Dunhill: Ruby Bark (5101) (2023) Tobacco Pipe

Dunhill's "01" is the archetypal Apple shape, an outline whose most distinguished feature is its plump, curvaceous bowl. This particular iteration of the shape is a Group 5 piece with a good deal more robustness about its build than is average, though it still maintains a handy, convenient size to make it an ideal companion at all times. The transition is wide here and leaves plenty of room to drape a digit, giving way to a straight, cylindrical shank met by a sleekly tapering stem of jet-black acrylic. A defined forward cant lends the bowl a sense of dynamism while accentuating its contours, the added substance of the pipe's Group size giving the stummel more room to showcase the rich, crimson sandblast and elegant silver band of the Ruby Bark finish.

Dunhill's Ruby Bark finish is one that's gone through a fairly extensive evolution since its inception in 1972. It began as the Redbark and has always remained a red-stained sandblast, but the color was brightened a few years after its introduction before Dunhill returned to the original, darker hue in 1976. Eventually, though, the Redbark was discontinued in 1987. After a hiatus of several decades, the same ruby-stained sandblast was reimagined in the form of today's Ruby Bark finish, adding to the rich aesthetic crisp accents of sterling silver for a colorful presentation that still retains a high level of formality.