Weingott: Difference between revisions

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Mr. Weingott, a tobacconist at 3 Fleet Street since 1859 was an insider, a true "connoisseur" who had an incredible knowledge of tobaccos deriving from his trading experience, to which he was adding now a unique pipe manufacturing experience, rapidly becoming the authority in working the Briar. Weingott had very high ethics driven by an obsessive aim at excellence often disapproving and exposing the continental fakes and tricks:''"sold by unscrupulous cheap and foreign firms; but the Englishman is a good judge of a pipe. He detests flaws of any kind. I used to sell these defective blocks of briar at a penny per piece, and have sent away as many as 40.000 condemned Briars at a time, but now I burn them all! The Briars were sent abroad, and the cracks and flaws stopped with putty or some other composition, and then stepped in a strong solution of permanganate of potash, which deeply coloured the wood and made the defect invisible except on close inspection. all those Briars you see of chestnut colour have passed through the permanganate of potash bath or some other dye, and are then varnished, and you may rest assured that there is a defect somewhere-they would not be that colour if it were not so, because natural briar, although it becomes dark with age and exposure, displays the natural grain."''    
Mr. Weingott, a tobacconist at 3 Fleet Street since 1859 was an insider, a true "connoisseur" who had an incredible knowledge of tobaccos deriving from his trading experience, to which he was adding now a unique pipe manufacturing experience, rapidly becoming the authority in working the Briar. Weingott had very high ethics driven by an obsessive aim at excellence often disapproving and exposing the continental fakes and tricks:''"sold by unscrupulous cheap and foreign firms; but the Englishman is a good judge of a pipe. He detests flaws of any kind. I used to sell these defective blocks of briar at a penny per piece, and have sent away as many as 40.000 condemned Briars at a time, but now I burn them all! The Briars were sent abroad, and the cracks and flaws stopped with putty or some other composition, and then stepped in a strong solution of permanganate of potash, which deeply coloured the wood and made the defect invisible except on close inspection. all those Briars you see of chestnut colour have passed through the permanganate of potash bath or some other dye, and are then varnished, and you may rest assured that there is a defect somewhere-they would not be that colour if it were not so, because natural briar, although it becomes dark with age and exposure, displays the natural grain."''
 
For most of the XIX and XX century his pipes were some of the best ever made in London, respecting his directives of 1 craftsman per pipe and never a "ford like" assembly line so commonly adopted in many workshops of the time. these pipes are extremely rare and much sought after by pipe collectors worldwide.
     


The family sold the business in the 1930s and since then they have been made by, or used private label pipes, under several different owners. In 1980 Cadogan bought the brand and,according to many pipe smokers, effectively killed it. Initially by lowering the extremely high quality level of this classic brand and later on by finally discontinuing it.  
The family sold the business in the 1930s and since then they have been made by, or used private label pipes, under several different owners. In 1980 Cadogan bought the brand and,according to many pipe smokers, effectively killed it. Initially by lowering the extremely high quality level of this classic brand and later on by finally discontinuing it.  

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