Xin Li Smooth Acorn w/ Bamboo & Boxwood Estate Briar Pipe, Unsmoked

A graduate of industrial design and art history, Xin Li came to pipe-making by chance, after a mutual friend introduced him to the notable Chinese artisan Yang Zhimin. Xin and Yang quickly developed a rapport, in part because both had attended the prestigious China Academy of Art, and because both had an affinity for woodworking. Yang took Xin on as an apprentice in his workshop and, soon enough, this apprenticeship became a pipe-making partnership. For several years, Yang and Xin worked together in handcrafting pipes under Yang’s Zhiputang make. In 2019, Xin departed from the Zhiputang workshop and the partnership was amicably dissolved, with Xin moving on to create pipes under his own name, while Yang continued with Zhiputang.

As is the case with any good artisan, Xin Li crafts far fewer smooth pipes than he does sandblasted ones, as only bowls with the finest and most flawless grain qualify to become the former. As such, a light smooth pipe like this one is a rare sight, and a welcome one at that. Taking the form of a strikingly plump Scandi-style acorn, the bowl is distinguished by its fine, “angel hair” straight grain and bird’s-eye, and takes center stage in part thanks to the pipe’s narrow, bamboo-extended shank and simple, black ebonite mouthpiece.

This pipe is completely unsmoked, with an original bowl coating. It comes with its original sleeve.

Details:

Length: 5.6″ / 142.2mm

Bowl Width: 0.78 / 19.81mm

Bowl Depth: 1.20″ / 30.48mm

Weight: 1.4oz / 42g