Kent Rasmussen: Sandblasted Bent Brandy with Mazur Birch Tobacco Pipe

Until fairly recently, a Kent Rasmussen sandblast was quite a rare thing. In fact, until 2015, we hadn't received a sandblasted pipe from Kent in years. Luckily, sine then Kent has repeatedly turned his attention back to the blasting cabinet, producing some of the most defined and beautiful blasts on the market. You can see his deft skill and eye for grain orientation here in this bent Brandy, with pronounced, rippling rings undulating from broad, sweeping base, all the way to rim. As for the shape itself, it's classic Kent — melding traditional Danish shaping cues with a more organic, natural style. The elongation and arcing gesture of the transition, the flared style of mazur birch inlaid stem base, even the handling of the bowl's broad base and gentle taper are all signature Kent cues, and he's executed them all to perfection here in this piece.

- Andrew Wike