Alexander Hasty: Sandblasted Volcano Tobacco Pipe

While the Volcano is a shape we see a lot from Danish artisans, and Alexander Hasty does favor Danish shaping cues, this is the very first Volcano we have received from the talented American pipe maker. Hasty has developed his own unique style, often producing slightly muscular American versions of Danish classics, and this is an excellent entry into his already impressive portfolio. The bowl displays a slightly concave taper as it rises to meet a similarly concave chamfer at the rim, a subtle touch that is hard to produce well and quietly boasts this a pipe made by hand with unerring precision.

He has given it a dark ruby stain and a low-profile sandblast, both elements working in concert to amplify the mystique of rippling growth rings cascading like lava down the mountain. A demarcating ridgeline wraps the heel and continuous seamlessly up the lower margins of the shank, leaving a rounded panel of blasted birdseye underneath to provide a stimulating presence in hand. Smooth facets at the rim and domed shank face provide subtle visual and textural contrast, and one of Alexander's exquisitely hand-detailed vulcanite stem curls down gently out back to offer a comfortable smoking posture.