Claudio Cavicchi: Smooth Bent Dublin (CCCC) 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 compressed into a quite vertical profile that keeps its dimensions rather compact, yet maintains a distinct, swooping S-curve and muscular build. A well bent, jet-black acrylic saddle stem curves out from a tapering, high-kicking shank, the duo promising excellent jaw hanging. Up front, a flaring bowl cants forward while growing out of a pronounced heel, rising to a plateau-crowned rim and offering a robust feel in hand as the heel's outward push offers visual separation between bowl and shank. Dressed in one of Cavicchi's iconic honey-blonde finishes and graded four "C"'s out of five, the bowl is wrapped in dense flame grain, while the underside is peppered with birdseye.