Jacono: Knight Poker Tobacco Pipe

The Poker is a practical, sturdy shape that champions functionality above all else, presenting with a cylindrical bowl, flattened base, and straight shank and stem combination. Here, Jacono has rendered the shape in delightfully neoclassical style, with an accentuated bowl presence that eschews the expressly cylindrical shaping usually seen in favor of a slightly pinched waist and a demure flare up to the domed rim. The flat heel enables easy sitting where needed, and the bowl is paired to a short, tapering shank that pushes out of a wide transition to meet a sleek saddle stem of black acrylic. Dressed in the craggy rustication of the Knight series, the stummel offers plenty of rugged texture to appreciate.

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.