Meteora Bent Dublin (2026) Tobacco Pipe

Ardor has its roots in Sociedade Rovera, a pipe making firm founded in Varese, Italy, in 1911 by the four brothers Rovera. Angelo Rovera, son of Sociedade Rovera co-founder Francesco, founded Ardor in 1974 with his son Dorelio, and today the company's pipes are crafted from briar left to age for a decade. Ardor is nestled in close proximity to competitors Savinelli, Radice, Castello, and Caminetto, yet another example of the rich northern Italian practice of pipe making.

This bent Dublin is dressed in Ardor's Meteora finish, named for a Greek formation upon which a large complex of Eastern Orthodox monasteries is located. True to its name, the finish is rather dry and asymmetrical, as well as brilliantly carved. A smoothly finished rim sits proudly at the very top of the bowl, which is drawn with a pair of ridgelines that make the aft considerably rounder and larger than the fore. The shank is carved on the top while smooth on the bottom to make room for the stamping, and a lightly bent stem of swirling gray and black acrylic finishes the piece. It's an excellent work that is certainly worthy of the title of the finish, being just as breathtaking and fascinating to the touch.