The second pipe was picked up a couple days later by pipe blogger Ethan Brandt (aka The Foolish on pipe forums).

So, one pipe went to Canada and one to the US and the – let’s be gentle and call it – prototype, stayed with me here in Spain. I covered up the hole in the shank and provided her with a stem I had laying around. She may not be picture perfect, but she smokes like a dream.

Thank you, Michael and Ethan.

***

A Review of the Tête Jaune Cache, by Michael Ziff

After almost two years of smoking pipes and putting together a decent collection of estate smokers, I thought it was time to explore the world of commissioned pipes. My first venture was in September of 2011 with Rad Davis and it was a pleasure getting my first unsmoked piece of wood.

I was hooked.

By November, with my budget replenished, I set out to find my next pipe maker and, after much research, settled on Dirk Claessen. There was a certain aesthetic about his pipes that grabbed me and, after a quick email introduction, we were off. We finally settled on a shape that resonated with me by choosing elements from a variety of pipe images on his site.

At the time Dirk was busy finishing a large order of Pipes of the Year for a spanish pipe club, but he said that the pipe would likely be ready by Christmas time. I received an email on December 13th with some images and it all looked very promising.

Then, on Christmas day, I received another email saying: “Bad news, during the sandblasting I blew through the shank.” I won’t lie, I was disappointed to hear the pipe was rendered all but unsalvageable, but I feltreally bad for Dirk because of all the work he put into this piece of wood. Then it dawned on me that this must happen often to pipe makers; one little slip, and it’s gone. It likely happens more often than we know, but rarely do we hear about the mishaps. It was an honest glimpse into the challenge of trying to turn a piece of wood into a piece of smoking art and I thank Dirk for sharing this part of the process.

Dirk said that, due to his schedule, he might not be able to restart this project until late January. No complaints from me!

Fast forward to February and Dirk sends me pictures of not one, but two pipes. Unbeknownst to me he had created two and asked me to pick one. Well, that was difficult, because they were both stunning. I finally settled (also my wife’s choice) on the lighter stained pipe (and a little bigger bowled) called the “Tete Jaune Cache”. Since I had a thread about our collaboration in the Common Sewers on SF, I asked him if I could continue the thread by presenting both the pipes and offering up the second to anyone interested. It was a matter of a day or two before Ethan chose the other pipe called the “Yukon”.

When I got my pipe, I packed it with Best Brown Flake and smoked it every day for about 5 days. It was a shape and bowl configuration I wasn’t used and took a little practice but I soon figured out this pipe and how to smoke it. And what a smoker it is. Every pipe full has smoked dry with nary a gurgle, the draw is open and the wood seems to have a slight sweetness to it.

This tale of two pipes started with a simple request from Canadian pipe enthusiast to a Belgian pipe maker living in Spain, and ended up with two beautiful pipes, one now in Vancouver and the other in St. Louis.

It’s nice to know there’s another similar pipe out there, a sister pipe, envisioned, cut, shaped and stained by the same maker, being enjoyed by another pipe enthusiast. And who knows, maybe one day these pipes will sit on the same rack, side by side.

Thank you, Dirk.

***

A Review of the Yukon, by Ethan Brandt

I have always loved the concept of twin pipes, especially ones made from the exact same block of briar. Not only do the pipes offer obvious aesthetic enjoyment, but they also present the opportunity to test how much the particular block impacts smoking qualities: if they two pipes are identical, with the only difference being what part of the block they came out of, yet the smoking properties are different, then we have evidence as to how much the briar affects the qualities of the pipe. At present, I own only one set of twin, a pair of volcanoes carved by Todd Johnson.

I had never really considered the value of owning half of a twin set. When the opportunity presented itself earlier this year, however, I could barely resist. Not only was the available pipe beautiful, but something captured the Transcendentalist geek in me, the notion that I could be enjoying my pipe here in St. Louis, MO, while its bigger sibling was off being smoked in Canada. It was too good to pass up.

With no offense intended to Michael, I firmly believe that I was left with the prettier of the two pipes, with a dark stain and a slightly smaller bowl. It truly is beautiful. The rim of the bowl is curved more dramatically than almost any other pipe I own, giving it obvious stand-out character.

I wasn’t quite sure what to smoke in my Yukon when I first received it. The bowl is slightly taller than it is wide, so I was tempted towards Virginias from the start, combined with the fact that it was approaching warmer weather, during which time I tend to smoke Virginias anyway. After further contemplation, specifically the mindbogglingly gorgeous scenery of the Yukon (the place, not the pipe), I settle on Virginias for my first attempt. I could not help but think that this is what trappers and adventurers would have smoked while exploring the Yukon with nothing but what they could carry on their backs.

It took me a few goes to find the tobacco that suited this pipe best. I started off with Greg Pease’s Cumberland. The smoke was good, but it wasn’t as good as I knew both the pipe and tobacco could be. Something didn’t quite work right. I figured it was probably user error, though.

Next, I tried two bowls of Full Virginia Flake. This was much better. I knew I was on the right track, but still believed that the pipe had more to offer.

My fourth bowl was Peterson’s Irish Flake. Is that a chorus of angels that I hear?

This pipe was shining brighter than a supernova. I first broke the flakes into thin strips and then rubbed them into a broken flake. The pipe delivered incredible flavor without a single gurgle. For an entire bowl, I only ran one pipe cleaner through it, more out of habit than necessity.

My little Yukon also has no trouble staying lit. I have smoked it inside, outside, and while walking through the park. Even while taking shelter from a hail-storm of epic proportions, the pipe stayed true.

One lesson I had to learn was that I had to pack this pipe a little bit tighter than I normally would. It has a larger draft hole than I’m used to, which might be while it stays lit so well (according to one side of a particular debate), but that also necessitates that I use a bit more pressure when packing the pipe. Once I figured that out, however, this beauty has never let me down. It provides deep, delicious flavor, never burns hot or wet, and stays lit better than Willie Nelson in his prime (let’s face it, that man was always lit!).

Upon reading Michael’s review, it is clear that the perfection of my pipe is not just a happy coincidence, but rather a result of superior craftsmanship. Cheers, Dirk. Thank you for all you do and keep up the great work!