New Castello

[Jevverrett]

Just got this in today. I got it off Amazon, but it came from tobaccopipes.com ultimately. I had a bunch of gift cards, so I got a fantastic deal on it lol. It’s a sea rock 4K lovat, and has a nicely sized button. Some others I’ve seen or bought had huge ones that didn’t work out well for me. Should be a great addition.

 

[Jevverrett]

I think I botched the post a bit lol

 

[daveinlax]

WoW! Very Nice! Enjoy!

 

[Brewdude]

Schweet!




Cheers,

RR

 

[Zeno Marx]

In my opinion, the Castello 75 is the quintessential lovat. I've owned several and traded or sold them all. Now that Castellos are silly prices, I'm sorry about that. They were all great smokers, too. I'm a wee bit envious.

 

[Jevverrett]

In my opinion, the Castello 75 is the quintessential lovat. I've owned several and traded or sold them all. Now that Castellos are silly prices, I'm sorry about that. They were all great smokers, too. I'm a wee bit envious.

Here’s one of the “old“ sea rocks at a reasonable price Castello 'Old Sea Rock' Lovat (KKKK) # 1202

 

[Ranger107]

Nice,, enjoy.

 

[ftrplt]

Nice get!!!! One good looking briar!!! FTRPLT

 

[Sherlock]

Nice looking pipe.

 

[RSteve]

I had no idea how expensive Castellos had become. I think I still have a sea rock hiding in the basement.

 

[Timbo]

My Castello could be the twin of Jevverrett's one, a good smoker and a good choice mate.

What is the deal with the price of Castellos?

The one I've got I managed to pick up cheap and it smokes no better than any other pipe I own. They don't seem to be better engineered than other pipes either.

 

[Zeno Marx]

Here’s one of the “old“ sea rocks at a reasonable price Castello 'Old Sea Rock' Lovat (KKKK) # 1202

Ha! That's still high if you ask me. Don't ask me. That's the key.

When you see price tags of $350-700 for pipes you used to trade for $75 like cord wood, you can't do much but scratch your head. Castello has changed and upped their game, though. They're doing some of the nicest looking, and most interesting looking, pipes on the market in my opinion, but that doesn't mean I have any inclination to follow them down the path. I did get a little crazy at one point when Edwards of Dallas (I think that was the shop in Texas) was sending out estate catalogues with big, beautiful bulldogs. Thank goodness I didn't lose any money on those. I just didn't have many occasion to smoke those monsters. By the way, I still wish someone had a blog or a place with all those catalogues scanned and shared. With his wealthy clientele, the estates he regularly sold were amazing. Anyone remember those mailers? My goodness could you get lusty.

 

[Zeno Marx]

My Castello could be the twin of Jevverrett's one, a good smoker and a good choice mate.

What is the deal with the price of Castellos?

The one I've got I managed to pick up cheap and it smokes no better than any other pipe I own. They don't seem to be better engineered than other pipes either.

I wouldn't argue the engineering. The wood they use is consistently great. They age all the wood a minimum of 10 years. They do put in the extra mile. As I said, I've had many, and I never had a poorly performing Castello. Maybe that shouldn't be a big deal, or isn't a big deal, but there was a certain level of confidence you could have when getting a Castello. Other makers have that as well. They aren't unique in that, but I've had others with that reputation that didn't live up to that reputation in my experience. blah blah blah. My appreciation for the maker is greater than my desire to own them.

 

[Jevverrett]

My Castello could be the twin of Jevverrett's one, a good smoker and a good choice mate.

What is the deal with the price of Castellos?

The one I've got I managed to pick up cheap and it smokes no better than any other pipe I own. They don't seem to be better engineered than other pipes either.

Aside from putting in the extra work to make them very well, I like the look and unique feel of the sea rock. I have found they take a long time to break in. Like 100+ smokes to really get them into the sweet spot. As for the price, I’d say it’s a numbers game. They are sort of a factory, but not really. More of a small group of handmade carvers. They produce very small numbers annually compared to savinelli or Peterson, who typically charge half for a mid range in their line. You get what you pay for.

 

[Timbo]

OK, I didn't know about the briar aging they do, so there is that to add to the price. But as far as I'm concerned they're hitting Dunhill prices at least on ebay, which as they're both factory pipe makers this is just simply silly. So other than aged briar, why so? Especially as they need a long break in according to Jevverrett, mine was an estate so it had had a fair few smokes prior to me getting it I presume, so it smokes well enough. Still nothing I'd write home about though.

For the price, I'd rather pay Ron half to a third of what they charge, for a commissioned pipe of my desiring from him. My pipes from Ron have been hitting home runs or scoring centuries in Commonwealth parlance after breaking them in after three or so bowls. And that's from me as an early customer when as he would say it, was "turning out turds".

 

[gravel]

That’s a beaut!

 

[Jevverrett]

OK, I didn't know about the briar aging they do, so there is that to add to the price. But as far as I'm concerned they're hitting Dunhill prices at least on ebay, which as they're both factory pipe makers this is just simply silly. So other than aged briar, why so? Especially as they need a long break in according to Jevverrett, mine was an estate so it had had a fair few smokes prior to me getting it I presume, so it smokes well enough. Still nothing I'd write home about though.

For the price, I'd rather pay Ron half to a third of what they charge, for a commissioned pipe of my desiring from him. My pipes from Ron have been hitting home runs or scoring centuries in Commonwealth parlance after breaking them in after three or so bowls. And that's from me as an early customer when as he would say it, was "turning out turds".

That’s just my experience on the break in. Initial break in is about ten smokes for an uncoated bowl, but most pipes aren’t really seasoned till 50-60 smokes. Castello seems to hit its stride around 100. Which for me on a new pipe may take a month to six weeks on the low end, to about three on the high. And they’re not a factory in the traditional sense, more a large handmade workshop. You should check out their website. CASTELLO | Made in Cantù

Carlo Scotti said…​

“I lead a workshop, not a factory. My pipes are artworks. They are the result of passion, imagination and handcraft work.”

 

[Jazzer]

Just got this in today. I got it off Amazon, but it came from tobaccopipes.com ultimately. I had a bunch of gift cards, so I got a fantastic deal on it lol. It’s a sea rock 4K lovat, and has a nicely sized button. Some others I’ve seen or bought had huge ones that didn’t work out well for me. Should be a great addition. View attachment 3393

A very nice pipe!!

 

[Jevverrett]

Thank you.

 

[RSteve]

I had no idea how expensive Castellos had become. I think I still have a sea rock hiding in the basement.

The pipe linked above on Amazon via Tobaccopipes.com described:

Castello Flame 2020 Tobacco Pipe 11772 ​

Brand: Castello $5800​

Pay $322.22/month for 18 months, interest-free upon approval...

I simply cannot imagine paying $322/month for a year and a half for a pipe