Introducing Kris Edwin Barber

 

Twenty years ago Kris Ewdin Barber was living in the Bavarian Alps where pipe smoking is much more popular than in the U.S. He remembers hiking through the mountains one day when a man smoking a pipe walked past him. The aroma was wonderful; kind of a woody campfire note mixed with a subtle cherry flavor. He remembers thinking how pleasant it would be to have that fragrance surrounding him all the time so the very next day he borrowed a pipe from a friend, poured a generous amount of his dry tobacco into the bowl, struck a match, and…he hated it. Yes, it seemed it was much more pleasant to have someone else do the smoking for you while you just sit there and enjoy that delicious roomnote. What he didn’t know is how important a good pipe is to the smoking ritual. Since then he has learned how the mechanics of a pipe affect the smoke and thus, the entire smoking experience. If he only had access to a good pipe that day he would not have wasted so much time in appreciating the wonderful qualities of a good pipe smoke. He makes his pipes with these mechanics in mind, considering everything from the draw and how the smoke travels through the pipe to the materials he uses.

 

Additionally, he tries to design and to carve the smoking pipes that are aesthetically pleasing. "By manipulating the pipe’s angles I search for the design and shape which express the wood's grain whether it's a stunning display of straight grain running up the Bowl and Shank, or a brilliant show or bird-eye adorning the Rim. The end product is an Edwin pipe; a pipe that smokes well and is beautiful to the eye", he said. As he continues to create new shaes and carve pipes distinctive to the Edwin name, he keeps on eye fixed on artsians whi have inspired his craft.