Calibano (Mastro de Paja) 111 C2 Smooth Bulldog Estate Briar Pipe, Unsmoked

Description

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.

This one, for example, is a traditional bulldog rendition, though with a sizeable figure akin to a midcentury Dunhill ODA 837. It wears Calibano’s C2 finish, a deep, reddish-brown stain that works well with the pipe’s natural, fiery grain patterns.

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

Details:

Length: 6″ / 152.4mm

Bowl Width: 0.86 / 21.84mm

Bowl Depth: 1.67″ / 42.41mm

Weight: 1.7oz / 50g