359. The 125th Anniversary International System Day Event
HAPPY 125TH INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM DAY!
CANADA * DUBLIN * LONGS, SC * AMES, IOWA * FAYETTESVILLE, NC * MONTANA * NEAR YOSEMITE, CA * LAS VEGAS * MISSION, KANSAS * IRELAND * LUGANO, SWITZERLAND * FREDERICKSBURG, VA * HAVELOCK, NC * EIFEL, GERMANY * USA * CENTRAL VALLEY, CA * METRO DETROIT * NORMAN, OKLAHOMA * MICHIGAN * SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA * PIEDMONT, NC * AUSTRALIA * HEREFORD, UK * WYOMING * BAKERSFIELD, CA * OREGON CITY, OREGON * ASHEVILLE, NC * VIRGINIA * CZECHOSLOVAKIA * OKLAHOMA HINTERLANDS * CHICAGO * TEXAS * ST. PETERSBURG, FL * BOISE, IDAHO * KINGWOOD, TX * KAVALA, GREECE
Greetings to you from wherever you are across the world and welcome to the 125th Anniversary System Day Event. I hope you’ll have time for a pipe or maybe two or three today or in the days to come to relax and enjoy the company of Pete Geeks from the four corners of the globe.
Rath Dé ort!
Mark
Marlowe Sharp, Canada
A Nod to Sherlock Holmes – (who retired to beekeeping)
When the challenge was gone, the mystery was solved and Lestrade was left to solve crime
He retired to the country to tend to his hives, not quite the razor sharp mind.
But he thought – yes he did, and he pondered the bees; a System of order, and yes
I think were it made at the time of this sleuth, he’d companion a small 20S.
Then as his bees scoured the blooms for sweet nectar to find, like birds that flocked to the feeder
He’d surely be packing the neat little bowl with a pinch of fresh Squadron Leader.
After checking the queens were safely in place, by noon I’d hazard a guess,
He would have a light snack, put fire to the leaf and sit back for an hour of rest.
A fire returns in the depths of his mind as he returns his pipe to the mantle
Watson and Mycroft, Mrs. Hudson and Squire, and warmly, the Bohemian Scandal
His eyes grow heavy, sleep comes with ease and the ghosts, (for now) kept at bay,
Holmes pulls up the sheets, turns out lights, an end to a good System Day.
Ed. Note: And for all who haven’t seen it, Mr. Holmes: The Man Behind the Myth (2015), starring Ian McKellen, is required viewing. And Marlowe is quite right: Holmes did smoke a 20s in his retirement, among other K&P Systems. More on how we know this soon.
Bruno Fiori, Dublin
As you can see, I’ll be smoking my SH Lestrade for System Day. Gianluigi Fiori, who I take care of, has modified my Lestrade with a reservoir, so it qualifies, as I understand it, to be a “System.” Tobacco? Probably St. Bruno. Place? At Gianluigi’s side, making sure he doesn’t burn another hole in the sofa. Time? Hmmm. . . . sometime System Day, right?
Gianluigi Fiori, Dublin (Peterson Shop, Nassau Street, Retail Associate)
Gianluigi, whom you may meet if you visit Peterson’s newly remodeled store on Nassau Street, will be smoking his 302 System meer, making sure Bruno Fiori doesn’t burn a whole in the couch with his own Peterson!
Giacomo Penzo, Dublin (Peterson’s Pipe Specialist)
– Giacomo Penzo, Italian pipe maker established in Dublin Ireland
– 4AB POY 2021 custom
– Sextant tobacco blend by G.L. Pease
-Sunday September 3rd 3PM, my home front garden
Jason Canady, Writer, Fayetteville, North Carolina
* Peterson’s Patent pipe circle 3 309
* With 2018 Peterson Irish Oak
* 7:00 a.m.
James Bourgault, USA
James with my Deluxe 11s (technically an 11b?) in the late afternoon enjoying some HH Pure Virginia Flake and a crisp lager. Cheers!
Chuck Stanion, Longs, SC (One of the Immortals)
For me, the most important System Pipe is the Mark Twain. It’s a great size and shape, and is classically Peterson. The Mark Twain I’ll be smoking for System Day 2023 is actually the third I’ve owned. The first was bought new around 1995 or thereabouts and I smoked it a lot – so much that the briar darkened and the fills in the finish became overly prominent and visually unappealing, so I sold it off in a fit of discontent accompanied by grumbling profanity.
A couple of years later, about the time I joined the staff at Pipes and tobaccos magazine, I had an opportunity to buy another. It was used but barely smoked. I quickly changed that and smoked the hell out of it until, once again, the fills became irritating, like old Bondo on a rusty car fender, dagnabit. Those were bad days for Peterson fills. I loved the way the pipe smoked but couldn’t get past that visual annoyance and I traded it for something I don’t remember and no longer own. Funny that I remember the Peterson clearly but have no memory of whatever I decided was superior at the time.
About four years ago I bought my third Mark Twain, but not before inspecting it with a loupe. This one has only one very small fill in an unobtrusive position and I can happily live with it.
My pipe collection is 95 percent straight traditional shapes, but the Mark Twain gets a lot of use because it’s such an excellent writing pipe. I don’t like to clench straight pipes but this Peterson hangs from my teeth effortlessly and has a large chamber, so it’s perfect for writing — and it smokes as effortlessly as it hangs, so my concentration, such as it is, remains undiverted.
I’ve been a fan of Mark Twain for more than 50 years, a fan of Peterson for 30, and this wonderful combination is for me the only choice for celebrating System Day. I’ll be smoking a special tobacco on System Day as well: I’ve earmarked a 1994 tin of Aurora, made by McClelland for Bob Hamlin’s Pipe Collectors Club of America. I have only a handful of these tins left and haven’t cracked one open in a few years. I’m certainly looking forward to it.
I’ll be smoking in my favorite place: my home office, where I spend most of my time. It’s comfy. The bookshelves are filled with books by and about Mark Twain and his writings, and the walls display photos of Twain and a couple of pieces of Twain memorabilia that mean much to me. It will be 10 p.m., when the craziness of the world has subsided and the peaceful calm of night has descended. And I’ll be thinking, of course, about the Petersons that have come and gone from my collection, and those that still remain, and appreciating the tradition and innovation of the Peterson pipe company, responsible for some of the most sublime smoking experiences of my life.
Ken Sigel in Mystic, CT, back from Corea, ME
System day afternoon will find me and my 2023 POY at the workbench with a freshly opened, cellared tin of Gawith FVF. After a month on the water, it’s time to have a bowl and reacquaint myself with all the tired old Petes to see which one calls out to be refurbished next. May take more than one bowl….
John W. Coatney, Ames, Iowa
- The “Smoker”— John Coatney, Ames, Iowa
- The System Pipe— 2022 CPG Commemorative Pipe
- The Tobacco—Ancalagon the Black from The Country Squire
- The “Transformative Power” – After church, in my backyard.
Lance Dahl
* Pipe: 1897 Patent No 9059 94 Meerschaum, diamond shank
* Tobacco: Bell’s Three Nuns “None Nicer” circa 1998
* Place: Evening on our back patio enjoying the sunset
Jon Umpherville, Manitoba, Canada
The Smoker- Jonathan Umpherville, C.P.G, Manitoba, Canada
The Pipe – My 2021 Pipe of the Year 4AB PSB #237/500
The Tobacco – 7 Year aged Escudo Navy De Luxe
The Transformative Power – Roughly between 5 and 530pm CDT, in my arm chair watching Mark’s presentation on Charles Peterson the original Thinking man via YouTube and the Peterson Pipe Notes YouTube channel.
I hummed and hawed on what pipe I was going to smoke on System Day. I considered my 2022 PSB Rua 14B but at the end of the day I decided it had to be a shape 4 pipe as I feel the bent dutch Billiard is the Peterson shape. I then thought of my Deluxe 4s but that is a Latakia smoker for me and I knew I would be wanting to smoke a VaPer on System Day. I will be getting off work and relaxing with a smoke and prefer to smoke my Latakia blends with strong coffee, but taking overtime hours on Monday at work for 16 hours straight, it just wouldn’t be the best thing to have coffee that late in the evening for me. I’m Pete Geek, not Pete Psycho and I do need my sleep… so with this PSB 4AB being the newest in my collection of Shape 4 pipes, I decided on this and as it is being dedicated to VaPer blends, that some Escudo on a Sunday evening would be the perfect fit. A happy System Day to all of the Peterson lovers out there and may all your smokes be of the Nirvana variety!
Scott Loyd, from a tourist trap near Yosemite
For the 125th Anniversary System Day I have decided…. just one day? No way!
I’m going to start on the 23rd of August with . . . The Twelve Days of Petemas
I’ll finish on September 3rd by smoking my 358 full of Wilke Crystal Palace.
Since my work schedule is unpredictable, all I can say about location and time is…I’ll squeeze it in when and where I can…
Jerry VanMeter, Illinois
I’ll be smoking the blend Father Dempsey in my Sherlock Holmes Baskerville. I’ll be smoking at 6pm Sunday in IL, USA.
Chris Lauer, Palmer, Alaksa
For the 2023 System Day Challenge I have decided to break open an original can of Revelation “The Perfect Pipe Tobacco”. The System pipe I have chosen will be a Peterson “Dunmore (77)” and I will celebrate by using the transformative power of this aged tobacco to start my day around 6am sitting on my back porch.
Disgruntled Local, NWNC
Spigot System 317
Scottish Cake
Mid afternoon on the porch
Tim Lomprey, Las Vegas.
The System pipes are this 1923 Deluxe and two Irish Free State pipes.
The tobacco that day will be 1792 Flake and aged Klondike Gold. (I’ll be smoking all day as per usual)
The location with be in my home office with a dram of Redbreast (12 year old).
Above: some of my pre-republic 317’s and a pre-republic 12.5s (no shape number on pipe but exact size of 317s). Finally since it’s the P-Lip anniversary here’s a pic of my 1898 Bulldog and 100 year commemorative X61:
Simon, Southern France
The Smoker : My name is Simon and I come from the south of France, on the shores of the Mediterranean.
The Pipe : Among my System pipes and to celebrate this 125th anniversary in style, I chose this 309 Premier / 4s hybrid: the bowl is a NOS 1984 309 shape (my year of birth and favourite shape) while the stem is a deluxe one that fits perfectly. Incidentally, I think the mortise is one of the biggest I’ve ever seen: much bigger than my XL 11 and 14B. The dutch billiard shape is really a perfect one.
The Tobacco : I’m going to opt for a mix of Nightcap and Skiff Mixture.
The Transformative Power : I’ll be smoking once my daughters have gone to bed, in the peace and quiet of my terrace, accompanied by a small glass of whisky (10 PM French time).
Fletch Hiner of Mission, KS
I’ll be smoking some Peterson University Flake in my Rusticated Eire 31 on my patio on the evening of System day.
Dr. Dwain Dunn, Dublin
I, Dr Dwain Dunn will be smoking my CPG 2022 Commemorative, the PPN 2022 Peterson Pipe, filled with the lovely Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. – No. 7 Broken Flake (or potentially some Condor depending on what’s for lunch) at about 15H00-ish in Dublin Ireland. As has become a tradition, I will be listening to music, reading a good book and drinking a big cup of black coffee. The image below represents my plan, hopefully, the weather plays nice. Knowing the Irish weather I already have a large umbrella ready. 125 years: not many products and patents have stood the test of time like that, it’s a wonderful thing and deserves to be celebrated! Sláinte
Some Fascinating Pete Geekery from Dwain:
The image below shows the path that smoke travels through the pipe from the bowl, through the tobacco and up the draught hole towards the reservoir. The smoke now encounters the tenon (or chimney if it is a Deluxe System like those below). The smoke slows down (blue-coloured lines) and travels around the tenon and down towards the bottom of the reservoir. As the smoke slows down it is unable to keep the heavy particles suspended in the smoke, so they fall into the reservoir. The smoke turns around now and travels up the stem (shown in 312StemInStreamLinesZoom.gif and 312StemOutStreamlines 2.gif, The direction change again helps remove the heavy particles because they need a lot of energy to turn the corner (a bike is easier to corner than a truck). The smoke then travels up the tapered stem speeding up (yellow to red coloured lines) slowly along the way and creating a weak vortex. When the smoke leaves the P-Lip it travels upwards towards the palate. The speed increase and the vortex in the stem now help the smoke spread out on impact (like a spoon under a running tap) and rapidly fills the mouth and covers the entire tongue.
The second annotated image (below) shows the path the smoke travels in the mouth, the smoke leaves the P-Lip and travels towards the palate where it impacts and spreads out filling the mouth and recirculating over the tongue. The blue lines show that the smoke slows down allowing for more contact time for the tongue to taste the smoke.
Stefano Zerbi, Lugano, Switzerland
Pipe: De Luxe 12 1/2 S, sandblasted, hand cut stem and bone extension. Made in the Republic of Ireland. Unfortunately no hallmarks on the silver ring. Tobacco, as tradition, Best Brown Flake from Samuel Gawith. (see attached picture)
I also send a very recent find: De Luxe 12 1/2 B, made in the Republic of Ireland, threaded tenon, but no extension. I have to refurbish the pipe so the tenon will close properly.
Transformative power: I will smoke my De Luxe at the end of the afternoon, as usual, enjoying the sunset on my balcony.
Tom Dempsey, Fredericksburg, Virginia
Following a path similar to Darwin’s Theory, Tom Dempsey from the Commonwealth of Virginia evolved from a primordial pipe smoking neophyte, burning only aromatics in one bargain-priced basket pipe to an experienced piper who enjoys many types of tobacco and pipes of different designs and materials. At 1:00 PM East Coast Time, he will be celebrating Peterson System Pipe Day with an original Darwin (B42) loaded with Kramer’s Father Dempsey tobacco at the Jubilation Smoking Lounge in Fredericksburg, Virginia.
Alex Willis, Havelock, NC
I will be celebrating System Day with a 1984 Mark Twain.
Tobacco of choice will be Eastfarthing.
I will begin System Day festivities at approximately 9 a.m. in my home library with Dickens (most likely Bleak House).
Twain, Eastfarthing, Dickens. . . To be completely honest I didn’t set out to choose a theme but it appears one has formed.
Stephan Kettmus, Eifel, Germany
I will opt for my 1890-1990 System Commemorative Ohm Paul: great for clenching, big enough to stay for while.
After some debates regarding the tobacco I came to the conclusion to go with Robert McConnell‘s Celebrated Sovereign Mixture. A possible alternative though will be Pfeifen Huber‘s Balkan Mixture, a very tasty Sobranie clone.
If the weather is fine I will light a fire in the garden and have my pipe and some Lagavulin round about 19:00 CET. Enjoy the day!
Andrew Moultrie, North Carolina
For this year’s System Day celebration, I will be spending the morning outdoors enjoying the fading North Carolina summer with my Natural Rusticated XL5S and some Three Nuns.
Mark Cundiff- USA
Silver Spigot- shape 302
Rattray Hal O’ The Wynd
3pm CDT
Martin Schwartz, Bavaria
Greetings I am Martin from Bavaria and this year my plan is to smoke two pipes.
In the morning with a good cup of coffee the straight Dublin and some newly available G.L. Pease Union Square. In the evening the also new to Germany Cornell & Diehl’s Quiet Nights in my 308 Revival, mostly likely with an Old Fashioned.
If it’s raining I smoke in my workshop. When the weather is nice I appreciate the hobby on the veranda. Whether workshop or veranda, thosse are the two places where my mind becomes matter. I hope you all doing well and an awesome System Day.
Michael Brown from Metro Detroit
I hope to enjoy System Day with Half and Half in an Oak Pub Pipe while relaxing outside my home. Half and Half is like a good friend that provides comfort and rarely lets me down. System pipes provide a cool smoke while being comfortable to clench while relaxing with a good book.
Br Jack+, LC, Norman, Oklahoma
His name is Jack Gillespie and he’s just finished a long work day and sat down on the back patio in Norman, Oklahoma, with a wee dram of whiskey. He takes out his trusty Peterson 12.5 Deluxe System Pipe in a dark, smooth finish and fills it from a fresh tin of Peterson’s Sherlock Holmes. After a good light, the air is filled with the slight, pleasant fragrance of Virginia tobacco and a hint of citrus. As Jack settles into his chair, the smoke from his pipe encircles him like a sweet incense, and the world is put to rights once again. In the Love of the Three in One!
Clint Stacey, Stamford, Lincolnshire, UK
The smoker- Clint Stacey from the beautiful Georgian town of Stamford, Lincolnshire, UK
The pipe – A delightful 308 stamped ‘Ireland’. A wonderful smoke and a wonderful ‘pipe in the hand’.
The Tobacco – Cornell & Diehl Haunted Bookshop. A tribute to Roger Mifflin (protagonist of the Christopher Morley novel Haunted Bookshop).
The Transformative power – The time -6am. The hour of solitude in the house, when all the family are asleep or the sociable time on the street when every passerby says ‘hello’. Place – the garden. September, a month when the plants and trees are not sure if they are saying goodbye to another summer or hello to autumn. My garden is a mixture of plants that have retired for the year and those giving us a last hurrah! A perfect place for a reflective pipe.
Erik R., Upstate NY
I’m feeling the fall vibes so I’ll be smoking my 2021 Halloween System XL315 with 2022 Warped Scarecrow. I’ll be celebrating more than likely around 8pm once the little ones are in bed and on the back patio with a fire going.
Jared Houghton, Michigan
“My name is Jared H, located in the great state of MI. This year, I’ll be smoking some Watch City Rouxgaroux, at dusk, on my sun porch, in my Pub Pipe (seen here with my friend Marty, and sitting in a stand that, while not my style, did belong to my grandfather). It’s not the flashiest System pipe I have, but it’s the biggest!”
John M. Young, Southeast Nebraska
The Certified Pete Geek and Master Nebraska Naturalist John M. Young will be found with his trusty Peterson Deluxe XL339 filled with Peterson Connoisseur blend roaming the wilds of south east Nebraska, around 10:00 am, in search of herpetological data. If you find him and are without a pipe he will likely offer you a spare corncob pipe and invite you to join him.
Lee Skiver, Piedmont, Virginia
The Smoker – Lee S.
The Pipe – An undated Peterson’s Deluxe Special 230, with small aluminum tenon extension and reservoir – I know this is a sub-System, lacking the army mount, but it’s the only 12 1/2 I own, and it’s pretty unique, hopefully we can count it!
The Tobacco – McCranie’s Red Ribbon, Year 2000 crop (tinned ‘08)
The Transformative Power – Piedmont, NC, USA
Lee’s Latvian Stew (from Amor Towles’s A Gentleman in Moscow)
Latvian Stew (A Gentleman in Moscow)
Ed. Note: Lee sent along this recipe for a great-looking Latvian stew taken from one of my favorite author’s novels (which will be made into an 8-part mini-series out later this fall and starring Ewan McGregor). As it’s from the birthplace of Charles Peterson and his Momma probably made it for him when he was a boy I figured it would be good enough for my System Day evening meal, along with a hearty loaf of homemade bread!
Stewart Whelan, Australia
The thing that struck me as I read the excerpt form Mark’s upcoming book were the words “united yet distinct; in community, yet one” and I thought of my experience of the pipe community.
I am Stuart Whelan and I live on the east coast of Australia about 4 hours drive north of Sydney. I am not aware of any pipe smokers in the area, so I go virtual. I have a home office and just about every Sunday morning at 06:30hrs I grab some breakfast, toast with Vegemite and Coffee and my pipe and join, via video, fellow pipe smokers who are spread throughout the world in a Facebook group called the “International Pipe Smoker Lounge”.
The majority of members are in the US and for them it is Saturday afternoon, but other regulars are from Mexico, Canada, UK, Ireland, Sweden, Germany, Greece, Middle East, India, Malaysia and Japan.
So I will be celebrating System Day long before most with my 4AB 2021 POY with some S&G Full Virginia Flake and with my friends from the Pipe Community around the world. Happy 125th Anniversary System Day!
Chris Tarman, USA
For System Day 2023, I’ll be smoking my silver capped System meerschaum with some 30 year old Rattray’s Black Mallory on my deck after work.
Simon Gardiner, Hereford, UK
I started on the pipe in the late 80’s & a Peterson Zulu was one of my first ‘good’ pipes.
Only got into the System pipes about 15 years ago though. I smoked St. Bruno exclusively for over 20 years & even today it’s what I mostly smoke.
On ‘System Day’ I shall be in the beer garden of my local pub, smoking my Peterson & having a pint of Ale. Cheers!
I’ve noticed you’re under the impression that you’re the only ‘geek’ who appreciates the 2016 POTY. This is not the case. I’ve had quite a few stacks / chimneys from Pibe Dan & various London makes. The best (by far) is my D20 from 2016.
Thanks to PPN, I commissioned my one & only ‘bespoke’ pipe. After seeing the ‘Kaffir’ shape on the blog, I got my man Mike Billington from Blakemar Briars to make me one. We printed off the picture from your blog & he fashioned up the shape for me. It’s a lovely shape I think & a most excellent smoker. He liked it so much he made another one for himself! Jealous members of the London pipe club have also followed suit & had a few made for themselves. It would be lovely to think Petersons themselves would bring it back as a limited edition or something. Who knows, per chance to dream. Anyway, thought I’d let you know & say thanks.
Bryan Gesinger, Bakersfield, CA
This momentous System Day I shall light up a bowl of cellared McClelland 2035 bulk Dark Navy Flake—which I acquired and jarred in August, 2016—in my beloved System Deluxe 9s. I shall enjoy that sublime combination on my humble patio in morning with a good, strong cup of coffee. Slainte!
Rob Guttridge, Oregon City, Oregon
I plan to smoke some Peterson’s Irish Dew Mixture in my 2013 Deluxe System (shape 12.5) on Sunday afternoon, Sept.3 2023 in the shade of the maple trees next to my house, where this photo was taken.
Phelim May, Dublin
I’ve been enjoying reading your weekly posts, thank you. I’m not normally one to respond or post but reading about the first pipe that I bought over twenty years ago caught my attention.
So on your System day I’ll be smoking Tabac Boutique’s Schottisch 2 blend, at 8pm, in that very pipe, a 314, in my very small back garden in Dublin. Cheers!
David Ellsworth, Wyoming
System Pipe- CP Deluxe System natural rusticated in shape 2s.
Tobacco choice- I will likely be enjoying some Old Toby in the late evening hours as I relieve my wife of new baby duties with our newborn daughter, Talyn. I will likely enjoy a brief reprieve on the back porch where I can keep an eye on the baby monitor and hopefully allow Mama an overdue bit of rest!
Scott Forrest
I will definitely be smoking a System Sunday, but here is my normal ‘fishing’ pipe – a blasted Rathbone that is actually as good a smoker as any of my bent Systems (that’s G&H Brown #2).
RWS, In the Shop or on the Road . . .
The System pipe I chose to smoke will have to be made on that day. Suspect I will smoke more then one of my System pipes to celebrate 125 years.
The morning pipe tobacco will be Peterson Early Morning Pipe with a hand ground coffee to complement it. The evening smoke possibly G.L. Pease Quiet Nights with a dram of double cask scotch.
Daniel Billings, Asheville, NC
The Smoker: D.H. Billings. Asheville, NC.
The Pipe: The pipe of my choosing is a Peterson System Standard 302. No frills no fuss, just a great pipe with an easy hang that also feels great in the hand.
The Tobacco: G.L. Pease Maltese Falcon, a perfect English blend with a wonderful complexity to it.
The Transformative Power: After working a 12-hour shift as a psych nurse, the only place I will want to be is with my wife and daughter. However, after our daughter goes to bed, my plan is to finish the day by enjoying my pipe on the porch.
Brian C., Virginia
I will be smoking my POY 2022 Sandblast (#789/1000) around 2pm (nap time for my kid). I have a small stash of 15y/o Peterson University Flake tins in the cellar that I’ve been wanting to revisit. I think that will be the day.
Justin H. Beal, , Central Valley, CA
Pipe: Self-Restored Estate Peterson 304—I am a “flat bottom” guy!
Tobacco: Stokkebye Luxury Navy Flake
Transformative Power: On the back patio, 0945 hrs. finishing up some side job work . . .
Mike Lojek, Czechoslovakia
This is Mike based in the beautiful region north of Prague that is called “Czech Paradise.” It really is a Paradise! On the System day I’ll make no changes. Will smoke my 314 in the morning and 305 in the evening. During the day Watson or any other pipe from my collection. It’s always Early morning for the start of the day and the Night cap for it’s end. In the meantime Ashton’s Artisan blend or something new to try. It might be the Weinig 88 English mixture that I recently bought in Bamberg/Germany. I’ll spend the System day at the island of Korfu/Greece. It’s gonna be my holiday. Happy puffing!
Eric Baggs, Hinterlands of Oklahoma
G L Pease Westminster in the 2022 POY Twain. Westminster being to my mind the consummate daily English. Rather as Guinness Extra Stout is to, well, stouts. I’ll be celebrating in the Hinterlands of Oklahoma; Oklahoma not fitting neatly into the categories of The South, The Midwest, The Great Plains or The Southwest. Perhaps that’s why I like my pipe, tobacco and beer to be iconic.
Craig Hairrell, Chicago
Is it a mere coincidence that I will be arriving in Dublin the afternoon of System Pipe Day 2023 and staying at an Airbnb on the same ribbon of pavement which becomes Nassau Street? Maybe.
Late on that glorious and hopefully sunny afternoon I will be smoking Peterson Irish Flake in my 2022 Nassau “Ulysses” 9B PSB. I would have smoked it in the Peterson Pipe Shop on Nassau Street had it been open on Sundays, but since it is not, perhaps I can smoke it while gazing through its window. Slainte!
Nevaditude, Nevada, USA~
Peterson System Deluxe 12.5s sandblasted~ Anthology 1992-2022 by C&D~7-8 AM and 7-8 PM with perhaps a midday smoke as well so this can be a morning, noon & night celebration with same pipe. I have several smoking spots on our property. I will move each time.
Gary Hamilton, Texas
System Pipe(s) – My 1990 Patent Commemorative Companion Set
Tobacco – Sutliff Aromatic English and C&D’s Autumn Evening
A morning pipe and an evening pipe for a full celebration of the 125th anniversary!
(I couldn’t narrow it down to one, and the ’90 Commemorative companion set seemed fitting for the occasion.)
Josh Scanlon, Iowa City, Iowa
For the blog post tomorrow, pictured is my Deluxe 20s and my first tin of Royal Yacht that I’m thoroughly enjoying. I’ll be enjoying these tomorrow on the back patio with my morning coffee.
Bob Cuccaro, USA~
You can guess the pipe 😉 most likely will be Dunhill flake for the day starting around 9 am!
Raphaël, France
Hello, I’m Raphaël, from France, and to celebrate System Day I chose my DeLuxe 11FB, bought a few months ago at the Peterson Shop during a week-end in Dublin! I’ll smoke HU Tobacco Night Owl after lunch at home. Cheers!
Paul Combs, Boise City, Idaho
• The Smoker— Paul Combs, Boise, Idaho
• The Pipe— 1923 Magnum Bent Billiard
• The Tobacco— KBV Plateau
• The Transformative Power— 3:00 PM in the study at my home
Kevin, Saint Petersburg, Florida
This year I’ll be celebrating system day with my B42 Premier “Irish Seconds”.
My smoke will be Watch City’s The Churchwarden.
I’ll be loading the pipe after dinner for a relaxing evening on the back patio.
John H. Schantz Jr., Montana
This year for “System Day,” I am planning on stuffing the 1890-1990 System Commemorative (The Big One) with some Peterson “Signature Flake” from 2015. I may smoke the straight billiard 1890-1990 as well, we’ll see how much time and perseverance I have. The patio should be beautifully inviting just before sundown, weather permitting, some shade and a cool evening breeze would be most welcome. Luckily it cools down quite a bit here in the evenings this time of year. I’m thinking I will have a jug of Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey and a bucket of ice to keep me company. I might be able to round up some cigar smoking friends to share whiskey and good times with as well. HAPPY SYSTEM DAY THE WORLD OVER!
Mark Derrington, Kingwood, Texas
The pipe I have chosen for this year’s challenge is my favorite flake pipe, a Peterson 5s. I have been holding off on trying this new CD blend, Steamworks! This blend with the 5s should make a for a very enjoyable combination. I’ll be enjoying this combination Sunday morning on my patio with my first cup of coffee in an appreciative tribute to the Peterson System pipes!
Austin Quinlan, Dublin (K&P craftsman and pipe artisan)
I couldn’t choose! So here’s my two most trusted smoke machines: a 1983 DeLuxe 20s with tapered B stem, and my Made in England sterling-mount 313 System. That thing is a BEAST—no hallmark, Made in England in-line format, so maybe late ’40s to 60s?
And for the occasion I decided to crack open a tin of GL Pease Key Largo. One I’ve not tried yet. Any opening of a GL Pease is an occassion, so doubly so it being for System Day!
David Michael
David chose–as did so many of us–a 12.5 Deluxe, in his case from the Rustic Natural release!
Mark Irwin, Tejas, USA
The Smoker: One very tired blogger.
The Brew: Before supper, a bottle of Guinness Foreign Extra Stout. Then:
The Pipe: A brand-new 12.5 Deluxe Natural pure birdseye in honor of the occasion, with help from Peteron.ie’s Federica Bruno.
The Tobacco: McClelland Dark Star, 2014 vintage.
The Transformative Power: Which would be an easy chair, my current read (N.T. Wright’s The Resurrection of the Son of God) while throwing the rubber bone over the sofa for my dog Cozy every 45-55 seconds, and something great on the stereo—maybe Paul Spicer & N. T. Wright’s Easter Oratorio or possibly Bruckner’s 4th (“the Romantic”), to be followed with same pipe, same tobacco, same dog but some audiobook chapters from P. G. Wodehouse’s Galahad at Blandings.
Oh, and here’s a 2nd System Day 2023 tobacco mat for all who sent photos of their 12.5 DeLuxe and 314s and anyone else who’s interested:
Michael Mikropolous, Kavala, Greece
Michael sends salty greetings from seaside Kavala, Greece, with an older 308 ready for the special day!
The day passed by the sea, the time flowed swiftly like the waves, approaching the nightfall,
but still it’s so hard to choose between the English summer leaving or the Scottish autumn arriving…
Thanks to all who participated in this year’s System Day Event!
Poster of Bruno Fiori by Gianluigi Fiori courtesy Kapp & Peterson and the artist
About the Banner
The framed photograph of Charles Peterson was taken at the studio of A. & G. Taylor, “Photographers to the Queen,” which was located at 140 Stephen’s Green (West) from 1882-1891. Peterson, b. 1852, looks to have been around 30 at the time.
Broken Pipe:
JØRGEN JENSEN
Jørgen Jensen, my good friend and fellow Peterson aficionado, passed away on the 14th of August. Everyone who’s read the blog for any length of time will recall the marvelously witty and deeply loving comments he made. Chief among them, and my favorite, was his constant refrain: Buy a pipe … get a novel. By that he meant that anyone who buys a Peterson and finds the blog will get, on an almost weekly basis, a novel’s worth of reading—for good or bad!
Jørgen at the factory (center),
Tony Dempsey (left) and Paddy Larrigan (right)
True friendship cultivated through the Internet is not something that happens very often. Yet with Jørgen, almost from the beginning and even through the filter of a second language for him, his passion for Peterson pipes sparked a friendship between us that flamed up almost immediately. I loved the way he always referred to his wife Birgitte as “Madam”—this because of his deep and lifelong devotion to her, a love she fully reciprocated as evidenced by their many, many trips to Ireland, from which he always brought home incredible Peterson treasures, which he would find in the most unlikely places from all over the Emerald Isle.
I invite you to honor his memory and leave a comment or condolences to Birgette by visiting Post #195, where you can enjoy not only his good humor but see a small portion of his amazing Pete collection.
Requiescat in Pace,
dear friend