Castello Sea Rock Briar G π Bent Apple 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.’

This is a Sea Rock Briar, possibly Castello’s most renowned finish, but two things mark it as different from your average Sea Rock. For one, this is a “G” sized Castello, meaning it is larger than many pipes from the Italian workshop. It also bears the π (pi) designation, which is used to mark pipes that deviate from standard Castello offerings in some way. Regarding the latter, the difference for this pipe is quite clear: though it may be a Sea Rock Briar, meaning it is from the make’s pebble-dash rusticated series, this one is only partially rusticated, with this rustication having been applied to its shank and to three circular panels on the bowl’s sides.

The condition is great. There is some light rim darkening and two spots on the inner lip has been pushed slightly out of round – likely by a touch of overzealous reaming, but these do not stop the pipe from looking genuinely beautiful, nor will they impact the pipe’s smoking properties. Having come to us via our consignment program, the pipe also comes with its original box and sleeve.

 

Details:

Length: 6.5″ / 165.1mm

Bowl Width: 0.79 / 20.06mm

Bowl Depth: 1.44″ / 36.57mm

Weight: 2.8oz / 80g