Jerry Zenn: Smooth Poker with Bamboo (20) Tobacco Pipe

Jerry Zenn transitioned into pipe making years ago from a career as an auto mechanic, and his extensive knowledge of tools, machinery, and engineering has served him well in his exacting approach to pipe making. In his early years as a carver, the Taiwanese artisan fashioned a number of Bamboo Cobs, essentially corn cob-styled pipes but fashioned completely out of bamboo instead of corn. Here, Zenn presents a Poker design that hearkens back to those earlier Bamboo Cobs.

In profile, this piece resembles the traditional Poker shape. It sits sturdily upon a flattened heel, the bowl flaring slightly toward the rim while a shank of four bamboo knuckles extends arrow straight from the raised transition. When viewed from above, though, it's apparent that Jerry has taken creative liberties with the classic shape — pinching the bowl fore and aft for an oval orientation, similar to that of a piece we previously received from Zenn. Not only does the bowl's shape fit naturally in hand, but it also provides a better canvas on which to display the briar's grain, with vertical striations dominating the front and back sections. Meanwhile, the rhythm of the bamboo knuckles is continued by the base of the saddle stem, combining seamlessly for an organically inclined motif that's supported further by the kiss of plateau along the rim.