Castello 2022 Collection 4K Smooth Pot Estate Briar Pipe, Italian Estates

Description

Founded in 1947 by Carlo Scotti, Castello quickly became known for producing some of the finest smoking pipes in the world. Over the years, the people involved in making Castello pipes has changed – such as Luigi Radice and Sergio Ascorti, who developed their skills in the Cantu workshop before leaving to start Caminetto, or the handing of the reigns of the company to Francisco ‘Kino’ Coppo after Scotti’s passing – but the superlative quality of Castello pipes has not. It is not without reason that Castello is known as “the Italian Dunhill.”

Castello’s Collection line sits near the very top of the workshop’s smooth finishes. Aside from the rusticated Natural Vergin line, Collection pipes typically wear Castello’s simplest, lightest staining so as to showcase the superior grain patterns necessary to qualify for such an accolade. Even a brief glimpse at this one shows why it ascended not only to the Collection line, but to a full four-out-of-four “k” grade within that line. The stummel showcases ultra-fine, “angel hair” straight grain lining the full 360 degrees of the bowl’s exterior, as well as a pool and halo of bird’s-eye on the pipe’s base and rim respectively. I’m a little surprised that the pipe didn’t also receive the “Fiammata” grade based on this graining, though Castello’s standards are notoriously high. As for the shape of this one, it looks to be the “67”, a pot/billiard hybrid that evokes the iconic shape “55,” but without the latter’s signature lunging posture.

The condition is great. Very minor inner rim darkening.

 

Details:

Length: 6″ / 152.4mm

Bowl Width: 0.92 / 23.36mm

Bowl Depth: 1.57″ / 39.87mm

Weight: 2.3oz / 66g