Molina — "mill" in Italian — is a long-running workshop from Vedano Olona that has built its name on consistency, turning out reliable, well-priced smokers for newcomers and seasoned pipe men alike. The Striato series is the house's traditional line: twelve classic medium shapes cut from carefully selected extra-grade briar, each finished with a Cumberland-colored acrylic saddle stem and a brass ring at the shank, details that give the line its instantly recognizable character. This D3 wears the contrast sandblast, where the blasting raises the briar's grain into a bold, craggy texture and the darker tone settles into the valleys to throw the relief into sharp relief.
The Bent Billiard is the workhorse of pipe shapes and the one most smokers reach for first — a straight-walled bowl on a gently curved shank that brings the weight back toward the jaw, making it easy to clench through a long bowl while keeping the hands free. The chamber runs deep with a moderate bore, a proportion that burns evenly and rewards patience, suiting everything from bright Virginias to heavier English mixtures without favoring either. Left unfiltered, the draw stays wide open and unobstructed, letting the tobacco speak plainly from light to heel, while the Cumberland acrylic stem resists oxidation and holds its warm mottled tone far longer than vulcanite. Compact, comfortable, and honestly built, it's the kind of pipe that quietly earns a place in the daily rotation.
Length: 5.27 in./134 mm | Weight: 2.00 oz./57 g | Bowl Height: 1.84 in./47 mm | Chamber Depth: 1.61 in./41 mm | Chamber Diameter: 0.79 in./20 mm | Outside Diameter: 1.59 in./40 mm | Shape: Bent Billiard | Finish: Contrast Sandblast | Material: Extra-grade Briar | Stem: Cumberland acrylic, saddle | Band: Brass | Filter: None | Country: Italy
