GH.ZHANG: Red Sandblasted Bent Apple (Sergey Ailarov) (09) Tobacco Pipe

Guo Hui Zhang's passion for pipes began with his work as an importer and purveyor of pipe-making materials. Zhang's understanding of large-scale pipe logistics inspired an exciting idea: the mass production of high-quality, artisan pipes. In 2017, he opened the GH Zhang workshop and partnered with pipe makers around the world to achieve his vision. Each GH Zhang pipe is designed by a famous artisan pipe maker and shaped on a CNC machine before being finished by hand and fitted with stems by the team at GH Zhang. Offering more than 40 shapes in smooth and sandblasted finishes, GH Zhang presents pipe smokers with a rare opportunity to procure artisan-style pipes at an accessible price.

One of Russia's most prominent pipe-makers, Sergey Ailarov constantly thinks about pipe design, always sketching out his shapes before carving them. Ailarov draws on Danish, Japanese, and American pipe aesthetics for inspiration, which coalesce into his unique style that is put on proud display here by GH Zhang. This Ailarov "09" bent Apple by GH Zhang boasts a dynamic posture, possessing a poised bowl, a lifted heel, and an upturned shank-and-stem arrangement. The fore and aft's opposing trajectories lend the shape a unique polarity and a refined sense of balance, which is expressed visually but is also felt in hand. This particular "09" bent Apple is dressed in an auburn-tinged sandblast that highlights striking grain throughout the stummel.