Italian Estates: Claudio Cavicchi Smooth Apple (CCC) 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. His over 50 years of experience ensures that his pipes are not only beautiful, but expertly shaped and precisely drilled. It's not often that Cavicchi crafts straight renditions of the Apple, making this piece rather rare within his portfolio, and it's one that nicely displays his ability to carve classic shapes in a neoclassical style. The transition is wide, and it gives way to a consistently tapering shank and stem combination that slenderizes the aft side of this pipe nicely, all while pushing the majority of the visual weight onto the bowl. This bowl stands on a rounded heel and grows thick, curvaceous walls that rise to a flat rim, doing well to insulate the chamber for leisurely smoking. Dressed in one of Cavicchi's iconic honey-blonde finishes and graded three Cs out of five, the bowl and shank are wrapped in dense flame grain, while the rim and underside are peppered with birdseye.