Vauen: Pipe of the Year 2020 Partially Sandblasted Smooth (9mm) Tobacco Pipe

Vauen's annual Pipe of the Year series has been released every year since at least 1993, with each iteration by the German marque being a fine example of the craftsmanship of the artisans they employ. Vauen's choice for 2020 is this particularly sinuous bent Egg, a cleanly lined rendition of the classic shape with supple curvature and a gentle bulge to its bowl. This softness is contrasted by its paneled shank, a quartet of ridgelines at each of the apexes flowing into the bowl, the bottom pair reaching up through the heel and to the rim, while the top two crawl up the transition, bulging as the bowl does. This rigidity balances the flow of the gentle lines this pipe carries, though does not detract from how gestural the outline of this shape is, with a gradual momentum urging the front half of the pipe forward. The stummel is dressed in a handsome auburn stain, with a sandblast on either flank revealing rising growth rings that visually and texturally contrast the smooth surface of the top and bottom, stain bringing out a lovely grain.