Jacono: Rook Bent Dublin Tobacco Pipe

This bent Dublin from Italian workshop Jacono is a striking take on the timeless shape, complete with a fluid stretch of shank and stem that poise the pipe for comfortable smoking. The transition is fairly tight, and the shank lifts with a subtle taper to meet a similarly tapering stem of black acrylic, adding a bit of verticality to the composition and pulling some of the visual weight back from the bowl. The bowl stands on a rounded, pronounced heel and grows thick, flaring walls that expand out to a high-set waistline, here marked with a firm ridge. This ridge denotes a swift taper to the rim, and it lends the pipe a distinctive resemblance to the Rhodesian shape, all while offering plenty of room to showcase handsome grain beneath the stummel's warm, auburn-toned stain.

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.