Stiff

You only see pipes in the mouths of men who look like Charles Darwin. But Stiff, a Swedish brand that launched three elegantly designed pipes in Tokyo last month, have reconstructed this relic with the king of modern synthetics: plastic. Nothing about these pipes are old-fashioned, besides the fact that they are pipes.

We hear plastic and we immediately think global warming. Stiff is two steps ahead of us: “The cyclic nature of plastic is very much at the core of Stiff; customers can send in their used pipes to be recycled and used in a new Stiff product.” The color-blocked pipes, which come in blue-dark navy, red-murrey, and black-pistachio (more of a turquoise, really) are a departure from the classic woodsy patterns generally seen on pipes. But tobacco purists need not fear, for while the pipe is cast in eclectically hued thermo plastic, the tobacco chamber is pure briar wood.

Founders Jukka Viitasara and Karl Berglund have spent two years designing this object that is more or less the size of a small bird. It is engineered to facilitate a better draught through the pipe, enhancing taste. As the eleventh pipemaker in Sweden, Stiff possesses the industrial know-how that allows them to balance traditional handcraft with innovation. In other words, Stiff has worked tirelessly to create the ultimate segue to relaxation: “In our stressful society, half an hour of soulful pipe puffing will help you slow down the tempo and bring on a contemplative view of life.”

So put that in your pipe and smoke it!