BriarWorks: Classic Brown Sandblasted with Amber Stem (C101)

Essentially an extra-muscular bent Apple, the Author is a staple pipe shape, dating back to vintage catalogs and rendered by myriad historic marques. Nowadays, however, it’s a less-often seen design compared to more ubiquitous Billiard, Dublin, and Bulldog variants. Thankfully, BriarWorks readily renders the form in their “C101” design, maintaining the archetype’s rotund bowl and equally stout shank, but elevated by modern finishing techniques and, at times, colorful acrylic stems. It makes for a traditional shape made distinctive by its rarity, combining voluptuous curves for a steady presence in hand and comforting substance.

As the name suggests, BriarWorks’ Classic series comprises iconic, shape-chart standards and represents the workshop’s standard-production lineup. While every BriarWorks stummel is carved on CNC (computer numerical control) machines based on pre-established templates for consistent shaping across renditions, the stem-fitting and finishing processes are entirely hand-applied by the American workshop’s team of artisans: Pete Prevost, Bill Shalosky, Micah Redmond, and Sam Adebayo. All four men are artisan pipe makers in their own rights, and BriarWorks’ production model of combining mass-production processes with hand-applied, artisanal techniques results in modestly priced pipes with the engineering and aesthetic quality of handmade work. This particular example wears the workshop’s Brown sandblasted finish, offering rugged texture and a rustic persona.