Gigi Giant Smooth Bent Apple Estate Briar Pipe, Unsmoked, 9mm

About this pipe:

Gigi pipes occupy an interesting position in the history of Italian pipe-making. The story begins with the founding of Sociedade Rovera, a pipe-making company in Varese, Italy, by the Rovera family. As members of the Rovera family left to start their own ventures, the dynasty associated with the name would be split into several companies; Angelo Rovera created Ardor with his son Dorelio; Federico created Fe.Ro; Massimilliano created Mario Rovera; Fiorenzo created Gardenesa; and Giorgio created Giorgio Rovera, along with partners Angelo and Adele Bianchi. In 1964, Luigi Crugnola, nephew of the Bianchis, took over the Giorgio Rovera make and changed its name to his own – Gigi.

I wouldn’t necessarily call this a ‘giant’ pipe, but it is fairly large – perhaps a group 5 or so. It isn’t an especially heavy pipe, either, which is generally good news. It is, quite simply, a very sturdy, slightly bent apple, with a deep chamber and thick bowl walls, making it ideal for smoking while doing life’s various tasks. The grain is nice, too, with plenty of chatoyant bird’s-eye patterns covering the pipe’s bowl. There’s a very subtle decorative ring at the end of the shank. I’m not sure if it’s a slightly darker stained briar, or another hardwood, but it adds a little extra bit of charm to the overall design.

The pipe is completely unsmoked, with an original bowl-coating to help ease in its first smokes. The pipe is chambered for 9mm filters, but its straight shape would likely accommodate a non-filter adapter of some variety quite easily.

Details:

Length: 5.8″ / 152.4mm

Bowl Width: 0.82 / 21.84mm

Bowl Depth: 1.58″ / 40.13mm

Weight: 1.6oz / 48g