Charles Rattrays Monarch Sandblast 15 Black Briar Pipe

• Overall Length: 128mm
• Overall Height: 95mm
• Bowl Height: 57mm
• Bowl Diameter: 43mm
• Bore: 21mm
• Weight: 76g
• Filter: 9mm
• Cloth pipe bag included

The Charles Rattray’s Monarch Sandblast 15 Black is a cool bent calabash made from sturdy briar. It’s got a black acrylic stem that makes it look all brooding and unified. The deep sandblast shows the natural grain underneath a dark finish, giving the pipe a cool texture and a sense of weathered elegance, like driftwood you’d find along the North Sea coast.

This 9mm-filtered pipe is made with smokers in mind. It’s got a big bowl, a graceful bend, and a nickel mount that gives it a crisp visual break while also strengthening the joint. The draw is open and smooth, just like you’d expect from a pipe maker with a history going back to 1911, when Charles Rattray started his workshop in Perth, Scotland.

Calabash pipes used to be made with meerschaum, but this one is made from briar, giving it that same cool curve but with modern durability. It’s got a personality - once associated with Sherlock Holmes and gentlemen of leisure - but here it’s got a sandblasted ruggedness that suggests it can be used for more than just smoking.

This pipe is the kind you’d want to keep by the fire, in your favourite chair, and maybe even a worn-out copy of Conrad or Kipling close by. It’s not flashy, but it’s got a presence - the kind of pipe that invites you to relax and enjoy it.