Castello: Collection Fiammata Bent Apple (K) 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 bent Apple is one of the most striking takes on the shape I've seen from the Italian workshop, though it's one that maintains their iconic style well. A rather compact pipe, these slightly reserved dimensions bely the hearty substance the stummel offers in hand, with ample stoutness and an appreciable weight. The transition is wide, and it gives way to an extremely thick shank that tapers as it lifts to meet a smartly bent stem of black acrylic, the pair offering a comfortable smoking posture. Beneath the transitional area, the shank extends down into a rounded spur before making its taper, and this spur pulls some of the visual weight back from the bowl, placing more emphasis on the shank and stem while staying a decidedly neoclassical piece. Said bowl is charmingly rotund and delightfully round, with full, plump curves throughout that offer a comfortable feel in hand, and it truly calls to mind the shape's namesake. Dressed in the workshop's Collection finish, this pipe's warm, light stain and glossy sheen showcase some beautiful grain all around: good enough to have earned it the Coveted Fiammata designation, reserved exclusively for pipes that showcase stellar flame and straight grain.