Jacono: Bishop Bent Brandy Tobacco Pipe

This bent Brandy from Jacono is a stout, yet compact pipe from the Italian Brand, complete with a supple and remarkably curvaceous bowl whose heel is both fluid and muscular. The transition is tight, and it gives way to a lifting shank that tapers subtly toward a similarly tapered stem of swirling, cream-and-coffee-toned acrylic. This combination of shank and stem makes a steep arc through the aft side and lends the pipe an impressive verticality to the composition, while additionally taking on a smart downturn at the bit for comfortable smoking. Dressed in the Bishop series' partial rustication, the stummel here showcases handsome grain throughout, with an area at the heel covered in craggy texture.

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.