I have always had an inordinate fondness for the incorporation of bamboo in traditional shapes, in the drunken utterances of my best friend, ‘I like ‘em big, tall, fat and small’. Done well, bamboo adds both a great deal of extra dimension and visual interest, without a hint of the superfluous. Mike does everything well and his employment of that fascinating material in this briar is no exception. A thinner ferrule would add an air of delicacy that would be at odds with this American neo-classic. A thicker one would bring to mind some of the not-so-hot attempts at integration that I have seen out of Italy. As you can clearly see on your monitor, Lindner nailed it.

This robust charmer (roughly 6’x2’x1.75’) is graded a ‘C2’, and fills the hand in a delightful manner. Dressed in a an understated ocher, this straight billiard vaunts a craggy sandblast that might put a Kauaian beach outcropping to shame, while still maintaining painfully pretty striations throughout. While evaluating this billiard on the video, take a peek at the stellar slotting, your first hint of the legendary attention to detail that is part & parcel with every Lindner smoking instrument that leaves his shop.

Bear Graves