Scott Thile: Smooth Calabash with Bocote, Zebrawood, and Maple (491) (with Tamper and Stand) Tobacco Pipe

Since July of 2015, we here at Smokingpipes have hosted an annual American Pipe-Making Exposition, showcasing pipes from some of United States' premier carvers. Each Expo is centered around a particular theme and allows the participating artisans to express their unique style under a given motif. For 2022, the theme was Calabash engineering, an element of craftsmanship and design that allows for a myriad of interpretations. For his entry, Scott Thile has fashioned a particularly striking rendition of the Calabash shape that comes included with a display stand, a tamper, and three distinctive rim caps.

Tall, shapely, and muscular, this piece features a bowl that rises from a sweeping heel and flares into a broad, overhanging rim cap. Underneath the removable chamber cap, the bowl boasts a hollow cavity that collects excess moisture and ensures a cooler, drier smoking experience. Out back, the shank curls upward from the low-set transition and gently tapers into the a steeply curved saddle stem of jet-black vulcanite. The shank-and-stem arrangement adds a touch of fluidity and gesture to the pipe's profile and encourages a comfortable smoking posture. Thile has dressed this piece in a chestnut-hued smooth finish that highlights fine streaks of flame grain that flow upward across the flanks of the bowl. The three unique rim caps included allow for modification based on aesthetic preference, with an option of Bocote, Zebrawood, or Maple — each displaying rather striking grain patterns.