Il Duca: Sandblasted Pencil Shank Dublin (B) Tobacco Pipe

With a trim line of shank and stem, this Il Duca Dublin is a piece whose bowl feels almost perched at the end, its dramatic taper and ragged, undulating plateau rim ensuring a dramatic profile. It's one of those pieces we expect from Max Rimensi, with his habit of making Italian renditions of classic shapes with sometimes profound re-imagining. That classical feel is reinforced through a particularly crisp sandblasted finish, with neatly stacked growth rings on display in a ochre-hued contrast stain. The trim, elongated shank and long, tapering stem further accentuates the bowl's visual prominence. Pencil shanks, such as the one observed here, can appear delicate and fragile, but Max has crafted this piece with durability and reliability in mind: He's lined the shank with stainless steel, meeting the stem in a reverse tenon and providing worry-free reinforcement.