Savinelli: Churchwarden Brown Rusticated (104) Tobacco Pipe

Savinelli's "104" shape designation corresponds to a Billiard design that showcases the Italian pipemaking tradition's approach to classic English and French shapes. The basic Billiard form is maintained in the rigid, upright bowl; however, the proportions have been slightly altered as the shank is a touch more slender and the bowl a tad taller. It makes for a dramatic visual effect and draws more attention to the bowl, while still preserving the shape's streamlined look in profile. The "104" also presents a trimmer alternative to the firm's more robustly proportioned Billiards, such as the "101" and "141 KS," while not sacrificing anything in terms of chamber depth.

While Savinelli's Qandale series offers a number of shapes in Churchwarden configuration, marked by an Old-World aesthetic, the Italian marque also presents versions of more traditional, minimalist style. The Churchwarden design hearkens back to the long, willowy, clay "tavern pipes" of yesteryear, marked by especially long stems. Myth shrouds the name's origin, with stories speculating that churchwardens smoked these longer pipes so as to keep smoke from their eyes while keeping watch over unlocked churches. Others suggest that churchwardens used the longer stems to hang pipe bowls out a window while they smoked during church services. Regardless, the elongated stem promotes a comfortable smoking posture well suited to peaceful, relaxing smoking sessions, and this particular piece wears a chocolate-stained rustication for intriguing texture in hand.