Italian Estates: Castello Collection Fiammata Billiard (KK) (2022) Tobacco Pipe

I'm immediately struck by two things when I look at this straight Billiard from Castello: the scale of the pipe and the grain on display. As a piece that's been honored by the Italian workshop's coveted "Fiammata" grade, the latter is no surprise, and the former only enhances its presence by allowing more of it to be shown. Rising to over two inches in height and featuring a breadth that would be more expected in a Pot, this Billiard is quite the robust pipe, the supple curves of the bowl conforming to and filling out the contours of the hand extremely well. A wide transition ensures easy thumb draping and leads to a gently tapering shank and stem. As I mentioned before, the grain here is stunning, with the vibrant honey-blonde hues of the Collection series revealing a veritable blaze of flame grain wrapping the bowl, and pinpricks of birdseye at the heel and rim.