Becker: Smooth Pot (Two Hearts) Tobacco Pipe

The Becker family has been making fine pipes from premium briar since the late 1970s, a tradition started by Fritz Becker and now carried on by his grandson, Federico. Some of the design cues the Italian workshop has become famous for are sharp, angular shaping and sleek pencil-thin shank-and-stem arrangements, and both those elements are on full display in this Pot. While I rarely find myself describing a Pot as svelte, that is the first word that comes to mind when I look at this trim rendition, the bowl's straight sides dropping unabashedly to a crisp, pointed heel. From the heel's apex, the continuous line of the profile runs straight as an arrow, right up the shank, along the underside of the tapered cumberland stem, all the way to the lip button. The lithe profile keeps all of the taper on top, a subtle feature that shows the attention to detail that Federico lavished on this handmade piece. Wearing a smooth, virgin finish, the stummel displays incredibly tight striations of flame grain on the flanks, and birdseye adorns the rim and heel. The broad rim is canted slightly aft, displaying a discrete chamfer to the inner edge and creating a bespoke profile so coy I didn't catch it on first or even second glance. An understated beauty with fine lines any discerning collector will covet, this pipe is destined to quickly become the centerpiece to one lucky smoker's rotation.