DE LUXE VIRGIN

When you think about it, pipe terminology is distinctly queer. Billiard. Bulldog. Panel. Pear. Squashed tomato. Tiger stripe. Virgin, de luxe virgin. That last meaning, often, that it's a well made piece of fine blemish-free briar polished but without stain or colouration added, relying on the excellence of the wood to make it attractive. Not, as a pervert would expect, a young lady or man of either or whichever gender wrapped in tissue like a bonbon.

Many companies have over the years used the term 'virgin'. Not with any sexual or skeevy connotation even implied. It's a nice piece of wood. We're rather pleased with what we did with it. Here, admire this. Now pay us. Please pretty.

I mention this because I'll have a saddle stemmed billiard Virgin De Luxe in my coat pocket later today when I head over the hill. Along with a companion piece, from the same factory, and nearly the same shape (slightly larger), taper stem, natural. So technically also a virgin.

Both have the patina of age and use.

Lovely little things.

Neither pipe is particularly collectable, as the stamping makes clear. They are Comoy off-brands, so technically not flag ship pipes, and sold cheaper than the company's top of the line. Same excellent workmanship and attention to neurotic detail but not show off pieces except to aficionados of that maker.

The most important thing is smokeability.

Because some companies over-use the term 'virgin', leaving pieces unstained that would benefit greatly from colour, there are virgins which look drab and unexciting. Much like a few Danish manufacturers who excessively use two-tone finishes on wood which has absolutely bugger-all to redeem itself other than no fills, and shouldn't be highlighted so. For that the bruyere finish from Dunhill, Parker, et autres, would be better. Perfect for Calabrians.

Comoy chose their briar well. Before being subsumed completely into Cadogan Investments, they were absolutely top notch, and even afterwards for a number of years a Comoy pipe damned-well guaranteed a good smoke and sound aesthetics.

Both of these pipes are probably as old as I am.
Ergo good smoke, and sound aesthetics.



Despite not wearing a tweed coat today, because it is too warm by half, I shall look 'tweedy'. Tweedish. Fog in the channel, Jerry over the South Downs, pip pip, oops bugger I crashed the Piper at Sek Kong Airfield oh well, can I tutor you in some Latin miss? Oh, there goes a grouse, shoot it shoot it. Bally good show, I say, what.

A faint hue of tar, tea, and tobacco colours my environment.
Or perhaps that's machine oil and plane fuel?
These delightful virgins.

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