Ardor: Mercurio Bent Billiard Tobacco Pipe

Though the Ardor pipes workshop was founded in 1974 by father-son team Angelo and Dorelio Rovera, the pipe-making history of the family stretches back to 1911, with the founding of Sociedade Rovera in Varese, Italy. It was here that Angelo began to carve pipes alongside his father and uncles, starting at the age of 13 in 1958, Ardor's debut into the pipe world marked by a high standard of craftsmanship that's remained consistent for nearly five decades. Though Angelo passed away in 1999, Ardor is now run by Dorelio, alongside both Damiano and Dimitri, the next generation of Roveras. Ardor's pipes are often typified by their strikingly neoclassical proportions, with each piece offering greatly enhanced substance about the bowl and a reassuring presence in hand. This bent Billiard is a deeply curved iteration of the shape, and it boasts all the substance expected out of a pipe from Ardor: offering a reassuring weight and an impressive feel in hand. The shank-and-stem combination lifts out of a nearly parabolic transition, curling into a steep S-curve that's exceptionally well-suited to being hung from the jaw and comfortable smoking all around. The shank itself flares out to a black acrylic accent, matching the material of the stem, whose base is accented with silver and draws the eye back a bit from the bowl. Up front, the bowl stands atop a rounded heel and grows tapering, Egg-like walls that curve softly as they rise to a chamfered rim, the walls surrounding a capacious chamber. Dressed in the rich, chestnut-hued smooth finish of Ardor's Mercurio finish, the stummel displays dense flame grain across all its flanks, with ample birdseye displayed across the heel.