Design Berlin Baltic Sea Straight 9mm Briar Pipe DBP031

• Overall Length: 140mm
• Overall Height: 37mm
• Bowl Height: 37mm
• Bowl Diameter: 43mm
• Bore: 20mm
• Weight: 40g
• Filter: 9mm

Design Berlin Baltic Sea Straight There's a lot of character in the briar chosen for this Design Berlin Baltic Sea DBP031. The broad, rounded bowl gives the grain plenty of room to show itself, and this particular pipe has come out beautifully: streaks of flame grain sweep across the sides, interspersed with tighter, more irregular figuring beneath a warm, glossy stain.

The shape itself is pleasantly stout. It has something of the Apple about it, with a generous rounded bowl, comparatively short shank and a straight black acrylic mouthpiece. Between briar and stem sits the Baltic Sea series' polished Army-style metal mount, giving the pipe a smart flash of silver and a very clean transition into the mouthpiece. A small gold db emblem provides the finishing touch.

The Baltic Sea is one of Design Berlin's current ranges, introduced in 2026. Although Design Berlin's history stretches back to Hubert Hartmann's Berlin workshop of 1948, the modern Baltic Sea pipes are produced for the brand by an experienced Italian pipe workshop, using selected briar and acrylic mouthpieces.

It is drilled for a 9mm filter, a system with which Design Berlin has a long association. Indeed, 9mm pipes became an increasingly important part of the firm's production during the 1970s, alongside the more Danish-influenced designs encouraged by Lothar Schirwitz.

This DBP031 is a particularly handsome example. There's enough metalwork to make it distinctive, but the briar has quite rightly been allowed to do most of the talking. With grain like this, covering it up would have been rather a shame.