Yeti: Sandblasted Bent Brandy with Bakelite (712) Tobacco Pipe

Micah Cryder is the young artisan behind Yeti pipes, his passion for the art of the craft imbued into him since his childhood, making him a fourth-generation pipe smoker. An autodidact for much of his career, he turned to pipe makers forums for information about carving before he found Premal Chheda, who furthered his knowledge of the craft considerably, especially with regard to the technical elements. Over the years, his abilities have become even more refined, each pipe made contributing to his skills and solidifying his unique shaping style, something which can be seen here in this bent Brandy.

Immediately I am struck by the bowl here, as it presents its over two inches of height proudly, standing on a lifted heel and showcasing walls that are softly rounded and consistently tapered from its low-set waistline. Said waist provides the fingers a wonderful indexing point, as well as a pleasing roundness which is quite comfortable. At the fore, we see a peak to the rim, as this area of the bowl rises higher than the aft, which accentuates a rather pronounced forward cant out of the transition, imbuing the pipe with a gentle momentum overall. The transition itself is quite wide, leaving plenty of room to drape a thumb, and has received a supple degree of cheeking, emphasizing the presence of the bowl and adding a touch of softness to what is otherwise a muscular form. The shank here is quite thick, tapering a touch from the transition before maintaining a consistent length right afterwards, terminating in an end that is adorned with a band of grey Bakelite and followed by a demurely curved saddle stem, also made from Bakelite, of a creamy, off-white hue.

Dressing the briar here is a crisp, black sandblast that unveils a remarkably dense ring grain pattern rippling up the bowl, with subtle striations of flame grain piercing many of these. The color palette here is quite muted, though each Bakelite element adds its own color contrast, making for a kind of vibrant presentation despite the understated hues which comprise this piece, making for a very modern dress-like aesthetic.