Sandblasted Strawberry Wood Brandy (Four Clubs) Tobacco Pipe

If you're partial to pipes that provide a lot of texture in hand, here Paolo Becker has gone about providing just that in a rather unorthodox manner — which for him is, in fact, quite a usual way of doing things. A full and rounded form is provided, not so unusual there, but whereas most would either pair it to a very deep, gnarled blast, or rustication, Paolo has instead simply gone with a change in medium: strawberry wood. Aside from being a bit lighter, this cousin of briar also tends to produce a broader, deeper, and wilder ring-grain. and so it indeed does here. The result is a shapely handful of a pipe with loads of texture for fingers and palm, yet in a sense softer too; a little "toothy", but not so crisp or overtly craggy as a heavily blasted briar, and more natural and varying than rustication.

- Eric N. Squires