Peterson Summertime Blend tobacco

The 2019 Summertime pipes are here, or will be shortly, depending on your favorite Peterson source. This year’s line features a soft, textured version of the new in-house rustication and a ruby-hued stain (not chocolate, as some seemingly color-blind folks might try to tell you) which creates the effect of one of my favorite candies from childhood, French burnt peanuts (think M&Ms De Luxe): A dozen shapes are in the lineup: 01, 03, 05, 68, 69, 106, 120, 221, 606, 999, X220 and XL02, which represents a good cross-section of the Classic Range. The 05, 68 and XL02 strike my fancy, but what I actually look for in any rusticated Pete is the random nature of the rustication itself. I like it when the crown of the bowl has some ripples across it, or when the bowl sides pinch in a bit, eschewing any hint of a regular pattern. In a recent episode of PipesMagazineRadio, Brian Levine interviewed Glen Whelan at the IPCPR, and Glen said it takes a craftsman about 5-6 minutes to rusticate an Aran rusticated. I would expect about the same for this finish and perhaps a bit longer for the sharper Rosslare Classic, but what do I know? (Like Levine, however, I am an expert on my own opinion, and I’m hoping Peterson might go one step beyond the Rosslare some day with a really gnarly, stand-out rustication that might qualify for a Premier-grade sterling-mount System.) Aside from the ruby-red FBP (French burnt-peanut) finish, the 2019 Summertime features an acrylic marmalade fishtail mouthpiece with a great 4.4mm button on the two bents I've examined (a 69 and a 303) and an even better 4.2mm on the 606 straight. Just for comparison, when Peterson first issued their acrylic mouthpieces back around 2003, 4.7-4.8 was about the standard. That .5mm makes a difference when you’re clenching acrylic, and I’m quite happy with 4.2 to 4.4. There was no stain in the pipes I examined, and no visible tear-away in the air holes. The bowls are hand-stamped, which takes considerable hand-strength and coordination as I found out for myself when I was at the factory last month , requiring one to push in the stamp while rocking it left to right and up to down (all my attempts went to the reject bin). The fat “Peterson’s” in script over all-caps OF DUBLIN stamp has been used, with a small caps SUMMERTIME beneath. Shape numbers have also been hand-stamped. But where oh where has the year gone? A “2019” would have been nice, but maybe the line isn't going to be an annual. The nickel ferrules, all bright and shiny this year, have the K&P maker’s mark over PETERSON in small caps, a stamp which has been on Peterson nickel-mount ferrules since 1896. I'm still hoping for the return of the classic nickel-mount marks of shamrock, wolf hound and round tower, which were on all nickel ferrules from 1896 to about 1963. If the Summertime seems like it’s been around…