Savinelli: Churchwarden Black Rusticated (202) Tobacco Pipe

Savinelli's "202" Apple is a streamlined, svelte, and classically inclined design, featuring a bulb of a bowl paired to a sleek shank and stem configuration. It's one of only a few straight Apple shapes offered by the Italian firm, the other primarily being their "207." The two versions differ most notably in regards to their proportions. In standard size, the "202" is slightly longer, displaying a smaller bowl while the "207" tends to be a touch shorter in length and features a more robust presence. Here, though this "202" has been stretched to Churchwarden dimensions, with a slight bend to the stem offering elegant balance.

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 an ebony-stained rustication for intriguing texture in hand and a classy presentation.