Radice Rind Rusticated Stack Billiard Estate Briar Pipe, Italian Estates

Radice is one of the great Italian workshop pipe makes, belonging to a historic lineage of such workshops. The company began as a family affair, being established in 1980 by Luigi Radice, along with his son, Gianluca, and father, Paolo. But Radice’s pipe making “family” is a little larger than that. Prior to founding Radice, Luigi ran Caminetto, which he had founded with Guiseppe Ascorti in 1968. Prior to Caminetto, Radice had worked alongside Ascorti in the Castello factory, under the supervision of its owner, Carlo Scotti. It’s quite an impressive genealogy, which is clearly reflected in the quality of Radice pipes. In contrast to the finishes of the Caminetto and Castello workshops he once hailed from, Luigi Radice’s signature “Rind” rustication is relatively lightly applied. While no less rich than its counterparts in the high-grade Italian scene, the Rind is less “weathered stone” and more “citrus peel,” which I presume is its namesake. This one takes the form of an impressively large stack, wearing what looks to have originally been a rather light, natural finish, which has taken on a deeper, golden patina over time. The condition is good. Some rim darkening and chamber over-reamed.   Details: Length: 6.2″ / 157.4mm Bowl Width: 0.90 / 22.86mm Bowl Depth: 1.71″ / 43.43mm Weight: 1.6oz / 48g