Calibano (Mastro de Paja) 109 C3 Smooth Dublin (Unsmoked Estate)

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.

While most of Mastro de Paja’s Calibano pipes were thoroughly traditional in design, there were a few shapes in the latter’s output that could be considered more “modern”—or, better yet, “modern Italian.” The “109” was one of them, bridging the classical Dublin and Zulu shapes in a tasteful hybrid. It was, as can be seen here, also positively stacked, with a tall, deep chamber that promised longer than average smokes.

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

Details:

Length: 6.6″ / 167.6mm

Bowl Width: 0.88 / 22.35mm

Bowl Depth: 1.80″ / 45.72mm

Weight: 1.6oz / 46g