Dunhill: Shell Briar (4201) (2014) Tobacco Pipe

Rendered in balanced Group 4 size, Dunhill's classic "01" Apple presents a sleek silhouette and an impressively light weight that keeps it well-suited for travel carry. The bowl is bulbous, tapered toward the rim, and the shank is fairly slim, placing further emphasis on the bowl. Further highlighting the sleek look of the aft side, this pipe is paired to a saddle stem, designated by the "2" in the shape code's second digit, and this grants the pipe an added bit of slenderness which balances the composition nicely. The underside is flattened, allowing the pipe to sit sturdily, making it easy to show off the dark sandblast of the Shell Briar finish.

When Alfred Dunhill released his patented Shell Briar, he forever changed the pipe-smoking world at large. Dunhill has often been credited with being the first to offer sandblasted pipes (arguably the most popular finish today), and the Cumberland finish further displayed Dunhill's innovative spirit. Well received after its release in 1979, the Cumberland series was named for the English marque's warehouse on Cumberland road, and the line's signature, brindled vulcanite stem became so iconic, the warmly striated material is now referred to simply as "cumberland."