Moretti, great pipes made of Calabrian briar
 Moretti symbol |
Marco Biagini has made pipes only from 1968 on, but on the basis of this first pipe I would be inclined to place him at the same level with e.g. Bruto Sordini and Alberto Bonfiglioli. The symbol on his pipes reminds that of Ashton, only Ashton has a thin silver ring around the round piece of briar. Moretti pipes have only the round piece of briar inlayed in the stem. | |
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My Italian puffer friend Stefano tells that Moretti's shop-factory is in Porto Recanati (near Macerata) in front of Giacomo Leopardi's home, one of the most important Italian poets of the last century. Now I understand my Moretti is a "Recanati" because of the home town of Marco Biaginni.
Please read what Tarek Manadily writes about Moretti and Marco Biagini | ||
My newest Moretti, a 9-panelled Apple from Sep 25. 2000
A rare shape: nine sided panel Apple from left
I bought this original looking apple, which now is my third Moretti, from Tarek Manadily's
new site in Switzerland: "The Italian Pipe Homepage".
Earlier Tarek was at the Synjeco SA with Daniel Schneider, who is now continuing alone at Synjeco. I am
presently purchasing my blends from Synjeco as they have about all the famous blends from Kendal, the Lake
District of England. I of course refer to the legendary S.Gawith&Co and Gawith,Hoggarth&Co.
This new Apple comes from the lower end of Morettis, it was only CHF 120 (appr. $68). Still it is a great looking
pipe with a couple of sandpits, but no fills. Like with all Morettis, its tobacco chamber is pure, light briar,
just like I prefer them.
The panelled Apple seen from top
I am updating this page the very day I got this pipe together with a brand new Mastro de Paja SB. Canadian,
Briar is almost perfect except a couple of tiny sandpits on the bottom of shank.
For me a sympathetic and absolutely positive characteristic of Marco Biaginni is that he is an eager angler like me. According to Clive Marco nearly became the Italian Champion sea angler last year.
so I have not yet had the time to try this pipe nor the Mastro, but I anticipate that it will turn out to be
a good smoker like my previous two Morettis below.
A Canadian "longshank"
Moretti "longshank" from its better left side
This pipe I bought June 28th 1999 from Clive Humm with GBP 55. It could be called a Canadian, but her bowl is rather high, so this pipe is almost a "Chimney". From the left side she is almost a fiammata. Furthermore this pipe is a sitter. Clive is a real treasure!
Smooth Moretti "longshank" from right
The grain is not of the same high class on the left side, had it been I have had payed double!
Still a virgin tobacco chamber
The tobacco chamber is so wide that I can easily insert my thumb in it. The height of bowl is almost 6 cm (58 mm)! I do not know how high it should be to be called a "chimney". My fingers are itching waiting to fill the bowl e.g. with some Va. - Perique blend.
My first (January 15th 1999) Moretti, a straight "Lovat/Liverpool"
Moretti "Recanati" Lovat/Liverpool from left
The price of Moretti pipes vary between the middle class to the high priced over USD 400. This Lovat/Liverpool which I received today (January,15,99) was at the cheap end of Morettis. I bought this from Clive Humm, who only sells Don Carlos, Refbjerg and Moretti pipes.
Moretti "Recanati" from right
I smoked a half bowl immediately after getting this pipe and it made me wonder, how heavenly might the more expensive Morettis be, as this pipe seems to be among the greatest of mine even considering these were the first puffs in a brand new bowl, which furthermore is not precarbonized!
It has no puttys or fills as Clive does not sell that kind of pipes at all! There is only one extremely small sandpit under the bowl. I do not mind these because they are only natural characteristics of briar resulting from the way it grows.
The pipe is well done, e.g. the flush is perfect! The tobacco chamber is pure, light briar, but has naturally changed its colour to light ash grey after the first bowl. There wasn't at all the bitterness occurring all too often with unprecarbonized pipes. Tobacco ("Gordon Pym") burned all to light grey, dry ashes without any curgling.
If I absolutely must find some reasons for the cheapness, perhaps a slight roughness of the tobacco chamber could be one.
Especially in the U.S. of A. higly valued Trever Talbert used to sand down the inside of bowl as smooth as a child's chin. I do not think this absolutely important, on the contrary it may be so that a little less smooth surface may be even easier to cake up. Today Trever Talbert has changed his method to work the tobacco chamber. He writes: "I've been using a precarbonized lining in my bowls for about half a year now".
