Root Briar Pot (DR****) (2022) Tobacco Pipe

While not stamped with any shape number, this Pot from Dunhill is reminiscent of the brand's "06" shape, and it displays a rather bowl-forward construction. The transition is wide, and it gives way to a short, trim shank met by a sleekly tapering, extended stem of jet-black vulcanite, the slenderness through the aft side pushing most of the visual emphasis onto the bowl. Said bowl cants forward as it stands atop a rounded heel, and it grows thick walls that rise cylindrically to a flat rim: insulating a capacious chamber and offering some comfortable rounding in hand. This is an impressively lightweight pipe, priming it for easy carry, and it's been dressed in the vaunted Root Briar finish, displaying grain so impressive that it's earned the four-star Dead Root grade.

Dunhill's "DR" designation on certain Root Briars signifies a special class of pipes: Dead Root. Like all Root Briars, these pieces maintain flawless briar, but with especially choice grain on display. Before the Root Briar line's introduction in 1931, "DR" was stamped on Bruyere pipes that showed handsome grain, but Dunhill wanted a more grain-defining finish, leading to the creation of the Root Briar. Starting in 1979, The White Spot extended the grade further — replacing the letter grading system with stars, increasing in prestige from one to seven. A Dead Root pipe represents the best of Dunhill's standard selection, yet remains quite rare compared to the English marque's overall lineup.