Claudio Cavicchi: Smooth Bent Dublin (CCCCC) 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. His over 50 years of experience ensures that his pipes are not only beautiful, but expertly shaped and precisely drilled. This Pickaxe-esque bent Dublin boasts a pronounced and curved heel, which is spurred at the back near the transitional area, creating a well of visual focus that immediately draws the eye to the bowl. Said spur supports flaring walls that expand expressively toward a broad, plateau-crowned rim, its thick walls offering comfort in hand thanks to their ample rounding. A rather wide transition gives way to a subtly lifting shank, which flares out to meet a demurely curved saddle stem of jet-black acrylic, its end shaped in a neat, collared dome that creates a wealth of negative space at the junction in concert with the stem's domed expansion ring. Dressed in one of Cavicchi's iconic honey-blonde finishes and graded five "C"'s out of five, the bowl is wrapped in dense flame grain and is representative of some of Cavicchi's best work.