Claudio Cavicchi: Smooth Rhodesian (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. The Rhodesian isn't an especially rare shape from Cavicchi, though straight examples are few and far between, with this specific style being one we've seen only a handful of times. A wide transition here gives way to a short, tapering shank that's paired to a stylized briar accent at a pair of trim bands of black acrylic, giving way to a matching acrylic stem that tapers to the button. The angular slope here pushes more of the visual weight onto the bowl, and the bowl itself sits atop a firm heel that supports flaring walls that reach a pair of crisp beadlines near the start of a swift taper to the rim. 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 and the rim and underside are draped with birdseye.