Claudio Cavicchi: Brown Smooth Freehand 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. In a sort of Dublin meets Acorn meets Shield amalgamation, this smooth Freehand from Claudio Cavicci features a tall, flaring bowl that's full-bodied in the hand thanks to its striking array of wrapping of ridgelines; The ridges here wrapping around the fore of the rim and flowing around the flanks before meeting at the heel and affecting a curling spur. Out back, a wide transition pairs the bowl to a gently flaring shank that expands to a broad, plateau-capped face, which acts as the junction to an impressively stylized stem of black acrylic. This stem boasts a firm expansion ring at its base that expands to a soft ridge before making a plump dome and pinching sharply at the flanks to emphasize the bit's slenderness and pull a bit of visual emphasis away from the bowl. Dressed in one of Cavicchi's rich, chestnut-toned stains, the stummel reveals dense flame grain framing the bowl and lining the shank, while the rim is draped in swirling birdseye.