Moonshine Pipes Review

The Moonshine Pipe Company, established in 2013 in a minuscule 8 x 10-foot shed alongside train tracks in Charlottesville, VA, is the producer of some of the most exotic-looking, high-quality pipes. The company was started by Mr. Jonathan Lavezzo who worked endlessly at developing a powerful brand and beautifully designed pipes. The company eventually partnered up with BriarWorks and produced the XXX series. Now, Mr. Lavezzo has stepped away from the company, giving full creative control to the qualified people at BriarWorks. Today, all of their pipes are made in and distributed from Nashville, TN.

Moonshine Pipe’s mission is to introduce a blue-collar pipe to the market at a reasonable price. They’ve stated that before they entered the game, smoking from pipes was mostly done by rich men who could afford the highest-quality pipes. With Moonshine Pipe’s now in the game, we’re glad to see that even the common man, the blue-collar worker, and the smoking hobbyist can all enjoy sweet tobacco blends with a Moonshine pipe in hand.

In this article, we’re going to review some of the most prized Moonshine pipes. Needless to say, the attention to detail in each of their products is astounding to say the least. We’re amazed that these pipes are even more aesthetically beautiful than several of their more expensive competitors. However, we feel that the products should speak for themselves. Let’s jump straight into our review of two of Moonshine Pipe’s – now BriarWork’s – best pipes: the Devil Anse and Devil Dog.

Devil Anse – 9 Stars

The first impression we got when opening the box was that it was a lot larger than it looked online. This is definitely a plus. Even though the measurements for the pipe are available online, it was still quite surprising that the pipe looked bigger than what we expected. The next thing we noted was that there is some weight to the pipe, which is another plus. Perhaps the weight took us by surprise because we were expecting something smaller, but we’re still happy. However, due to the weight, it might not be a clencher, but that’s not an issue, especially if you favor handheld pipes.

Aside from the dimension and weight of the unit, the next thing we noticed was the blast work done on the entire pipe. We read that the Devil Anse was a piece of art, but we weren’t expecting something so fancy, so rugged, yet so calming about the rough, jagged lines on hard, dark wood.

Performance-wise, we found that the drilling is nearly flawless. It does seem to be slightly higher than we’d like, making for a tiny divet under the egress and into the bowl. It is, though, pretty astounding for the way the bowl cants which is definitely a challenge to do.

Reviews from customers are scattered from 1 star to 10+ plus. In our opinion, we feel that this pipe deserves 9 stars. It’s an almost-perfect pipe that requires very few adjustments to get perfect.

Devil Dog – 9.5 Stars

First of all, if you’re not a pipe “snob” and are more attracted to appearances than performance, the Devil Dog, especially in an Apple Pie finish, will definitely catch your eye. An Apple Pie finish might sound confusing, but essentially the color of the pipe is supposed to resemble the crumbly crust of an apple pie in color. We just want to clarify since some people might think that Apple Pie might refer to a flavor. We’re extremely happy with the dark brown, red, and unique finish on the bowl end of the pipe.

Searching for this pipe on the internet will yield several results, but one thing is certain: the size of the pipe in pictures is definitely smaller than it will actually appear. Even though smaller doesn’t necessarily mean bad, we were a tad disappointed that the pipe was more compact than we imagined. This is good news for people who like to clench pipes in their jaws rather than hold them.

The bowl is rather deep which has its pros and cons. A deep bowl means you can add larger amounts of tobacco in the bowl. You won’t need to refill the bowl as often as you would on the Devil Anse. The bad thing about a deep bowl is that, especially for new users, you run the risk of burning the rim of the bowl when attempting to light up. Either exercise caution when burning your tobacco or use long reach matches to get the flames in there.

We’re happy to say that the pipe lives up to its hype. It smokes really well and the compact size and lightweight means lipping the pipe is possible, let along clenching the pipe with your teeth. We can feel the full flavor of whatever tobacco we place in the bowl when using this pipe which means the drilling job from bowl to the mouthpiece is unobstructed. However, we’ve read reviews online where some customers have had a difficult time sucking up any smoke due to drilling issues. We’re happy we got a functional model but it appears that there’s a lack of quality control.

Overall, we like the Devil Dog with the Apple Pie finish and give it a 9.5/10. The size, weight, and appearance of the pipe make it a desirable pipe for both new and experienced pipe smokers. The only thing we’d recommend is the aesthetics of the bowl-end of the pipe. Straight out of the box, the light-brown bowl lacks the sheen of the maple mouthpiece. Performance-wise, we give this pipe an A+.

Final Remarks

Either of these Moonshine pipes would make an excellent starter pipe for people looking to get into the game. Experienced pipe smokers might be looking for something more, especially considering the price. However, they both work extremely well – at least the units we received – and highly recommend them to current and future pipe-smoker. Keep in mind that these pipes will do nothing to enhance the artificial flavors that are imbued in your tobacco, though they will help deliver larger amounts of smoke form the bowl to your mouth with little effort. Happy piping, guys!