Becker: Smooth Zulu (Three Hearts) Tobacco Pipe

Third-generation pipe maker Federico Becker continues his family's more than 40-year legacy of handmaking stunning pieces, imbuing his late father and grandfather's shaping style and co-mingling it with his own approach, as seen in this rare offering of the Zulu shape. The forward-ebbing design is quite striking with the Italian artisan's signature pointed heel spur defining the bowl. Displaying a gradual flare toward the rim, this piece features many of the form's traditional elements and boasts nearly six-inches of length and a shank-and-stem arrangement that stretches languidly out back. A sleek silhouette is also one of Federico's defining cues and certainly applies to this Three-Hearts piece. The stummel wears a smooth, honey-blonde finish that showcases lovely windswept flame grain all across the bowl with beloved birdseye drenching the rim.