A graduate of Italy’s prestigious Academia della Pipa, Michele Sottocasa has been making pipes for over a decade under the la Biota name. Prior to becoming a pipe-maker, Sottocasa trained and worked as a designer and art director, and la Biota pipes continue this drive towards a distinct aesthetic vision. The name, ‘la Biota,’ originally derives from ecology, and symbolizes the deep connection between humans and nature – a connection well represented by the hand-made tobacco pipe.

This la Biota bears the hallmarks of Sottocasa’s work as I’ve seen it so far: minimalistic, freehand shaping, crisp, ring-grained sandblasting, and excellent color composition. The blended-green ebonite and wine-red stain pair perfectly – as red and green generally do – but without looking at all gaudy or too bold. The pipe is also wonderfully lightweight, meaning it’ll suit any smoking situation you can imagine.

Details:

Length: 4.8″

Bowl Width: 19.5mm

Bowl Depth: 1.5″

Weight: 1.4oz / 42g