Calibano (Mastro de Paja) 105 C2 Smooth Apple Estate Briar Pipe, Unsmoked

I have seen many references to Calibano pipes as a Mastro de Paja “second,” and while they were made by Mastro de Paja, to call them “seconds” is not entirely accurate. Instead, Calibano was a Mastro de Paja sub brand, and specifically one through which Mastro de Paja offered something more akin to a factory pipe. In other words, while just about every Mastro de Paja pipe is handmade in the Italian workshop tradition, with the typical result being that each has been unique, Calibano pipes were made with the use of fraising machines and, as such, were offered in a roster of set shapes and finishes. It’s a little like Savinelli’s establishment of the Autograph workshop, but in reverse; instead of starting out a factory make and branching out into freehand pipes, Calibano was a case of a freehand pipe workshop branching out into factory briars.

From what I’ve seen, Calibano pipes tend to be much more traditional in style than some of Mastro de Paja’s other works, a difference in aesthetic not unlike that of Mastro Geppetto in relation to its own parent make, Ser Jacopo. This one is a stout English apple, for example, recalling some of the larger, midcentury renditions of the great English factories, and dressed in a fittingly reserved, brick red finish.

This pipe is completely unsmoked, with an original bowl coating.

Details:

Length: 6.4″ / 162.5mm

Bowl Width: 0.83 / 21.08mm

Bowl Depth: 1.71″ / 43.43mm

Weight: 2.2oz / 64g