After a month with this pipe, and probably two tins through it, I had to update. It's one of the best pipes I have ever smoked, and I find myself reaching for it even when I don't want Virginia flakes. The stem is really the best part, yes it is drilled perfectly and smokes amazingly smoothly, but the thinness of the stem fits so comfortably between my teeth that I forget that I am even clenching. It has made so many of my other pipes feel chunky in my mouth. This has ruined the experience of many factory pipes now. Ha.