Michail Kyriazanos: Smooth Strawberry with Bamboo Tobacco Pipe

Michail Kyriazanos lives in Greece, on Paros Island, said to be one of the most beautiful places on Earth. And from that locale he carves some of the most beautiful pipes on Earth, like this smooth Strawberry with a bamboo shank of indescribable complexity, containing more knuckles, somehow, than can logically fit on such a short length. I count seven bands of knuckles, which is nearly unheard of. It's also a length of bamboo curving upward at exactly the correct angle for this Strawberry shape, expanding as it moves away from the stummel and toward the saddle stem. The bowl itself is both organic and angular, its rim gently rounded like the top of a strawberry, while its heel is sharply pointed, also like a strawberry. The Kyriazanos contrast stain is on fine display, demarcating fine strands of grain cascading down the bowl. It's a small pipe, well-suited to a jacket pocket and undoubtedly effortless to clench. It's a spectacular composition, and in my opinion, Kyriazanos prices are still a bargain for the quality he provides.