Castello: Old Antiquari Dublin with Boxwood Stem (with Extra Stem) (26.30) Tobacco Pipe

Founded in 1947 by patriarch Carlo Scotti, Castello remains a successful, family-run company and is currently managed by son-in-law Franco Coppo. In 2021, Smokingpipes' Sykes Wilford traveled to Cantù to meet with Franco and brainstorm ideas. The result of the collaboration was a limited-edition run of a singular shape, the workshop's "15" Billiard, wearing some of the workshop's most iconic finishes and, perhaps most importantly, topped with stems of boxwood. Castello occasionally accents pieces with silver, with boxwood rarely used by the company's craftsmen, ensuring the exclusivity and collectability of the line.

Now, in 2022, Castello and Smokingpipes are issuing a second release of the handsome mouthpieces in various finishes, with only 30 pipes comprising the limited release, the distinctive shape being the Italian workshop's "25" straight Dublin. Each pipe also comes with a more traditional, acrylic stem for versatility.

This serialized number 26/30 Dublin is imbued with the masterful craftsmanship one expects from Castello, the elegant line work and shaping precise. The full-bodied bowl rises from a firm, Italian-style heel that's flattened enough to enable the pipe to sit sturdily, while a more conservative flaring of the rim is demonstrated. A low-set, well-defined transition accentuates the height of the bowl and lends additional sleekness to the shank-and-stem arrangement in back. At the shank end is an acrylic army mount, which is topped by the boxwood stem, its pale hues contrasting against the warm, tanblasted version of the workshop's grain-defining Old Antiquari finish.