Gigi Country Maigret Billiard Estate Briar Pipe, Unsmoked (3 & 9m)

Description

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.

Some might call this pipe a “chubby billiard”; others, myself included, would call it a Maigret. The name comes from Georges Simenon’s famous, fictional, French detective, but as far as I’m aware, it’s pipe-makers like Chacom, and then later, Peterson and Ardor, that cemented the idea that a “Maigret” is a billiard of distinctly stout proportions. In other words, a Maigret is a billiard with a broader than average bowl and a thicker than average shank and stem. Needless to say, Maigrets are not lightweight pipes, as we might associate more readily with the French, but they’re absolutely solid smoking machines. This one, by the Italian make Gigi, has some beautiful flame grain swirling all over its stummel, which is a nice counterpoint to the the pipe’s no-nonsense musculature.

This Gigi is also completely unsmoked, with an original bowl coating. It is chambered for 9mm filters, but includes its own adapter for non-filtered use.

 

Details:

Length: 5.6″ / 142.2mm

Bowl Width: 0.81 / 20.57mm

Bowl Depth: 1.65″ / 41.91mm

Weight: 2.3oz / 68g