New Mark Twain Review.
I had waited patiently until the holiday to write about the new Peterson boxed pair of Mark Twain 2010 issue pipes. I felt that by doing so it would give a fair amount of time to have elapsed since smoking and purchasing them earlier in the year.
The bent in my personal opinion, is just as good aesthetically as its predecessors in the range. Irrespective of the shiny finish,which is apparently not to everyone's taste. There is just something
about that classic shape that is so evocative of times past. The fit of the stem to the jaw, if you are a dangler/clencher like me, is luxurious. Not many pipes manage to give such a comfortable sensation in that position, and at such a potentially problematic angle. Some bent pipes need to be tilted to avoid inhaling secondary smoke, this new one however does not,it is just perfect.
The second pipe is a different beast entirely. Although I initially felt forced into purchasing a pipe shape i.e. the poker sitter, that I would not have intentionally gone and purchased,I have come round to enjoying it on a different level. As a sitter it has great practical applications when smoking at the computer, or reading a book with a glass of some Highland Nectar!
I find the draw on both pipes to be excellent,the poker/sitter tends to heat up quicker,due in part I believe to the excellent draw and a large capacity bowl. No doubt it will, in time, be offset by a good cake build up.
Given the very reasonable retail price of around $335 per set,I think that Peterson have done well in resurrecting this great classic. I certainly will be adding more of them to my collection.I am equally sure old Samuel would have been pleased with them .
You're right Jim, the bent is every bit as good as the originals and the poker does cool down with some cake.
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