Partially Sandblasted Strawberry Wood Blowfish with Polymerized Stone Tobacco Pipe

Likely one of my favorite pipes from Roman Kovalev to date, this little Lars Blowfish just hits all the right notes. First, it's positively petite, with the rounded, forward-canted bowl practically marrying itself to the hand. The chamber is narrow, and fairly deep, and the substantial surrounding walls should result in a mellow warmth when smoking. It's a tight little bundle of energy, and as it's fashioned from strawberry wood, it's well-suited to the deep, grain-coaxing sandblast which Roman has treated it with, resulting in a texture that almost evokes the look of some manner of organically-inclined rustication, all without compromising the shape's neat linework. A seriously cool number here.

- Daniel Bumgardner