The bowl of the Calabash pipe is removable, held in place by a tension fit, or by “unscrewing” it from a threaded seat at the head of the pipe (a modern improvement). Historically the bowls were crafted in meerschaum, but are now also made from briar, ivory, or less commonly, boxwood or other suitable hardwoods. When the bowl of the Calabash is removed, one can see the cavernous interior chamber of the pipe, which allows for the smoke to become quite cool and dry before it is drawn into the mouth of the smoker. Calabashes may vary in overall size, but are easily distinguishable from other pipe shapes. The Calabash is typified by a very dramatic bend in the body of the pipe, nearly assuming the shape of a “U”, and has a drastic but gradual and uninterrupted taper from bowl to stem. The shank of the briar iteration cannot, for mechanical reasons, match the drastic bend of its gourd counterpart, but the spirit of the shape is usually carried through.
A well done Egg (pun intended) can be regarded as art, and surely countless have made their way onto the shelves of high-end pipe collectors. The Egg’s bowl is usually about the size of, what else, a large hen’s egg, and is most often seen canted forward a few degrees. The transition between bowl and shank is arguably the most graceful to be found on any of the standard pipe shapes. Made famous by the Danish pipe makers, a Danish made Egg usually features a long slightly bent shank which gradually flares until it reaches the stem. Now produced by pipe makers worldwide, Eggs remain very popular among pipe Enthusiasts today, and can be found smooth, sandblasted, and rusticated.
A second entirely original shape attributed to the legendary Bo Nordh is the Ramses. Together, they have the appearance of a gently cupped hand holding the bowl. The grain must be oriented in a very precise manner to achieve a beautiful result, much like Bo’s other original shape, the Elephant’s Foot.
Panels on the bowl must be even in number and symmetrically positioned, though paneled pipes with six or eight sides may have panels of varying widths. This helps differentiate a paneled pipe from a Freehand, which may have one or more panels placed at any desired interval. The original Panel was a Billiard with four paneled walls, but the feature has spread to other shapes as mentioned. A paneled Billiard with a square shank is also referred to as a Foursquare. We can talk about the evolution of shape, and comment on the influences of this pipe maker and that, but the shape of the Freehand is entirely dependent on the hand of its individual maker.
It suggested that today’s generation should go out and purchase a pipe and some good tobacco. Over the past several years, we have seen a concerted effort to curtail, if not eliminate smoking. The Surgeon General’s 1964 report raised the concerns regarding the dangers of smoking, yet people, young and old, male and female, continue to smoke.
Less common are stems made of reeds, bamboo, or hollowed-out pieces of wood. While many smokers enjoy smoking large-bowled briar pipes that can hold half an hour’s worth or more of their favorite tobacco, others don’t have time to sit in quiet contemplation for long periods of time. For the ten-minute smoker, we think that pipes with a much smaller bowl are a better choice. While you could just smoke a pipe with a large bowl and leave it to go out, the taste of the tobacco when you relight the bowl tobacco pipe may not be to your liking. For this reason, we suggest taking a look at meerschaum pipes and corncob pipes with small bowls if you prefer short smokes to longer ones.