For decades, this was the way Castellos were made. The number, a 3 or a 5 on the stem, told you the size of the reed (inner tube) to use. Almost no one did. They were, to me, great smokers, but in the 1990’s a certain wealthy and prominent collector and one pipe “expert” repairman loudly proclaimed on every available print and digital platform that they needed to be “opened up.” Monkey see, monkey do. Barely competent people started drilling them out, and abortions are common. It is now somewhat difficult to find unaltered estate pieces from the era that interests me the most, the 1960’s and 1970’s, when Scotti ran the place. The factory has long since succumbed to the “market” preference for Holland Tunnel airways, leading to thicker and less comfortable lucite bits, IMO. But there are exceptions in the smaller sizes. I have a k petite billiard purchased from Bollito a few years back that seems to be drilled to the old dimensions and has a very thin, comfortable, lucite, mouthpiece. What is the practical difference? Well, a bowl lasts longer in it than a kkkk 54 purchased about the same time with the wide open airway and a larger chamber. I would measure the bowl capacities, but a friend expressed interest in the 54 and he now owns it. I do have a few new Castellos from the Kino era. One has passed into the keeper category and the jury is still out on the others.
Of course, when I started with Castellos, the old style was all that was available. Without thinking about it, I suppose it was me that adapted my packing, cadence etc., to the pipes. But the very idea that the newer ones are “better” in this regard is equivalent to saying Carlo Scotti didn’t know how to make a pipe. YMMV, IMO, of course, and I am resigned to the fact that this battle was fought and lost by the people who agreed with me decades ago.
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