Castello: Collection Pot with Boxwood Stem (with Extra Stem) (6.26) 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 2023, Castello and Smokingpipes are issuing another release of the handsome mouthpieces in various finishes. With only 26 pipes comprising the limited release, the distinctive shape of this edition is the Italian workshop's "17" Pot. Each pipe also comes with a more traditional, acrylic stem for versatility.

This serialized number 6/26 Pot 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 thick, straight walls define the bowl. A low-set, well-defined transition accentuates the breadth of the bowl and lends a sense of balance 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 well-executed stain of the workshop's Collection finish for a striking presentation.