Tom Eltang: Smooth Poker with Bamboo Tobacco Pipe

The Poker is one of Danish artisan Tom Eltang's favorite shapes, both to carve and to smoke, and this piece is a fine example of why many smokers around the world agree that Eltang's renditions of this shape are among the best. For decades, Eltang has mastered his craft at his Copenhagen workshop, teaching the art to numerous budding artisans along the way. True to Eltang's consummately Danish style, this Poker displays a straight, narrow bowl and angled heel, allowing the pipe to sit upright with a playful forward cant. Eltang has opted for a bamboo shank in this piece, adding an organic flair whose rhythm continues into the base of the saddle stem. The briar itself is quite impressive in this piece, displaying impeccable birdseye and cross grain highlighted by a warm orange stain.