Smooth Brown Bent Dublin Tobacco Pipe

In creating his brand, Valbruna, Italian artisan Simone Gaudenzi has combined his two passions: pipes and the sea. Before branching out on his own as a pipe-making artisan, Gaudenzi worked under the mentorship of Giancarlo Guidi at the famed Ser Jacopo workshop. There, he developed a keen eye for design and a deep appreciation for the whimsical Pesaro style, which appears prominently in his portfolio to this day. Now the founder of his own brand, he imbues every Valbruna piece with his love of both the pipe-making craft and the sea, with his grading system heavily reflecting aquatic themes, and the brand name itself a reference to the legendary underwater city of the same name.

This bent Dublin from Valbruna is a lithe take on the classic shape, though it still retains the bowl-centric shaping cues of the Italian neoclassical style. Moreover, the rim's asymmetrical tilt and rugged crown of plateau add an organic flourish to the composition, which is otherwise quite sleek and architectural. The tall, forward-leaning bowl sits firmly upon its lifted heel, remaining reliably upright without the aid of a stand. This effortless sitting capability, combined with the bowl's cavernous chamber depth, make this offering an excellent desk pipe, and a handsome one at that, thanks to its rich, smooth finish and handsome grain. This pipe is also well-suited for laid-back, leisurely smoking sessions uninterrupted by multitasking, as the demi-Churchwarden stem reduces the arm movement required to raise the pipe to the palate.