Caminetto (2018) Sandblasted Apple w/ Boxwood Estate Briar Pipe, Italian Esates

Caminetto was, and is to this day, a decisive figure in the history of Italy’s pipe workshop tradition. After spending time developing their skills in the Castello workshop, Guiseppe Ascorti and Luigi Radice left to found their own venture, which they named, “Caminetto.” Here, Ascorti and Radice were able to create their own now-classic shapes and finishes, such as the rusticated “Business,” and the carved, wax-drip “New Dear.”

Around 1981, just a few years after the departure of Guiseppe Ascorti and Luigi Radice, the Caminetto workshop mysteriously burned down. But, like the proverbial phoenix, Caminetto would rise again from the [quite literal] ashes, this time stewarded by Guiseppe’s son, Roberto Ascorti, who was joined by his own son, Tommaso Ascorti. Though Caminetto continued to be a firm presence in Italy’s high-grade workshop scene, one change that came about from its revival under the Ascorti family was a gradual, yet notable, shift in aesthetics. The workshop began moving away from some of the older, more rugged Caminetto shapes and finishes, adopting a mixture of more classical designs, as well as designs that were in keeping with currents in the artisan scene—both that of Italy and elsewhere.

In the case of this apple, there’s something of both the traditional and the modern to it. In terms of its basic form and proportions, it’s classically inclined, reminiscent of the army mounted apples one might find in the brochures of the famous English factories of old; on the other hand, its boxwood mount, exceptional ring grain sandblast, and black and gold color palette give it a much more contemporary look. It’s certainly a beautiful pipe, in addition to being a real testament to the versatility and staying power of the Ascorti family.

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

Details:

Length: 5.5″ / 139.7mm

Bowl Width: 0.80 / 20.32mm

Bowl Depth: 1.52″ / 38.60mm

Weight: 1.5oz / 44g