The American Indians believed that a pipe was an excellent medium in avoiding hostilities. Smoking the Pipe of Peace was a well-known ceremony. The use of tobacco can boast a long history. Since the beginning of the 17th century, Holland has been the centre of pipe manufacturers and tobacco blenders. In the past, pipe smoking was not just a matter of opening a pouch of manufactured tobacco. One had to cut up the leaves oneself, or to grind the tobacco with the aid of a mortar and pestle. For buying tobacco, one had to go to the local grocer’s. That was a natural thing to do, since grocers traded in colonial produce.
The European pipes were made of meerschaum, a porous mineral (Balkans and Turkey), porcelain (Mid Europe), or clay (the specific Dutch Gouda pipe). Then, along with the Industrial Revolution, the 19th Century brought a revolution in the manufacture of pipes. The briar pipe has been triumphant. The name has been derived from the French word ‘bruyere’, or heath tree - a low shrub found throughout Europe, though principally around the Mediterranean. The root of the ‘Erica Arborea’ was discovered as being exceptionally suitable for the manufacture of pipes.
Who exactly invented the excellent idea of cutting pipes from this briar wood has, in spite of numerous anecdotes, not been determined. According to the most probable version, a cabinet maker in Chamont (France), bought briar roots in the market, offered to him by a merchant from the Midi. In 1854 he cut pipe bowls out of these, modelled from old porcelain pipes. As a result, up to today pipes are made from the root of this briar shrub. At any rate, it is a known fact that as long ago as 1857 briar pipes were being factory made.