Jacono: Rook Bent Dublin Churchwarden Tobacco Pipe

In 1981, Tonino Jacono's father-in-law extended an offer to start a new pipe making workshop, his father-in-law providing high-quality briar from his job at a briar-cutting mill, his brother shaping the pipes, and Tonino himself doing the finishing. The idea was developed further, and, two years later, the first Jacono pipes were made in 1983 from out of the family's small workshop in Jesi, Italy. Tonino's start at this new venture was guided by a simple principle: offer pipes of the highest possible quality at the best possible price. Tonino now heads the company and has taken on carving responsibilities himself, staying true to his original goal, though benefiting from more than three decades of pipe making experience and a reputation for excellence. The Churchwarden is, usually, a more diminutive pipe, a shape defined by its long stem's dramatic curve, terminating in a small stummel. This rendition by Jacono places nearly all of the visual weight at the stummel, complete with a robust bowl that stays true to the neoclassical style thanks to the bowl's impressive size. More than two inches tall, said bowl flares gently to a broad rim and sits atop a firm heel, the trim, tapering shank and slender, extended stem providing some balance while still maintaining a very bowl-forward look. Dressed in the light stain of the Rook finish, this pipe showcases a wealth of handsome grain, with windswept birdseye across the flanks and birdseye at the rim.