Yuwei: Sandblasted Bo's Pot with Bamboo and Boxwood Tobacco Pipe

Yuwei Huang is a Taiwanese artisan whose work follows in the traditions of both the Danish and Japanese schools of design, crafting pieces with both impeccable attention to detail and a keen eye for organicism. Bo's Pot is named after and was originally crafted by Swedish artisan Bo Nordh, and it's a unique take on the timeless shape that alters its lines significantly: interpreting the usually stout, stolid, and muscular shape as a far more curvaceous and fluid profile. As such, the contemporary classic lends itself very well to iteration by Yuwei, who further infuses it with his delightfully organic style for a thoroughly enchanting appearance.

The transition is fairly wide, and it gives way to an extremely short shank out back, its cylindrical shape making a swift upturn to meet a similarly curving extension of bamboo. This length of the dense grass comprises a single knuckle oriented near the end, with much of its reach showcasing a lengthy indent on the right flank that's extended into the shank to create a cohesive and naturalistic look that unifies the two disparate materials. A broad, flared accent of boxwood caps this length of bamboo, with its own small, extended divot at the seam between the two, and this flare toward the face maintains the rhythm of said bamboo as it expands to the same breadth. Additionally, the boxwood accent acts as the junction to a stylized saddle stem of smartly curved vulcanite, complete with an expansion ring at its base that tightens the aforementioned rhythm and highlights some negative space to pull a bit of visual weight away from the bowl. Up front, the bowl stands on a distended, belly-like heel that's rich with curvature and rounds out the silhouette of this pipe significantly, its descent centering the transition near the middle of the bowl and guiding the eye naturally toward the fore. From the supple curves of the heel, the bowl cinches slowly, tapering toward a mid-set waistline that's immediately evocative of the Cauldron before flaring out expressively to a broad, domed rim whose edge is marked by a ridgeline: displaying a look similar to the Rhodesian.

From the smoker's perspective, there's a bit of asymmetry to be appreciated here that redoubles the organic aspects of the shape and showcases Yuwei's impressive skill. Specifically, the shank can be seen to push out of the transition with a slight left lean before meeting its bamboo extension, with this extension countering as it leans to the right. The boxwood accent follows suit as it leans slightly to the left, while the stem juts out straight and in line with the bowl, subtly showcasing a feat of both shaping and drilling. Dressed in a crisp, inky sandblast, the stummel showcases handsome grain, with rippling growth rings and blasted birdseye across both flanks of the bowl, while the bamboo and boxwood provide eye-catching contrast.