Lasse Skovgaard: Sandblasted Bent Apple Tobacco Pipe

The Danish school of pipe typically reveals gestural, organic styling, and Lasse Skovgaard's portfolio is packed with fine exemplars, now joined by this delightful bent Apple rendition. Lasse is a second-generation pipe maker, his father Benni Jørgensen also a pipe artisan, and cut his teeth in the industry at the tender age of 16 in the venerated W.Ø. Larsen workshop in Copenhagen, working alongside and studying under the great Teddy Knudsen. Lasse showed promise in the craft immediately and was soon promoted to make the workshop's prestigious Straight Grain pipes. In 2004, he began making artisan renditions under his own name and quickly developed a worldwide following for his unique style.

This iteration shows its Danish pedigree with a gestural Apple bowl, the heel gracefully lifted, and cheeking at the transition leading into a gently upswept round shank that attracts my phalanges like a comfortable magnet. The shank flares just slightly as it moves rearward, then expands roundly to a domed face from which the svelte, hand-cut vulcanite stem grows from organically. The grain radiates down from above, and Lasse shaped perfectly to it, positioning rippling growth rings on both flanks and dressing them in a crisp ruby sandblast for an unforgettable aesthetic. Light in hand and gorgeous to look at, this one promises to become a favorite in your rotation.