Jacono: Pawn Brandy 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 Brandy is a rather uncommon shape from Jacono, and this example does well to showcase the brand's neoclassical style, with a full-bodied bowl that draws the eye and centers the visual weight of this pipe at the fore. A wide transition here gives way to a tapering stretch of shank that's met with a similarly tapering stem of swirling coffee-hued acrylic. Up front, the bowl sits atop a firm heel and a low-set waistline, said waist offering a plump, robust feel in hand while bolstering the rise of sleekly tapering walls that reach to a flat rim. Dressed in the warm stain of the Pawn sandblast, the stummel here showcases plenty of handsome grain, with rippling bands of growth rings cascading down the bowl while birdseye peppers the smooth rim.