Chris Asteriou: Sandblasted Bent Dublin with Bamboo and Mammoth Tobacco Pipe

Chris Asteriou is a Greek pipe maker who enjoys producing a wide variety of designs, his portfolio displaying both artisan renditions of classic shapes and more avant-garde iterations like this organic bent Dublin. The bowl here flares quite broadly up from a flattened heel, all the better to display tight stacks of ring grain climbing to its domed rim. Said rim is mostly smooth, boasting dense whorls of birdseye, with a kiss of plateau defining the very top and innermost aspect for a bespoke presentation, one amplified by an undulating rim that is especially striking in profile.

Many pipe makers include bamboo in their designs, but comparatively few embrace the more gnarly pieces like the one Chris incorporates here. The overall design and usage of unique bamboo immediately bring Doctor's pipes to mind, as their maker, Roman Kovalev, is an early pioneer and renowned master of the style. The transition on this pipe is raised, easing fluidly into the tight knuckles of the aforementioned pale medium, and builds to a natural conclusion of mammoth that forms a ring at the shank end. A precise, hand-shaped vulcanite saddle stem completes an S-curve, neatly mirroring the shank's upwsept curvature with a soft downturn to offer a comfortable smoking posture. A virgin finish covers the briar, letting the grain perform its own symphony, and it's a sweet sound indeed — one that will deepen as the natural briar hue darkens with a patina as this pipe is smoked.