Savinelli 1876

Most people associate the name Savinelli more with pipes than with tobacco. And for good reason, because it is with pipes that the Italian company has made a name for itself. In terms of both design and quality, pipes from Savinelli undoubtedly deserve the attribute first-class - and have done so for almost a century and a half.

It all began in Via Orefici, right next to Milan's Cathedral Square. Here, in the centre of the northern Italian city, Achille Savinelli opened a shop in 1876 that was one of the first to specialise in smoking accessories. The excellent location, but also the excellently crafted pipes that Savinelli commissioned from regional craftsmen, ensured that the shop quickly became a popular meeting place among tobacco lovers.

The shop still exists today, even though the surroundings have changed immensely in the meantime. The capital of Lombardy has long since become a modern business metropolis, and there are hardly any old-established shops left in Via Orefici. Instead, international fashion labels reside in the noble patrician houses, and the famous cathedral next door, Italy's second largest sacred building after St. Peter's Basilica, attracts crowds of tourists.

The fact that Savinelli's shop is still located here is mainly thanks to Achille Savinelli Junior, the grandson of the founder. For it was with him that the rise of the brand began. Born into the tobacco dynasty in 1918, he designed pipes at an early age. His breakthrough came after the war, when he founded his own factory. Savinelli profited from the briar wood that is abundant in northern Italy, a raw material that is ideal for high-quality pipes. Savinelli was not the first to recognise the advantages of this material, but until then, hardly any quality pipes had been made in Italy in significant quantities.

Savinelli changed that - with lasting success. Because the name Savinelli still stands for first-class pipes, for the perfect combination of timeless elegance and excellent craftsmanship. The immense breadth of the range, which is constantly expanding, shows just how diverse Savinelli's creations are. However, the production is traditional: while numerous manufacturers have meanwhile switched over to almost completely machine-made production, at Savinelli the majority of the work steps are still carried out by hand. In addition to the individuality of each piece, this always guarantees that it is a flawless specimen.

Just as with the pipes, Savinelli leaves nothing to chance when it comes to tobacco. Small but exquisite is the selection of carefully composed blends of the Italian family business. The range varies from medium to strong, and the flavours range from richly flavoured to a classic English blend with natural tobacco.