Abe Herbaugh Smooth Tomato with Bamboo Tobacco Pipe

Abe Herbaugh developed a love for woodworking in his father's shop while growing up in West Virginia. He built electric guitars as a young man, during which time he was reintroduced to the hobby of pipe smoking. Abe eventually became interested in pipe making and attended his first pipe show in 2010, then left his job building guitars to pursue pipe making full-time. World-renowned for his craftsmanship, Abe draws particular influence from Danish and Japanese artisans.

This Tomato of Abe's is feather-light at just over a single ounce but still manages to provide plenty of visual intrigue in the bamboo shank and on the beautifully crafted and smoothly finished briar bowl, the walls of which wear dense flame grain. The bowl is stained a dark walnut hue to contrast well with the bamboo and the smooth finish is glossy, playing with the light that it reflects. The bamboo is only two knuckles in length but fits the pipe like a charm, bridging the back of the bowl and the start of the vulcanite saddle stem with great poise. Bamboo lovers and Tomato lovers will no doubt enjoy this offering, in which Abe managed to bridge these worlds with great results.