"Bo Nordh Briar"

Erica Arborea, or "white heath" is the scientific name for what we all commonly refer to as briar. Having become close friends with Domenico Romeo (Mimmo), the man behind Romeo Briar I have become something of a student of this noble plant. 

I've gone into the mountains to harvest the burl, cut it at the saw--perhaps the most frightening power tool currently in existence on planet Earth--and watched the entire process take place from tree to finished pipe. Mimmo and I have even worked together on the creation of some new cuts that lend themselves to particular shapes. I guess I say all of that to establish some credibility before making a brief rant on a current trend I've observed.

Recently a number of finished pipes by makers other than Bo, have been advertised as having been created from "BO NORDH BRIAR!" Now I don't begrudge anyone their marketing ploys, but occasionally, I think tactics need to be identified as just that, marketing ploys. By that I mean simply that there is nothing particularly special or different about the late master's briar to distinguish a pipe having been made from it as special. Having been to Bo's shop, having seen and held the famed briar myself, I can tell you that it is just briar. It comes from several different mills, and was collected over quite a number of years, not unlike the briar in any accomplished pipemaker's shop.

If the idea, however, is that Bo Nordh was an icon in the community and therefore something owned by the master himself has sentimental value--or perhaps for some even spiritual value--that is quite a different thing. That would make the briar no different really than a pair of Bo's socks, or one of his handkerchiefs which may function as a nice talisman, but it won't affect how a pipe smokes. This is simply another way of perpetuating the mythos of briar.

Now this is not to say all briar is created equal and that a $60 block is no different than a $6 block. It is very different, and much depends on the cutter, his knowledge of the wood, and his ability to see inside it based on factors such as color, growth ring pattern, visible inclusions in the burl's skin, and ultimately his selectivity. So to sum things up, it is possible to buy crap-briar, decent briar, good briar, and exceptional briar. I'm sure all of Bo's was exceptional . . . but it was not magic.