Castello: 'Castello' Billiard (KK) Tobacco Pipe

Italian workshop Castello has a rich history that stretches back to 1947 with its founding by Carlo Scotti, being established as one of the first Italian brands to offer high-quality handmade pipes to the general public. In the 1960s, following the addition of Luigi Radice and Peppino Ascorti to their team of carvers, Castello's pipes began to take on a form that was quite different from the Anglo-French classics that they and others had been producing. The Italian neoclassical style which they had begun to develop led not only to a shaping renaissance within Italy, but the production of a number of now iconic profiles. This is one of the more svelte Billiard examples that I've seen from the Italian workshop, with a lithe acrylic stem military mounted to a ferrule of the same material, the shank behind it a trim length of burl that tapers gently out of the transition. The bowl is possessed of a ginger taper to the rim, its walls almost straight to the eye, the even shaping and squat sleekness almost making it look larger than it is. Light and practical, this pipe is a lovely piece of craftsmanship that benefits from Castello's eponymous finish, dressing the briar in a light, grain-defining auburn stain which keeps the overall aesthetic rather traditional.