Italian Estates: Claudio Cavicchi Sandblasted Bent Apple Tobacco Pipe

Claudio Cavicchi is truly a master of his craft, and his ability to coax the best possible grain out of every piece of briar will always astound me. Originally a farmer, Claudio was first inspired to make pipes after an order he placed for one with his local tobacconist took many months to fill. What resulted was not only a pipe almost exactly like the one Cavicchi was looking for, but a passion that has lasted nearly five decades, his first piece made in 1974. A world-champion slow-smoker with three titles under his belt, Claudio Cavicchi relentlessly seeks perfection in every pipe that he crafts, not only able to read grain exceptionally well but able to engineer pipes that smoke magnificently. This bent Apple is a shape that's possessed of ample rotundity, the bowl's walls complete with supple curves throughout their arcing taper to the rim. The transition is wide enough to accommodate a digit, and the shank lifts from it while embodying a bit of comparative slenderness, reaching a sleek, demurely curved saddle stem of jet-black acrylic. The ample thickness of this pipe affords it a robust, reassuring feel in hand and leaves plenty of room to showcase the warm, brown sandblast that dresses the stummel: revealing dense, rippling grain throughout.