Claudio Cavicchi: Smooth Bent Dublin (CCC) 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 fluidly curved piece from the Italian artisan, its silhouette creating a slight, rounded point near the heel and drawing the eye toward the bowl. A wide transition gives way to a tapering shank that lifts and forms a seamless junction with a similarly tapering stem of demurely curved black acrylic. Up front, the bowl stands atop a rounded heel, its walls taking on a measured flare out to an asymmetrically undulating rim. Said walls surround a capacious chamber and offer comfort in the hand thanks to its easy contours. Dressed in one of Cavicchi's iconic honey-blonde finishes and graded three "C"'s out of five, the bowl is wrapped in dense flame grain, while the rim and underside are peppered with birdseye.