The Cookie Monster Sundae Nano Rig is a 4.75-inch concentrate rig hand-blown by Empire Glassworks in Placentia, California. The body is sculpted as a cupcake sundae, it runs a fixed multi-slit downstem, and it takes a 14.5mm female reinforced banger hanger.
Nano is an accurate label rather than a marketing one. At 4.75 inches tall this is among the smallest formats a working rig comes in, and the whole piece weighs about 300 grams.
The build
The multi-slit downstem is fixed into the body. Multiple slits split vapor into several streams instead of one, which is how a chamber this small manages meaningful diffusion — there is no room for a separate perc, so the downstem has to do that job.
The joint is a reinforced banger hanger. Reinforcement matters more here than on a large rig: a small piece has less glass to absorb the leverage of a banger being seated and torqued, and the joint is where a nano rig fails.
The short vapor path is the functional argument for the format. Less distance between the banger and your mouth means less surface for terpenes to condense on, which is why small rigs are the flavour-chaser's default.
Specs
- Height: 4.75 inches
- Dimensions: 6.0in length, 5.25in width
- Weight: About 300 grams
- Body: Sculpted cupcake sundae
- Downstem: Fixed multi-slit
- Joint: 14.5mm female reinforced banger hanger
- Origin: Hand-blown in Placentia, California
- Price: $200
Who it suits
This is for the low-temp dabber who wants flavour and does not need volume, and for the collector who buys Empire for the sculpting.
Empire's work is hand-blown and individually made, so no two come out identical and quantities are limited. That is the trade you accept with art glass — you are buying a piece rather than a unit.
The practical notes are worth being straight about. A fixed downstem cannot be removed, so cleaning is a soak rather than a strip-down, and heavily sculpted glass has more surfaces for residue to catch on than a plain rig does. At 4.75 inches there is not much water in play either, so this rewards a small dab.
Elsewhere in the range, the Beehive Nano is the other nano-format sculpt and the Koi Pond Baby Beaker applies the same detailing to flower glass. For adults 21 and over.