Welcome back, everyone, to another episode of All Pipes Considered. Today, I have the great privilege of sitting down with Joshua Burgess, Managing Director of Kapp & Peterson, to discuss a very special Peterson pipe: the Deluxe System 9B Revival. Tune in as Josh and I discuss this historic shape and its recent revival as part of a special run of Deluxe System pipes honoring the 125th anniversary of Charles Peterson's final System patent.

[Andy Wike]: Welcome back to another episode of All Pipes Considered. So today I have the great honor of sitting with Joshua Burgess, the Managing Director of Kapp and Peterson, and we're here to talk about something super special. I am a huge System pipe lover, and this is probably one of my favorites that Peterson's ever done. So Josh, tell us a little bit about what we're doing here today.

[Joshua Burgess]: Thanks, Andy. So one of the interesting things that Peterson gets to commemorate this year is the 125th anniversary of Charles Peterson's final system patent. Now, there were three patents associated with the System as we think about it today: There was one for the reservoir, and then the other two concerned the mouthpiece. The final one in 1898 completed this package that we think of today as being the System pipe.

So the System pipe has been around for 125 years. It still performs great and has really stood the test of time. This year, we're looking for opportunities to celebrate the System itself, and what you have before you here is one of the ways in which we're celebrating — by reviving a classic Peterson shape from the 1896 catalog, the 9. We've featured the 9 before in the not too distant past; specifically, we used the 9BC for the 2020 Pipe of the Year.

[A.W.]: Which was not a System pipe, correct?

[J.B.]: That was not a System pipe. That was a classic configuration. And I liked that project. I thought it was very interesting. But when we really think about patent pipes, we think about Systems. And we think about Deluxe Systems specifically—

[A.W.]: Because of the wear gap?

[J.B.]: Because of the wear gap, and because the aesthetic of the Deluxe System is really what distinguished Peterson pipes early on. When you look back at that old catalog, I think that's what's most striking about it: those Deluxe Systems. So we have the classic 9 shape here revived and presented in the Deluxe System configuration.

[A.W.]: Okay, that's fantastic. I love this shape so much. It's muscular, it's stout, it's got that almost languid curve to it, you know what I mean? All of Peterson's bent pipes are just so great. And I think it particularly works really well with the System configuration. And 125 years! 125 years and nothing's really changed.

[J.B.]: I think it's so interesting to look back at that early catalog. We think of Charles Peterson as being an innovator, and he was, of course; he was constantly tinkering and improving. But I think what's really remarkable is just how coherent the pipes are as an aesthetic. For some of the things you talked about — like the pronounced bends, that muscular nature — all these things sort of grow out of the unique System engineering. In order to accommodate that reservoir, which is part of the design, you need a more muscular shank. And it lends itself to a bent pipe.

[A.W.]: Yeah, even the graduated bore mouthpiece, right? You're funneling that up into the P-lip bit. So even the shape of the stems themselves have to be a certain way.

[J.B.]: I mean, most Deluxe systems that we see today are presented with the saddle stem, because eventually that came to predominate, but it was really nice to be able to do a tapered mouthpiece on the 9B. The "B" itself refers to its tapered stem. So it was really nice to be able to feature that again. So if they're Peterson guys who really love that tapered stem, this is an opportunity to acquire one.

[A.W.]: That's fantastic. Yeah, I really love the way that they look. And they're available in a handful of finishes as well. Firstly, it will be available in Peterson's traditional rustication, that signature two-toned rustication, which you guys do such a great job with.

[J.B.]: I think so too. I think it's really pleasing to the eye and to the hand. I have some Peterson smooth pipes that I smoke a lot. But, you know, I was traveling recently and I had to pack a bag, and I looked at sort of what I naturally gravitated toward and it was rusticated pipes. Because they're so comfortable to smoke.

[A.W.]: Yeah, and I think they really fit in with the idea of Peterson pipes as utilitarian field tools as well. They really stand the test of time. Sometimes it's nice to have a pristine pipe and to admire its finish and all of its grain, but sometimes you just want something you can smoke the hell out of. Aside from the Rusticated finish, we also have sandblasts of two different grades, right? We have the regular sandblast, but we also have the PSB. Remind us what PSBs are, if you would, Josh.

[J.B.]: So the PSB is about finding sandblasts with special character. You can think of sandblasting in different ways. Some people like a really even blast where the pattern's exactly the same. Some people just prefer them as craggy as possible. Other people like a softer blast. Every PSB pipe is designated as such because it has a lot of character. It's going to be on the craggy side. The orientation won't always be perfect, but it's just a really interesting old school sort of blast that you might have found at the beginning of the 20th century. It's one of my favorite finishes. I think they look really nice. This particular batch of briar blasted really well. So it's a nice thing to see on these pipes, them featuring that really interesting grain that we get to designate as PSB.

[A.W.]: Yes, I'm really looking forward to those as well. Additionally, we also have two different smooth finishes. We have Dark Smooth and then Ebony.

[J.B.]: Yeah, the Dark Smooth has really nice grain. We quite like this stain at Peterson because it showcases that contrast. It's sort of a walnut stain, and we really like that one. Then there's the Ebony, of course, which looks sharp in a very classic, but different way.

[A.W.]: Yeah, it's, really cool to see this historic shape in like a dress pipe finish.

[J.B.]: I know because certainly Charles Peterson wouldn't have done that. I'd like to think if he were here at our table, he would approve.

[A.W.]: Oh, he would love that. He would probably smoke the rusticated pipe, though, I would imagine.

[J.B.]: I think he would too. You know, we have one of Charles Peterson's pipes at the factory. The guy was so interesting. He had a really funny sense of humor. He had engraved on the band of the pipe: "When stolen, please return to Charles Peterson at the address." So I really like his optimism there: Not if it's stolen, but when it's stolen, please return.

[A.W.]: Yeah, oh my goodness; that's amazing. So real quick, Josh, the 9 shape is not completely gone from the catalog, right? I mean it does exist in some form currently, correct?

[J.B.]: You know, I think about pipe shapes as something that's not static. They evolve over time. Small changes get made. And so the 9 that was introduced in 1896 sticks around in the Peterson catalog; you can find an evolution of it today in the XL90. But this particular 9B pipe here is a special throwback to the original patent shape. it represents an effort to recover that original design, and there are important differences, I think, between these classic versions of the 9 and something like the XL90.

The 9 is a little more Egg-like, and the cheeking is more pronounced around the bowl. The center of gravity on the current 9 is a little bit lower. It's a lovely shape; it's just different in how it's evolved. So this is an effort to recapture the aesthetic of the 9 from the 1896 catalog.

[A.W.]: Amazing, and again, I think you guys did such a great job here. I'm really excited to see what other tributes to Charles Peterson's System that may pop up this year as well. But this has been a closer look at the 9B Revival in the Deluxe System configuration. The pipes come complete with all of Charles Peterson's patented innovations — including the moisture reservoir, the graduated bore mouthpiece, and the P-Lip stem — all in a really nice Deluxe System configuration, accented with elegant sterling silver mounts and presented in a host of finishes. Be sure to check out our entire selection of 9B pipes on-site now. Thank you, all, again for watching, and thank you, Josh, for sitting with us today.

[J.B.]: Oh, of course. It was a pleasure. We were really excited about these and hope your viewers like them too.