Mastro Geppetto: Sabbiato Canadian Tobacco Pipe

Upon creating his Ser Jacopo brand in 1982, Giancarlo Guidi forged his own aesthetic path, diverging even further from English and French pipemaking standards than his classically influenced northern Italian counterparts like Castello. Guidi found inspiration in fine art and everyday life, with his muses being as diverse as the pipes he saw fisherman smoking or those depicted in the art of Van Gogh. Mastro Geppetto is a sub-brand of Ser Jacopo, offering pipes with Ser Jacopo's aesthetic but at an accessible price. This Canadian from Mastro Geppetto is on the reserved side for the sub-brand of a workshop as heavily stylized as Ser Jacopo — making it a good fit for those seeking pipes with a more traditional sensibility but with the pedigree of a legendary Italian marque. Like all Canadians, this pipe has the bowl of a Billiard, an elongated ovoid shank, and a brief tapered stem to punctuate the ensemble. Cross grain frames the bowl on its flanks, directing the eye from the flat rim, around the slight curves of the bowl, and into the shank's flanks. Contrasting the subtle sandblast dressing the majority of the stummel, the nomenclature panel on the bottom of the shank is smooth, giving a view into soft swirls of birdseye blowing towards the stem. A chocolate-hued stain dresses the stummel.