was trying to review.
The Cavicchi Canadian is a thing of beauty. Being an estate with some miles on it, Smokingpipes.com described it the finish as “this pipe has taken on that additional warm, darker patina that comes from being lovingly smoked.” I would go a step further and call it a darker cognac. It has an almost liquid glow to it. The generous bowl is rimmed with pronounced Birdseye. The rest of the traditional cylinder is striped with straight grain that is perfectly parallel to the walls, which sweep down to a long flattened oval shank, again topped with Birdseye and flanked with straight and flame grain over the five inches of shank. The flat bottom of the heel reveals a tight oval of Birdseye that stretches all the way alone the bottom of the shank—all of which ends into a simple acrylic mouthpiece. The only flaw I can find on the pipe is that the straight grain washes out near the top of the bowl for a small patch about the size of a pinky nail. Although it is 6 ½ inches long, and with a dominant bowl, the pipe feels well balanced in the hand and mouth.
And finally, the smoke. The draw is wide open allowing the smoker to control instead of work. I made the maiden voyage with GL Pease’s Abington, a personal favorite that hasn’t been in my rotation for some time. The large bowl gave the blend the room it needs to blossom beyond the latakia deliverance. Joseph67 in another post said one of the the differences between an meerschaum and briar pipes is that,” A magical piece of briar will actually add an element to the smoking experience and elevate the flavor.” I experienced this with this pipe. I know Abington very well, but there was something “more” happening in this bowl—a little extra nuttiness to swirl around with the latakia and Orientals. It was such a cool dry smoke I hit the bottom of the bowl before I was ready for it. If it is not abundantly clear, I am in love with this pipe, and her blasted sister I bought last month. I buy pipes for their smoking quality and aesthetics tend to take a close second place. When they come together in a pipe, it is wonderful. I am also a little surprised at how consistent the size and smoke of the two Cavicchi Canadians I have are to each other. They are both handmade, and I can assume at different times and from different blocks, but I don't think I could tell them apart in a blind test.
I tend to avoid posting pipes or tobacco for two reasons, first, the senses are so subjective that I always feel like anything I write is more for the sake of writing than to bring anything of value to given brand, second, I am at a point in my smoking habits, that is truly rare for me to happen upon anything I don’t love, that the reviews I have written are more or less love letters to whoever created what I was trying to review.
The Cavicchi Canadian is a thing of beauty. Being an estate with some miles on it, Smokingpipes.com described it the finish as “this pipe has taken on that additional warm, darker patina that comes from being lovingly smoked.” I would go a step further and call it a darker cognac. It has an almost liquid glow to it. The generous bowl is rimmed with pronounced Birdseye. The rest of the traditional cylinder is striped with straight grain that is perfectly parallel to the walls, which sweep down to a long flattened oval shank, again topped with Birdseye and flanked with straight and flame grain over the five inches of shank. The flat bottom of the heel reveals a tight oval of Birdseye that stretches all the way alone the bottom of the shank—all of which ends into a simple acrylic mouthpiece. The only flaw I can find on the pipe is that the straight grain washes out near the top of the bowl for a small patch about the size of a pinky nail. Although it is 6 ½ inches long, and with a dominant bowl, the pipe feels well balanced in the hand and mouth.
And finally, the smoke. The draw is wide open allowing the smoker to control instead of work. I made the maiden voyage with GL Pease’s Abington, a personal favorite that hasn’t been in my rotation for some time. The large bowl gave the blend the room it needs to blossom beyond the latakia deliverance. Joseph67 in another post said one of the the differences between an meerschaum and briar pipes is that,” A magical piece of briar will actually add an element to the smoking experience and elevate the flavor.” I experienced this with this pipe. I know Abington very well, but there was something “more” happening in this bowl—a little extra nuttiness to swirl around with the latakia and Orientals. It was such a cool dry smoke I hit the bottom of the bowl before I was ready for it. If it is not abundantly clear, I am in love with this pipe, and her blasted sister I bought last month. I buy pipes for their smoking quality and aesthetics tend to take a close second place. When they come together in a pipe, it is wonderful. I am also a little surprised at how consistent the size and smoke of the two Cavicchi Canadians I have are to each other. They are both handmade, and I can assume at different times and from different blocks, but I don't think I could tell them apart in a blind test.
