Claudio Cavicchi: Smooth Apple (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. His over 50 years of experience ensures that his pipes are not only beautiful, but expertly shaped and precisely drilled. At just a touch over five and a half inches long, this is by no means a lengthy pipe, though it's quite a substantial one at more than two and a half ounces in weight. Much of this added substance is thanks to the bowl, which maintains all the iconic roundness that Apples are known for, here also translating into an impressive thickness through its walls and a stout breadth that's greater than the bowl's height. The walls themselves are supple and curvaceous, offering rich contours to appreciate while smoking and effortlessly insulating the capacious chamber. Out back, the wide transition gives way to a thick, gently tapering shank that reaches out to meet a sleek saddle stem of black acrylic, its slender bit ensuring one's focus remains on the stummel. Dressed in one of Cavicchi's iconic honey-blonde stains and graded four C's out of five, this pipe displays dense flame grain surrounding the bowl and rich birdseye across the underside.