The Pipes DG Pipes. Grade: E

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• As he lives close to Italy's biggest briar supplier, Gabriele Dal Fiume is fortunate enough to go and select his briar, piece by piece.
  
• Due to the fact that Gabriele has a full time job, he can dedicate only a small part of his time to pipe making; this means that his annual production is extremely limited.
  
• All Gabriele's pipes are stamped "DG" (Dal Fiume Gabriele), with the grade (A, B, C, D, E, F, and Dal Fiume). For a complete guide to DG grading system, please go to: DG Grading Guide.

 

Pipe is stamped: "E" ~ "05" ~ "85", plus the butterfly
Pipe Code: DG047 Price: CHF 650.00  Convert Shape: Freehand Weight: 41g / 1-7/16 oz Chamber ø: 19mm  --  Chamber Depth: 40mm  --  Wall Thickness: ->18mm  --  Cleaner Passes? Yes This pipe is comparable in size to a Dunhill Group:  3 An alternative way to view all the pictures of this pipe is: The SlideShow.
COMMENT: Say to a pipe smoker/collector: "a long-shanked, straight pipe with a short, saddle mouthpiece", and you get "so what!". Then add: "with a two-knuckle bamboo shank", and the eyes of your listener get a little wider. Then add: "the mouthpiece bit is quite short, but then it is followed by a built-in, cylindrical, marble-like mouthpiece extension"; now, the listener is quiet, eyes wider than ever, and breathing slightly faster. Give the final blow and say: "the bowl is shaped like a leaf, with Flame Grain all around it and exceptional Bird's Eye on top". Congratulations, you just sold the pipe!

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Pipe is stamped: "E" ~ "07" ~ "41"
Pipe Code: DG074 Price: CHF 600.00  Convert Shape: FF Lovat Weight: 46g / 1-5/8 oz Chamberø: 20.5mm -- Chamber Depth: 39mm -- Wall Thickness:->12mm -- Cleaner Passes? Yes This pipe is comparable in size to a Dunhill Group:  4 An alternative way to view all the pictures of this pipe is: The SlideShow.
COMMENT: With all the breathtaking DG pipes with light-colored bamboo shanks that Dal Fiume produces, it was not enough. It took Gabriele at least a couple of years of hard work and perseverance to get his hands on a stock of dark-colored bamboo, and the pipe you see here is one of the first such pipes to be made and offered for sale. Note that the color of the bamboo is NOT the result of the maker's application of a stain or any other process. This type of bamboo is found in this dark color in nature, but it is extremely hard to find. I've always been fond of pipes with bamboo shanks, but now that I have seen this type of bamboo, I know that my collection of these pipes will soon be as substantial as my finances permit. The dark color of this bamboo somehow manages to fit more discretely with briar and acrylic, without ever failing to make its presence evident. I always appreciate the fact that the knuckle of this bamboo are usually of a lighter color than the stem itself, which makes the bamboo shank itself a lot more beautiful and intriguing. As for the shape, I had to add the word "freeform" to the word "Lovat" simply because the classic Lovat has a classic Billiard bowl, whereas this pipe comes with a bowl shape that resembles more that of an Apple. Apart from that, the shank is long and round and the mouthpiece is short and saddle, just as the rules dictate when it comes to my beloved Lovat. The pipe is quite robust with so much wood all over. The grain is a blend of Flame Grain around the bowl and some beautiful Bird's Eye on the bowl top and base. This pipe is not in the "E" grade for nothing!

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Pipe is stamped: "E" ~ "07" ~ "24", plus the butterfly
Pipe Code: DG075 Price: CHF 650.00  Convert Shape: Freehand Weight: 47g / 1-21/32 oz Chamberø: 20mm -- Chamber Depth: 40mm -- Wall Thickness:->14mm -- Cleaner Passes? Yes This pipe is comparable in size to a Dunhill Group:  5 An alternative way to view all the pictures of this pipe is: The SlideShow.
COMMENT: Look, I'm not really fond of red pipes, I prefer pipes with a maximum tobacco chamber capacity equivalent of a Dunhill 4, and I NEVER smoke pipes that are not perfectly straight. YET. I'm totally, utterly in love with this pipe, and though you expect me to say "and I don't know why", I know exactly why. You see, when you've been in the business of examining and evaluating pipes for as many years as I have, you somehow develop an eye that is purely objective. You kind of go beyond your personal preferences and see each pipe for what it is. To me, this pipe brings to mind the most elegant of Baldi pipe designs, with a Danish flare, all for a fraction of the price asked for either category. Regardless of which part of this pipe you decide to examine closely, you will be impressed. The design is so complex and yet it's so effortless and even instinctive. You catch yourself saying "how did he do that?", but you never wonder "why did he do that"! I personally look at the pipe and I don't see anything, and I mean ANYTHING, that I would have differently. First of all, the red stain, surprisingly for me, is irreplaceable! Thanks to the touch of golden in it, and a bit of black and brown somewhere, the stain managed to bring out the best of the grain. The shape of the pipe can be seen as that of an Egg, and I wouldn't argue with that. However, what took the whole equation into uncharted territory is that elegant line that starts at the bowl rim, and runs around and down the entire pipe, on the outside, and delineates the shank, where it runs parrarel to another line and by doing so, the two lines together dictate the shape and looks of the shank. To add to all this complexity, Gabriele created another line that also starts at the bowl rim, across from the other one. This line, however, delineates the bowl, and discretely and graciously disappears when the shank makes its presence. Note also that the shank is relatively long, which creates an effect indispensable for the overall shape design. The mouthpiece is rather straightforward, though deliberately so. It is an Army Mount, and so the shank manages to maintain its presence and personality till the very last second. I could go on and on and on, but I'll pack my tools now and let you examine the pictures as thoroughly and closely as you can before you hit the button "BUY"!

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Pipe is stamped: "E" ~ "07" ~ "41", plus the butterfly
Pipe Code: DG076 Price: CHF 650.00  Convert Shape: Freehand Weight: 42g / 1-15/32 oz Chamberø: 19mm -- Chamber Depth: 33mm -- Wall Thickness:->18mm -- Cleaner Passes? Yes This pipe is comparable in size to a Dunhill Group:  2 An alternative way to view all the pictures of this pipe is: The SlideShow.
COMMENT: We have all seen pipes with a spiral motif around the bowl. Usually those pipes have the spiral pattern go all the way around the bowl, which is quite difficult, from a technical point of view. In the case of this pipe, the spiral pattern is only limited to a little more than halfway around the bowl, which is, in my humble opinion, a whole lot more challenging. There are three lines that mark the spiral motif, and they start at the bowl rim on one side of the bowl, run around while swerving a little downwards and then upwards, and then they suddenly and unexpectedly stop before finding their way around the other half of the bowl. There is a diagonal line that marks the end of the path that the lines took, and that line continues to run down and around the bowl till it once again joins the spiral pattern, but this time from the opposite side (see fourth picture, from left, second row). The story doesn't stop there. Gabriele created another line, this time only one, which replicates the spiral pattern on and around the shank. The basic shape of the bowl is, in and by itself, quite unusual and unique. It's oval, with a pointed outer wall (see third picture, from left, second row). The shank is, on the other hand, quite tapered in shape, starting at the neck (the meeting point between the bowl and the shank) at 17mm and ending at the mouthpiece at 27.5mm. The mouthpiece continues the spiral motif with a little line that runs diagonally, adding an incredibly elegant touch to the tapered mouthpiece. I love the color tones of the acrylic mouthpiece, and I think it complements the overall elegance of the shape design. Thanks to the slightly flat bowl base, the pipe can rest on a flat surface without support. Moreover, and as is the case usually with spiral patterns, the grain becomes somehow compromised and distorted. Not in this case! In fact, I don't believe the spiral pattern takes absolutely nothing away from the grain. For some reason, the grain seems to flow easily and effortlessly. Please note how breathtaking the massive areas of Bird's Eye are! If I had to sum all this up in a sentence, I would say: Intricate and complex design, executed with skill and talent, and packed into a compact piece of craftsmanship, called a briarwood pipe!

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