BriarWorks: Classic Dark Sandblasted with Coffee Stem (C53) Tobacco Pipe

With a medium-depth sandblast providing excellent texture throughout the stummel, this "C53" Bulldog from BriarWorks presents a traditional disposition, but in a compact length and with chubby proportions. An all-dark palette rides the stummel, letting the shape itself dominate the pipe's character. A classic take on a timeless shape, this BriarWorks Classic does a fine job of presenting a pipe with proportions that hint at vintage French and English style.

As the name suggests, BriarWorks' Classic series comprises iconic, shape-chart standards and represents the workshop's standard-production lineup. While every BriarWorks stummel is carved on CNC (computer numerical control) machines based on pre-established templates for consistent shaping across renditions, the stem-fitting and finishing processes are entirely hand-applied by the American workshop's team of artisans: Pete Prevost, Bill Shalosky, Micah Redmond, and Sam Adebayo. All four men are artisan pipe makers in their own rights, and BriarWorks' production model of combining mass-production processes with hand-applied, artisanal techniques results in modestly priced pipes with the engineering and aesthetic quality of handmade work. This particular example wears the workshop's Dark sandblasted finish, offering rugged texture and a rustic persona.