Still "The New" After Twenty Years
Jürgen Moritz from Moenchengladbach has been part of the canon of established German pipe makers for a good twenty years now. And there are certainly signs that he is still considered an insider tip. The reason for this is certainly that Jürgen was not always able to devote his entire commitment to pipe making. First of all, his main job is a social worker, making pipes has to take a backseat from time to time.
The pipe maker, a social being
Those of you who like to go to pipe fairs and meetings should also know Jürgen Moritz. He was often to be found there. Often in a “double pack” with his sparring partner Frank Axmacher. But Jürgen is also otherwise a sociable person who seeks exchange. Especially with his fellow pipemakers. The topic of pipes inspired him very early on. As a 13-year-old he hid his first pipes from his mother in the bedside table. Later, he "accidentally" scheduled vacation trips to combine with his passion for pipes, looting a few pipe shops along the way.
Learning phase
When his daughter was born in 2001, a thought process began for him. What else do I want to achieve in my life? Building pipes was the answer, and since then nothing has been the same. When he showed his first works to collectors in 2004, he received both positive and negative feedback. From then on he sought contact with other pipe makers in order to learn from them and was in close contact with Cornelius Manz for a long time. Also in 2009 he had the opportunity to work with Tom Eltang in Denmark for a whole week. A great source of inspiration for Jürgen was always visiting the Pipe Fair in Chicago. He describes it as "Disneyland for pipe maniacs".
Step into the main occupation
In the meantime, he has been able to sell his pipes to a number of specialist dealers in Japan, Sweden, Denmark and Germany.
This was a very intense period as he worked part-time as a full-time pipemaker. But he also noted that "having to" make pipes took away the fun and inspiration. So these days he's back to being a part-time pipemaker, but with a lot more fun and creativity.
Tried it himself
Since Jürgen Moritz is a passionate pipe smoker himself, he is very good at discussing the advantages and disadvantages of different shapes. And over time, a favorite shape has emerged, let's read it for ourselves:
"I've tried many forms and I still do. But I clearly have a favorite form: billiards – and all of them. Classic, brandy, pot billiards. With bamboo applications, made of horn, boxwood, bone, antler, bone, it just has to be consistent. Due to the clarity of the form, you can do almost anything wrong here and it can't be hidden! ... Less is more!"
Immaculate workmanship
And what comes out of his workshop really deserves the name "high quality freehand pipe". Harmonious shapes, which mostly correspond to the classic canon of forms - but also take into account the Danish way of interpreting them. The pipes are absolutely well made, precisely nested, wonderfully grained and expressively sandblasted - of course in our own sandblasting room. It is also noticeable that the mouthpieces are ground very thin. Made by someone who likes to carry the pipe between his teeth and prefers lighter pipes.
No questions of principle
Whether with or without a filter is not a question of basic opinion for him, but definitely a question of creative freedom. Since he mostly builds lighter pipes, most pipes don't have room for a 9mm drilling. But in larger pipes you can also see 9mm holes from time to time. In any case, we have 9mm filter pipes from Jürgen Moritz in our range.
