Italian Estates: Rossi Notte Apple (Unsmoked) Tobacco Pipe

While not stamped as such, this pipe from Rossi strongly resembles the marque's "8207" design. Rossi's "8207" Apple is one of their more traditionally inclined and noticeably English-inspired designs, defined by its broad, plump bowl and an arrow-straight shank-and-stem arrangement. It's also one of the few straight Apple shapes offered by the Italian marque, the other primarily being their "8202." Where the two versions differ is in their proportions: The "8207" tends to be a touch shorter in length but features a larger bowl while the "8202" is slightly longer and trimmer, displaying a smaller bowl up front.

Introduced to Rossi's portfolio in 2019, the Notte series presents an alluring palette of dark, stormy hues. Meaning "night" in Italian, the Notte offers an aptly dark aesthetic, pairing a smoky, smooth stain with a jet-black acrylic mouthpiece — a trim brass accent ring adding just a touch of brightness, like a sliver of moon at midnight. The stain, while dark, still reveals the briar's natural grain on this piece, emulating the look of swirling clouds within a night's black sky for a powerful and mysterious disposition.