Claudio Cavicchi: Smooth Tomato (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 expertly shaped and precisely drilled, and all of these are the case with this Tomato. For a Cavicchi pipe, this is a remarkably classic piece, showcasing a subdued silhouette that's reminiscent of the Prince in its agile, graceful combination of shank and stem. The transition is wide and low-set, giving way to a subtly lifting shank that tapers gently as it reaches toward a similarly tapering stem of demurely downturned black acrylic. This pairing poises the pipe for more comfortable smoking and lends the profile an understated fluidity, which naturally balances the presence of the bowl in concert with this composition's continuous undercurve. Up front, the bowl stands atop a sweeping, subtly lifting heel and grows thick, plump walls that showcase ample curvature around the flanks and cant forward dynamically. Dressed in one of Cavicchi's iconic honey-blonde stains, this CCC-graded piece displays dense flame grain around the bowl, striated by bands of rippling growth rings and framed by birdseye across the rim and underside.