Pasargadtabac (Mastro Rahimi)

Pasargadtabac (Pasargad Tabac) is a venture founded in Tehran, the capital of Iran, that brings together under one roof production, education, and publishing work in the fields of pipes, cigars, and pipe tobacco. Its founder and director, known by his own chosen title as Mastro Rahimi, is Amirhossein Rahimi. The name comes from the combination of the ancient site of Pasargadae in southern Iran with the French word "tabac" (tobacco).

Founding

According to brand records, the venture's research and feasibility work was carried out in 2010 (1389 in the Iranian solar calendar), with operations beginning in 2011 (1390). An idea brought over from France is cited as the starting point. The group states that in its early years it devoted much of its effort not to production but to conveying basic knowledge of materials and technique, since no established pipe-workshop tradition existed in the country at the time.

Iranian-Made Briar Pipes

Pasargadtabac's most cited feature is that it launched, within the country, handmade pipe production of domestic design and manufacture. The first pipe was completed in the month of Mehr of the year 1394 (late September–mid October) in the Iranian solar calendar, and was introduced at a ceremony on 9 Mehr 1394, that is, October 1, 2015. The workshop uses briar as its bowl material and states that it sources its blocks mainly from Italy; materials it has tried also include morta. The brand explicitly states that it does not consider Montpellier maple a suitable material for a pipe bowl. Waxing and coloring meerschaum pipes is also counted among the workshop's work; repairing and restoring old pipes likewise falls within the group's field of activity.