Scott Thile: Smooth Volcano (FH) (333) Tobacco Pipe

Another familiar design from Scott Thile, this rather Japanese-inspired Volcano has cropped up a number of times since we first began carrying Scott's pipes. Though, of course, varying slightly from shape to shape, they all share a similar trait: a wave-like aesthetic realized by smooth lines running along the underside from heel to button. The strong taper up to the rim, paired with the crisp, forward-rocking heel and sweeping transition, emphasizes this motion with a crest-like backwards gesture — guiding the eye back to the wave's origins at the stem. It's presented here in a bold contrast stain, highlighting all that finely-stranded flame grain jumping up from base to rim.

- Andrew Wike