Sandblasted Bent Egg with Afzelia Burl Tobacco Pipe

While the other briars of this Micah Redmond batch have certainly been a visual feast, here we find the pipe that speaks most to me in hand. It's not large, but it has definite presence; it's very smooth of line, but also very firm in proportions; it's sandblasted only lightly, but still provides crisp texture. It's arguably the most understated shape, with the Mini Tomatoes being, well, very mini indeed, the Samurai Volcano very dynamic despite being pretty petite itself, the sandblasted Belge classic but conspicuously light and gracile, and the Tulip a bit grander with its plateau crown and asymmetry of bowl. I'm fine with that. I appreciate the others for what they are, and they are interesting, but this bent Egg is the one I'm most reluctant to put down.

- Eric N. Squires