Claudio Cavicchi: Smooth Bent Brandy (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. His over 50 years of experience ensure that his pipes are not only beautiful, but also expertly shaped and precisely drilled. This bent Brandy is a plump and softly rendered piece, offering a substantial feel in hand and plenty of contours to appreciate while smoking. A wide transition out back gives way to a smartly tapering shank that lifts to meet a similarly tapering stem of demurely curved black acrylic. This combination poises the pipe for comfortable smoking and lends the silhouette a flowing sense of sinuousness that naturally balances some of the bowl's visual weight. Up front, the bowl stands on a rounded, gently extended heel that nicely supports its walls as they take on an arcing taper to the rim and make a dynamic forward cant, affording this pipe some charming plumpness and nicely filling out the contours of the hand. 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.