Fall 2020 PCA Magazine

52 PCA The Magazine | AUTUMN 2020 PREMIUMCIGARS.ORG BY WI LL I AM C . NELSON The Pipe | PHOTOS COURTESY OF BriarWorks M BriarWorks Pipes MOST BRICK-AND-MORTAR TOBACCO SHOPS featuring a pipe presence keep themselves pretty well stocked withmidgrade factory pipes, usually fromEurope, and with basket pipes and corncob pipes for the budget-conscious pipe smoking newcomer. Maybe a few high-dollar handmades are sprinkled in from time to time. I have previously written columns in this space extolling the retail virtues of ultra-inexpensive corncobs and of high-grade handmades. Beyond those extremes on the price continuum, however, there exists an option distinct from the commonplace factorymidgrade: serial-produced, artisan-finished pipes that straddle the categories of factory and handmade product. Among shops turning out such creations, BriarWorks in Columbia, Tennessee, is arguablymaking the biggest splash. The BriarWorks idea of developing a business by crafting very high-quality pipes at affordable prices using Computer Numerical Control machining, or CNC, and hand finishing was originally the vision of pipemaking virtuoso Todd Johnson, who in 2013 partnered with fellow pipe artisan Pete Prevost to launch BriarWorks inNashville, Tennessee. Johnson is no longer actively involved in the business, though he continues as a co-owner. Today Prevost is president of BriarWorks, where, having moved operations to Columbia, he labors alongside four other artisans of excellent reputation—Micah Redmond, Samand Emily Adebayo, and Bill Shalosky—to produce about 5,000 pipes a year. Their pipes typically command retail prices in the $100 to $150 range. But for that modest investment, — Hand-finished pipes at midgrade prices offer an appealing retail option.