English Estates: Willmer Straight Grain Bent Apple (AA) Tobacco Pipe

Though the Willmer factory closed its doors in the mid-2000s, the family-owned marque had been hand-making pipes for over 60 years prior to their shuttering, and this AA-graded bent Apple showcases their unique style well. Robust and full-bodied in the hand, this piece is a remarkably stout take on the shape, presenting with an immediately apparent, bowl-forward build that draws the eye naturally. The transition is wide and gives way to a rather trim, lifting shank met by a slender saddle stem of demurely curved black vulcanite. Up front, the bowl stands on a very pronounced, chin-like heel that supports thick, supple walls as they arc slightly and taper toward the rearward-slanting rim: the plentiful surface area here offering plenty of space to showcase the stummel's warm stain.