Ever wonder why you never see a Castello Old Antiquari with "iffy" grain? Any block that Castello will sandblast has been carefully hand selected from briar that shows the most affinity for the process. To elaborate, briar that shows high amounts of concentric, softer briar striation. When the blast hits the shape, softer wood is stripped away, revealing a mesmerizing grain... such as you see in this pipe. Now you also know why the Old Antiquari represents less than 10% of Castello's annual production.
--Bear Graves