Claudio Cavicchi: Black Sandblasted Bent Dublin Tobacco Pipe

Claudio Cavicchi is truly a master of his craft, and his ability to coax the best possible grain out of every piece of briar will always astound me. Originally a farmer, Claudio was first inspired to make pipes after an order he placed for one with his local tobacconist took many months to fill. What resulted was not only a pipe almost exactly like the one Cavicchi was looking for, but a passion that has lasted nearly five decades, his first piece made in 1974. A world-champion slow-smoker with three titles under his belt, Claudio Cavicchi relentlessly seeks perfection in every pipe that he crafts, not only able to read grain exceptionally well, but able to engineer pipes that smoke magnificently. This bent Dublin is a Rhodesian-like iteration of the classic profile, possessed of a fairly slender stretch of shank and stem that curve gently toward the button. The transition is wide enough to drape a digit, and the saddle orientation of the stem keeps things sleek through the aft side, placing further emphasis on the bowl. Said bowl stands atop a rounded heel and boasts impressively thick walls that are broader than they are tall, surrounding a capacious chamber as they flare out to a firm ridgeline which marks a swift dome at the rim. Dressed in one of Cavicchi's expertly applied sandblasts, the stummel here showcases some stellar grain from beneath a dark, inky stain.