Brentegani Natural Sandblasted Lovat w/ Horn Handmade Briar Pipe, New

Over the last decade, a new scene of sorts has emerged in Italian pipe making, one dominated by artisans whose work bridges the traditions of high-grade Italian pipes with those of Scandinavia, the United States, and Japan. Michele Brentegani is one such artisan, having first taken up pipe making in the mid-2010s. Though, as is so often the case in this industry, Brentegani’s path toward the life of a pipe maker was decided by two things: community and chance. Brentegani’s grandfather was a woodworker and it was through time spent in the latter’s shop that a young Michele was introduced to the fundamentals of handicraft. In fact, though his grandfather did not make pipes, his influence on Brentegani was so formative that, many years later, when Michele did take up pipe making, he adopted his grandfather’s signature for the nomenclature of Brentegani Pipe. Still, when adulthood arrived, Brentegani originally opted for an altogether different career. He remained a lifelong working hobbyist, crafting ornaments and instruments in his spare time, but was only in 2015, after being introduced to pipes by a friend, that Brentegani became enamored by them, to the point where he wanted to try making one. He was able to turn a bowl, but was at a loss when it came to making a stem. He was not even sure where to buy the materials to cut one from. To this end, he contacted Italy’s famous Brebbia workshop to ask where he might buy rod stock for cutting stems. Brebbia’s staff gave him pointers and, quite out of the blue, days later he received a package from them containing three pre-molded stems to experiment with. Soon enough, Brentegani’s pipes were being debuted at shows in Italy; he was admitted to the Accademia della Pipa, a school intended to nurture the talents of Italy’s most promising up-and-coming pipe makers, headed by “Mimmo” Romeo, Gabriele dal Fiume, Davide Iafisco, and Gioacchino Sauro; and, in 2021, he was commissioned to make the 21st Anniversary pipes for mainstay Italian tobacconist Le Pipe Sas. Though it has been a long time in the making, MBSD Pipes is now very pleased to offer Brentegani Pipe in our shop, as well. The Lovat is something of a signature shape of Michele Brentegani, one that he’s been producing variations on since the early years of his career. They’re typically not quite “Danish,” as is the norm among modern artisans, but they’re not simply “traditional,” either. Instead, they occupy a nice middle ground between the two, incorporating somewhat unorthodox approaches to shaping and finishing (such as a slight protrusion at the base of the bowl, a near-pencil thin shank, and colorful ebonite mouthpieces), without straying too far from its classical form. This one pairs its light blue mouthpiece with a natural sandblast finish, one whose relief is almost comparable to strawberry briar in its intensity. Details: Length: 5.9″ / 149.8mm Bowl Width: 0.72 / 18.28mm Bowl Depth: 1.61″ / 40.89mm Weight: 0.9oz / 26g