His understanding that a pipe is “a consumer product” ushered in a modern era of new lines, limited edition collections and other special products that consumers love and demand. James Crean Ltd. took the helm at Peterson next and was the first to divide the brand into pieces. Recognizing the loyalty of customers to the original name, the company was returned to the historically significant moniker of Kapp & Peterson. In 1969 the last Peterson pipes to be made in England were produced. The English shop was closed and all Peterson’s were, from that point forward, made in Ireland. From 1915 through the end of World War II was a pretty eventful time for Peterson of Dublin or any other Irish company or citizen for that matter.
Better known as the P-Lip, the patented mouthpiece was designed to move smoke away from the tongue and to the top of the mouth. Although we’ve come to think of Peterson of Dublin as a thoroughly Irish brand, it was started peterson pipes by three immigrants, none of them Irish or even from Great Britain for that matter. The Kapp brothers, George and Frederick, were Bavarian and Peterson himself was Latvian. I knew that I was dealing with a pipe from the Specialty Line of Briars made between 1945 and the present.
The stem was lightly oxidized and had tooth chatter on both sides ahead of the P-lip. While I was traveling in Europe I received a call from a fellow here in British Columbia who was referred to me by the local cigar shop. I call him when I returned home and it turned out that he had a pipe that he wanted me to work on. He said that the stem was clogged and he wanted me chacom tobacco pipes to clean up the airway and make it usable again.
Indeed, it is on this groundbreaking design that the worldwide reputation of Peterson rests. During the last hundred years, Peterson has grown tremendously without losing sight of its original dedication to quality, handcrafted products at a reasonable price. Within a year, Frederick employed a young Latvian woodworker named Charles Peterson to help with production and repairs. I’ve chosen these as both are excellent aids in relaxation and contemplation through their effortless smoking qualities. However, the journey towards “Zen” through both has been quite different, and I think highlights how sometimes similar results can come from radically different paths. I’m a photographer, a bit of a writer, a radio amateur and a big pipe smoking enthusiast.
They soon made a name for themselves making and selling quality Meerschaum and Briar Root pipes. One day Charles Peterson walked into the Kapp Brothers’ Grafton Street premises armed with a revolutionary tobacco pipe and ambitious plans for the future. Peterson suggested that the brothers go into partnership with him to turn his smoking pipe into the world’s best briar pipe. Kapp and Peterson went on to become Dublin’s most fashionable and respected manufacturer and purveyor of fine tobacco smoking products. Pipe and cigar smokers would stroll down to the elegant premises for professional advice on the subtle nuances that determine a good handmade cigar or briar pipe.