In the words of the immortal poet, Keanu Reeves, “Whoa!” This isn’t the type of pipe that merely ‘speaks’ to you, no sir. This is the type of presentation that arrests the totality of your concentration in the manner of seeing DPS cruiser lights snap on in your rearview mirror (but in a good way). Unlike the vast majority of pipes, which possess one central/dominating aspect for the attention to lite upon, this compelling Todd Johnson Hoplite boasts so many equally dazzling facets, that the ‘stand out’ element will depend entirely upon the observer. With your faithful describer, I was delightfully jolted by Todd’s deft use of contrasting hues and textures, then my attention snapped to the juxtaposition created via opposing a bold, iconoclastic shank with a (fairly) traditional acorn bowl (zounds!)… the superlative bit, the briar shank cap, the brilliant, unorthodox form of the plateau… . All these visual eddies in under three seconds, and I hadn’t even begun to examine the grain.

Upon hitting cruising speed (after the rocket-sled acceleration) the details claim their due. The sandblasted grain of the bowl boasts a tightly woven fineness that could compete with the etchings of Gustave Doré, and is robed in black with delightfully subtle dark cherry hues. The latter color ascends a bit in the top view, further drawing the eye to some of the most intriguing plateau that you are likely to run across. The vibrant bengal of the shank serves both as a lovely counterpoint to the obsidian/ ruby of tones of the bowl, as well as performing a yeoman’s job of highlighting a pleasing grain. One of my many flaws as a describer is my near neurotic tendency to become a deconstructionist.Well, hermeneutical approach be damned, this is just one amazingly beautiful briar.

Bear Graves