Peterson Pipe of the Year

Despite the pandemic, global warming, political and economic woes and general pall of lassitude and negativity that hangs over the globe, Kapp & Peterson has done it again—for the 23rd year in a row they have issued a Pipe of the Year. This year’s pipe is the first new shape designed and offered in the Laudisi era, which makes it all the more exciting for Pete Freeks. It’s being offered in an array of finishes, expanding on last year’s offerings. I have been told (and I could have gotten this wrong) that there will be at least one Supreme Natural blast, some Naturals, several PSBs (Peterson Special Blasts), the regular blast, a dark walnut and of course the smooth. The pipe will be limited to 400 pieces across all finishes, another reason for you to know about it before it appears tomorrow in the US (it has already debuted in Europe). I’ll add photos of the various finishes as soon as they’re available. But before I talk about what it is, let me briefly gloss over what it isn’t.   WHAT IT ISN'T  There’s been a little talk on social media, a friend tells me, that the 9BC POY looks too much like the SH Professor. This may be because SPC (Smokingpipes.com) photos in the recent past have tended to rock the pipe forward and up a bit instead of actually giving a clear side view of the shape.* You can see the confusion by comparing these these photos:   The Professor, Contemporary Bend, Obverse   POY2020, Obverse   But here’s the real deal, a side “flat” view of each pipe, using a Professor from c. 2010:   The Professor, Obverse flat view with "Traditional" Bend   POY2020, Obverse flat view The Professor is an altogether larger pipe with extended base at the back of the bowl, an XL-designate like all the SH shapes, heavier in weight and with a larger chamber. The chambers are different enough to warrant comparison as well. The POY202 is almost identical to its 9BC inspiration and has that sublime chamber proportion of about 2:12 of depth by height, making it versatile for virginia, vaper, oriental, English, whatever. The Professor, on the other hand, is actually too wide to make a good virginia smoker, dissipating the strength and sweetness of the leaf, pushing its use (at least for me) to orientals, English and aromatics. If you’re not visually-minded, here’s some numbers to crunch. Bear in mind there’s usually a small bit of variation between actual pipes, but overall you get the idea: Professor Typical Measurements: Length: 5.43 in./137.92 mm. Weight: 2.80 oz./79.38 g. Bowl Height: 2.21 in./56.13 mm. Chamber Depth: 1.81 in./45.97 mm. Chamber Diameter: 0.81 in./20.57 mm. Outside Diameter: 1.77 in./44.96 mm. Mouthpiece: Vulcanite P-Lip, Contemporary Bend Shamrock 9BC Typical Measurements: Length: 5.20 in./132.08 mm. Weight: 2.24 oz./63.50 g. Bowl Height: 2.12 in./53.85 mm. Chamber Depth: 1.65 in./41.91 mm. Chamber Diameter: 0.73 in./18.54 mm. Outside Diameter: 1.58 in./40.13 mm. Mouthpiece: Vulcanite P-Lip, Traditional Bend…