American Estates: Mark Tinsky Tan Blast Cherrywood (4) Tobacco Pipe

Mark Tinsky has always been an adventurous spirit; in fact, he first decided to open a pipe-carving business while bicycling across Europe with his friend Curt Rollar. Since that fateful day in 1978, the American carver has built a long and successful career of making beautiful pipes, often with his own unique adaptations of classic pipe chart shapes. This Cherrywood is a lovely, dynamic take on the shape, complete with a forward-urging bowl standing atop a flattened, sure-sitting heel. From this heel, the bowl takes on a Dublin-like flare out to the domed rim, its walls canting forward nicely and lending it a bold stance. A wide, mid-set transition out back leaves plenty of room to drape a digit and gives way to a lifting, tapering shank-and-stem combination, with the stem taking on a demure downturn at the bit for a comfortable smoking posture. Dressed in the crisp sandblast and light stain of Tinsky's Tan Blast finish, the stummel showcases plenty of handsome grain, its combination with the black stem fostering a classic aesthetic.