Nørding: Handmade Smooth Bent Dublin (18) Tobacco Pipe

One could say that bent Dublins are Erik Nording's bread and butter. The Danish carver produces more of them than any other shape, and he does so with such diversity that each iteration remains unique and special in its own right. This example is particularly special being in the Handmade line, which represents some of Erik's most prestigious creations, graded on an ascending scale from 11 to 30. Differentiating this design is its especially stout shank that sweeps into the bowl to produce a firm heel in profile. The bowl, then, flares upward into a domed rim that's slightly asymmetrical in relation to the chamber's position for a natural and organic aesthetic. Dressed in a honey-blonde stain for maximum grain appreciation, it's accented by a darker section of briar along the stem base for subtle contrast.