Micah Redmond: Sandblasted Natural Bent Apple with Bakelite Tobacco Pipe

American artisan Micah Redmond crafts pipes in a style that nicely fuses the smooth lines and easy curves of Danish pipe-making with the more compact musculature often seen in American designs. This bent Apple is a remarkable piece from Redmond, being one of the most strikingly compact pipes we've seen from the artisan, coming in at just a touch over four inches long and residing squarely in Nosewarmer territory. It's not just that this pipe is shockingly compact, it's also impressively lightweight, coming in at well under an ounce and lending itself extremely well to travel carry whenever a refined American smoker is needed. Easy to clench and eminently pocketable, this pipe boasts a wide transition that gives way to a short, lifting shank paired to a sleek saddle stem of vibrant red Bakelite: the world's first commercially available synthetic plastic and a material that's become prized in recent years for its varied, vibrant tones and high heat resistance. Up front, the bowl stands atop a rounded, muscular heel that supports its plump, supple walls. These walls take on an arcing taper to a gently chamfered rim and provide plenty of curvature to appreciate in hand, the walls nicely insulating a compact chamber. Dressed in a crisp, natural sandblast, the stummel reveals rippling ring grain flowing down the walls of the bowl, its tones primed to accrue a bespoke patination as it's smoked, all while the red Bakelite provides expressive contrast.