Review new Moretti
rhodog
always thought their price/quality ratio was very attractive, their
engineering above average (perfect drills and fits) and their taste and
smoking properties simply excellent. On the other hand, I wasn't fond of the
lucite stems with bits that were too thick for my taste. Moreover I always
felt it was a pity that all the Moretti pipes were unstained : while Marco
Biagini uses excellent briar often with very nice grain or bird's eyes, the
natural wax finish doesn't always make the grain stand out.
Last month, I started to talk with Marco about this issue. I asked him to
try a contrast stain on a bird's eyes pipe. He replied he would think about
it and maybe do some experiments with stains. Last week, I got an e-mail
from Marco with some pics. He explained he had contacted an herborist and
together they had come up with a stain made out of sea weed (!!) and
alcohol. So he had decided not to use a two tone contrast stain, but only
this natural stain. He asked me to look at the pics of the first pipe he
finished using this stain. Look at what I saw :
http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/latakia_be/lst?.dir=/moretti&.src=ph&.order=&.vie
w=t&.done=http%3a//photos.yahoo.com/
Boy oh boy ! What a gorgeous stain ! It sure makes the beauty of the bird's
eyes and the grain stand out ! And this is not a contrast stain ! IMO Marco
made a stunner. I immediately bought the pipe. Marco told me the briar he
used, had been curing for 15 years in his workshop ! But I still had one
problem : that lucite stem. So I told Marco I'm an ebonite fan. Marco's
reaction was prompt : no problem, he would make me an ebonite stem with a
really thin bit at no extra cost ! When I told him I'm sure quite some pipe
afficionados don't buy his pipes because of the lucite bits, he was
surprised. He never thought of that and he let me know that every customer
could simply ask for the kind of stem and button he prefers.
The pipe has arrived this week (delivered at my house in Belgium 17 hours
after it had been picked up at Marco's house in Italy !) and I've smoked it
several times. Believe me, the stain is even more impressive than on the
pics. As a matter of fact, it is one of the most beautiful stains I ever
saw. The engineering is outstanding and the bit is very comfortable. The
balance of the pipe and the little weight make this a pipe I can easily hold
in my mouth all the time. And then the taste : from the first puffs on the
taste was good and well defined, without any bitterness. The pipe remains
cool, the tobacco burns evenly and right down to the bottom of the heel and
the draw is very easy and natural.
At 160 Euro, this was a bargain. Moreover Marco had included a gorgeous hand
made briar tamper.
I can really recommend to buy a Moretti, now also for ebonite lovers and
beautiful stain fans.
You can buy directly from Marco : http://www.pipemoretti.com/
Or you can buy his work on the websites of three of the best European pipe
eTailers :
Tarek Manadily : http://www.theitalianpipe.com/pipes/pipemain.htm#mr
Daniel Schneider :
http://www.pipesandtobaccos.com/pipesandtobaccos/pipes/pipeall.htm
and Clive Humm : http://straightgrain.connect-2.co.uk/
This said, if you want the special stain, contact Marco. I know he has been
making some more pipes with this sea weed stain.
Cheers,
Erwin
Bastian Scherbeck
about it...
Bastian
Ian Rastall
Just beautiful, Erwin. I think you're a good influence. :)
Mingkahuna
Art
Martin Stoufer
hope the heat from the pipe does not cause it to breakdown and seep out.
With my experiences with agar (a component in seaweed) it is prone to
bacterial growth. I'm sure Marco sealed the pipe as well. Anyways that
pipe is absolutely gorgeous. I'd like to see some pics of it once you've
gotten it broken in right&good.
In article <b1en62$126lqu$1...@ID-133914.news.dfncis.de>, "rhodog"
Mark Tinsky
<MCSt...@lbl.gov> wrote:
> I'm curious to see how the stain holds up. Being from an organic base, I
> hope the heat from the pipe does not cause it to breakdown and seep out.
> With my experiences with agar (a component in seaweed) it is prone to
> bacterial growth. I'm sure Marco sealed the pipe as well. Anyways that
> pipe is absolutely gorgeous. I'd like to see some pics of it once you've
> gotten it broken in right&good.
>
HI Martin
I m sure he used some sort of extract and while it could possibly
bleed a bit I doubt it will turn into a science experiment, like
something left in the fridge for too long. Erwin had sent me that pix
last week and I told him then the particular pipe could have been
coated in shit and buffed off and it would have looked great!
He ascerbically replied
O so that s how you get your mocha stain.....
MT
mdromero
Marc
"rhodog" <mo...@pandora.be> wrote in message
news:b1en62$126lqu$1...@ID-133914.news.dfncis.de...
Buddy Springman
"mdromero" <mdro...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:b1f87o$12aor8$1...@ID-159335.news.dfncis.de...
> A damn beautiful pipe, I must say. I was impressed.
She's impressive alright!
Done good, Erwin.
Buddy
fred hanna
fabulous stain to me and I would love to see it in person in a pipe
one of these days. Moretti pipes are among my very best, and Marco has
singlehandedly disproven the myth held among some collectors that
Calabrian briar is not well grained. I still believe that his pipes
represent some of the best values in the pipe world, and his
rusticateds are simply the best deal I know of.
It is great that you shared this, and Marco's willingness to be of
service is also great, in his usual fashion. I do wish to express a
difference with you on one point. I am quite happy with the acrylic
that Marco uses on his stems and they are a perfect fit for my
teeth--softer than the usual lucite. But it is good to know that he
will do vulcanite if asked.
Thanks again.
Fred
Ed Hagan
Erwin,
Thanks for a great and informative posting. Interestingly, I had been
considering the very pipe you purchased, but chose instead two others
on Marco's site (#52 and #63). It was a tough decision because I loved
the birdseye on the pipe you decided on, but since I tend to favor the
natural finish I went with the others. Anyhow, I was absolutely
delighted with Marco's friendliness and assistance. My inquiries were
answered within hours, and he e-mailed numerous photos of various
pipes in which I expressed an interest. When I placed my order it
arrived the very next morning, along with two complimentary briar
tampers. Marco also sent a message saying that if I was unhappy with
the pipes (I wasn't), I should just return them and pick something
else. He is really a great person as well as a talented craftsman and
I hope he meets with every success.
Ed