NPD: Stanwell HCA VII Smooth Churchwarden Bent Egg

[Manawydan]

My first New Pipe Day post since joining the group! My first pipe was a Savinelli 606 bent apple in blue alligator and my second was a Peterson Deluxe Classic Terracotta bent Rhodesian 999 P-Lip. Wanted to try a third make and a churchwarden to boot; found this beautiful Stanwell Hans Christian Andersen VII smooth churchwarden bent egg with a 20% off coupon! Comes with two stems too! Waiting until after dinner to fire it up for the first time... now what blend shall I try?

 

[AJL67]

Very nice! I'm sure it will smoke as good as it looks!

 

[Manawydan]

Very nice! I'm sure it will smoke as good as it looks!

Thanks! I can't wait to fire it up! Is it dinner-time yet?

 

[Bbailey324]

Nice pipe. It is dinner time, I'm eating now. Better hurry up.

 

[AroEnglish]

Oh yeah that's a HCA 7 alright! The grain on that side is very pretty. What does the other side look like?

 

[Manawydan]

Oh yeah that's a HCA 7 alright! The grain on that side is very pretty. What does the other side look like?

As requested. It is challenging to get pictures of smooth/glossy pipes without reflections.

 

[AroEnglish]

As requested. It is challenging to get pictures of smooth/glossy pipes without reflections.

View attachment 307591

Even with that it's clear that it's a beautiful pipe. I still haven't owned a churchwarden so maybe I'll fulfill my dream from over a decade ago and also buy an HCA 7.

 

[Manawydan]

Even with that it's clear that it's a beautiful pipe. I still haven't owned a churchwarden so maybe I'll fulfill my dream from over a decade ago and also buy an HCA 7.

Thanks -- for me it is really nice-looking, elegant curves, has both stems, and was a reasonable price. I had a 20% off coupon from pipesandcigars.com that made it irresistible for me. They still have a couple in stock! I still want a 'Strider' pipe also ultimately.

 

[AroEnglish]

Thanks -- for me it is really nice-looking, elegant curves, has both stems, and was a reasonable price. I had a 20% off coupon from pipesandcigars.com that made it irresistible for me. They still have a couple in stock! I still want a 'Strider' pipe also ultimately.

I'll have to keep an eye out for their next 20% off sale. It looks like they have 7 left of one kind and 1 of any other kind. The photos on their site are both smooths but the more expensive one is marked sandblasted. Which one did order?

 

[Manawydan]

I'll have to keep an eye out for their next 20% off sale. It looks like they have 7 left of one kind and 1 of any other kind. The photos on their site are both smooths but the more expensive one is marked sandblasted. Which one did order?

I ordered the smooth bent egg. I get coupons from P&C when I place orders -- those are usually 15% off.

 

[Manawydan]

I decided to try the pipe in full 'churchwarden' mode this evening. Loaded up a bowl of Sherlock's Choice -- a Tinder Box English blend, a reasonable combination of Latakia, Oriental, and Virginia with a bit of BBQ on the nose. The pipe smoked beautifully! The smoke did seem cooler due to the longer travel before reaching my mouth. And when I did finally hear a bit of gurgle near the end of the bowl, I never got anything out of the bit. I am very pleased so far and look forward to breaking it in further.

I have to say, it is nigh impossible to not be in a contemplative mood when smoking a churchwarden. I was definitely channeling my inner Gandalf.

 

[AroEnglish]

Convenience aside, do you have a preference for which stem you enjoy using more?

 

[Manawydan]

Convenience aside, do you have a preference for which stem you enjoy using more?

Hmmm... I've smoke it both ways now and it smokes really well in either case. I think because I have several other standard-length bent pipes I prefer smoking it with the churchwarden stem for the novelty. If it was my only pipe (heaven forbid!) I'd likely smoke it standard maybe 2/3 of the time and the remainder in churchwarden mode.

 

[AroEnglish]

Hmmm... I've smoke it both ways now and it smokes really well in either case. I think because I have several other standard-length bent pipes I prefer smoking it with the churchwarden stem for the novelty. If it was my only pipe (heaven forbid!) I'd likely smoke it standard maybe 2/3 of the time and the remainder in churchwarden mode.

Man you're really making me want to pick one of these up!

 

[kcghost]

You selected a nice pipe! And you got two stems which makes it a good deal!!

 

[Manawydan]

You selected a nice pipe! And you got two stems which makes it a good deal!!

Thanks -- I've been really impressed with the quality so far. Stanwell makes a fine pipe. The two stems plus 20% off made this my best overall pipe value as well.