Castello “Castello” 4K Smooth Opera Estate Briar Pipe, Italian Estates

Description

Founded in 1947 by Carlo Scotti, Castello quickly became known for producing some of the finest smoking pipes in the world. Over the years, the people involved in making Castello pipes has changed – such as Luigi Radice and Sergio Ascorti, who developed their skills in the Cantu workshop before leaving to start Caminetto, or the handing of the reigns of the company to Francisco ‘Kino’ Coppo after Scotti’s passing – but the superlative quality of Castello pipes has not. It is not without reason that Castello is known as ‘the Italian Dunhill.’

Castello’s “opera” shape, known otherwise by the 44 shape code, may well just be the best of both worlds when it comes to such designs. The traditional opera features an oval bowl and chamber, making it easy to tuck into a breast pocket or elsewhere when smoking on the go. Oval chambers, however, can be a little tricky to get the hang of. Castello’s opera shape avoids this difficulty by simply having an round chamber instead, and has become one of the make’s signature designs. This one is a rather unusual iteration of Castello’s opera and “Castello” smooth finish, featuring a white lucite stem and black dot, instead of the usual black stem and rhinestone, or white bar. I’d say white was a good choice here, as it complements the bowl’s flame grain and reddish-brown nicely. Judging by the stamping, this pipe was made between 1982 and 1992, before Carlo Scotti’s passing.

The condition is great. Minor darkening and finish fading on the rim, and some very light tooth chatter. This Castello comes with its original box and sleeve.

 

Details:

Length: 5.6″ / 142.2mm

Bowl Width: 0.85 / 21.59mm

Bowl Depth: 1.49″ / 37.84mm

Weight: 1.6oz / 48g