IMP Meerschaum: Spot Carved Bent Apple (with Case) Tobacco Pipe

Deeply bent and uniquely stylized, this bent Apple from IMP Meerschaum is a good example of the more playful side of the Turkish workshop, presenting with a build that is quite different from their more classic fare. The shank here kicks up high from a spurred base, rising to a domed, ridgeline-wrapped end whose expansion is marked by a band of spot carved divots that add some texture to this otherwise smooth piece. From here a shimmering acrylic saddle stem arcs out almost acrobatically, promising comfortable smoking and lending the pipe an elegant stature. A plump bowl sits at the fore here, with some lovely rounding to its form that ensures a lovely in-hand feel and offers plenty of surface area for patination to accrue.

-John McElheny