Doctor's: Sandblasted Bent Dublin with Bamboo and Boxwood (Flash) Tobacco Pipe

Doctor Roman Kovalev is a shockingly accomplished individual, not just in his pipe making ability, but in his life achievements as a whole. Not only is he an actual doctor, a pediatric neurologist, but he is a polyglot, a racecar builder and driver, a distiller, and a distributor of fine coffee supplies. All of this and he is an incredible pipe maker. His approach to his craft is nothing short of scientific, utilizing a slow-burn process of heating and bending metal rods to bore through bent bamboo as smoothly as humanly possible, which takes many hours, and even building his own proprietary sandblasting equipment when he was dissatisfied with those on the market. Kovalev has been an avid pipe smoker for much of his life, and it was only natural that, at some point, he would gravitate toward making them, and the degree of effort that he puts into them is immense, something which can be seen in this bent Dublin.

This is a very small pipe. Measuring in at under four and a half inches long, it sits squarely and comfortably in Nosewarmer territory, packing a massive amount of substance into its small footprint, and remaining light enough to clench. The stem here is a lithe bent saddle that curls out seamlessly from the organically bent bamboo extension, composed of five densely packed visible knuckles that wrap around six nodes, three on either flank of the dense grass. The bowl rests on a flat heel at the fore of a sleek transition, dwarfing the rear of the composition with its tall, robust walls that flare outward as they travel up to a broad, domed rim. The walls themselves display a rippling organicism, creating a subtly complex look, as well as an engaging presence in hand. Dressed in a rich chestnut sandblast, the bowl displays impeccable ring grain, while the smooth rim boasts dense birdseye, with a touch of plateau for added contrast.