Castello 55

[darwin]

Just snagged this Castello Collection 55 from Mike at Briar Blues. It looks like a peach.

 

[philobeddoe]

That's a real beauty Darwin, nice pick up! I love the 55 shape.

 

[newbroom]

I could be very very happy with a pipe like that. Exquisite!

 

[ssjones]

I was oggling them last night, beautiful. If he had any in the 40 gram range, I would have been a buyer.

 

[darwin]

This pipe is hardly a featherweight at 62 grams but it's a bit larger than average and is a meaty fist full of briar with a chamber nearly an inch wide with a depth of an inch and a half. The bowl must be close to two inches in diameter. It's a right little moose and exactly what I was looking for.

 

[stanlaurel]

Beautiful pipe!!
How do these come to have "Briar Blues" stamped on them?

 

[puffy]

Beautiful Pipe..It should smoke great.

 

[tennsmoker]

That is a majestic pipe, Darwin. I love that shape and still lust to put one in my collection!

 

[buckaroo]

A great Castello. Congrats.

 

[jacks6]

Very nice!

 

[jefff]

When people talk about wider bowls being better for more complex blends, the 4K Castello 55 is always the first thing that comes to mind.

 

[darwin]

"How do these come to have "Briar Blues" stamped on them? "
I don't have the pipe in hand yet but the Briar Blues logo appears to be on a removable clear heat shrunk tube and not actually imprinted on the pipe itself. The logo is just a bit of advertising for Mike who acquired this batch of pipes in a special buy.

 

[jefff]

He special ordered 20 pipes to celebrate his 20 anniversary in business.
They are numbered 1-20.

 

[lochinvar]

That's a beautiful pipe, happy smoking.
Just picked up a 55 myself, but an Old Antiquari. I've been on an extended Castello binge....but who needs cash...or groceries

 

[jerwynn]

Oh my, that is LOVELY!!!!

 

[ssjones]

According to Mike's email, they are stamped "Briar Blues" and it looks stamped to me. He sent this to his list subscribers. There were only 20 made, exclusively for Mike. 7 of which remain.

What's on the update
Good Evening All
Please excuse this intrusion into your evening.
This is a very special update. There are 20 un smoked Castello pipes available. All shape 55’s, the bent pot with chin. All have a briar application on the stem, stamped Briar Blues. Each pipe is numbered, from 01 . 20 to 20.20. These were made to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Briar Blues.
When I unpacked these 20 amazing pipes I reflected back over the past 20 years. Friends, clients, carvers, and competitors no longer among us.
When I began I had no idea if the business model would work or fall flat. I had no idea how many friendships would be created along the way.
None of it would have been possible without you. I sincerely Thank You all for your ongoing support, and hope in another 20 years I’ll still be here celebrating our 40th anniversary.
Now the pipes. All are around the 4k or larger in size. All are pretty standard fare with the exception of the Trade Mark, which has a “flame” like rusticated region on the base.
The selection is as follows;
Sea Rocks – 2 - both black with smooth rims
Old Anitquari’s – 3 – 1 red with smooth rim, 2 black, 1 with smooth rim and 1 with a sandblasted rim. All are flame / ring grains.
Trade Mark – 1 – nicely sized red finish with flame grain and “flame” like rusticated base.
“Castello” – 7 – many with flame grain.
Collection – 5 – all with flame grain.
Collection Occhio Di Pernice – 1 stunning cross grain.
Collection Fiammata – 1 numbered 01.20 – very nice flame grain, as one would expect.
As these are a special series with the special stamp and briar application they do carry a slightly higher SRP. To help diminish the higher price, for those on the email update list, I am offering a 25% discount off the posted price, plus free shipping to the US and Canada. For anyone overseas, we will arrange a discounted shipping cost.
There is nothing on the bench at this time, although there are some very high end pipes headed our way, Thanks to Marty Pulvers sending a client to us.
Thank You for taking the time to read the above and for visiting the site.
This weeks update url is http://www.briarblues.com/poy.htm
Please always remember it is easy to unsubscribe from your update list. Just scroll to the bottom of this email.
Regards

Michael J. Glukler

 

[dcrguns]

Here is mine from Mike

 

[darwin]

The reason I thought that there was a clear plastic sleeve is the black band above the logo and the grain is muted underneath the clear area.

 

[orobusto]

I was lucky enough to win one of these that Mike put on ebay. I hope to christen it this weekend.

 

[tschiraldi]

Simply gorgeous! I've been trying to decide on a 55 for about a year now. Still Don't have one. Enjoy!
Tim